Gwydir Castle
Gwydir Castle is situated in the
Etymology
The name Gwydir derives from the Welsh gwo- 'under, low' and tir 'land', referring to the land beside the river Conwy.[1] Any similarity with the Welsh word gwydr 'glass' is coincidental.
History
There have been fortifications associated with this site since AD 600. In the
By the 14th century, the Welsh knight
By the 16th century, Gwydir had become the seat of the powerful
Following the
Although called a castle, it is an example of a
Gwydir was home to
More recently,
Gwydir estate
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Gwydir Estate under the Wynn family dominated north Wales, and at the centre of this huge estate, Gwydir itself stood in a deer park of some 36,000 acres (150 km2). In 1678, it passed by marriage to the Barons Willoughby de Eresby (when Mary Wynn married Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, then Lord Willoughby de Eresby), based in Lincolnshire (Dukes of Ancaster and Kesteven in 1715–1779, and from 1892 Earls of Ancaster). The 18th century consequently saw a period of some neglect (but in 1796 the title of Baron Gwydyr was created for Peter Burrell, 1st Baron Gwydyr, husband of Priscilla Bertie, 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, who acted as Lord Great Chamberlain in 1780–1820), and by the early 19th century the estate largely comprised the parishes of Dolwyddelan (where the Wynns also had an ancestral home), Llanrhychwyn, Trefriw, and Gwydir, totalling some 55 square miles (140 km2). This land, however, was mostly mountainous and of poor quality, and although there were some 30 slate mines on the land, of varying sizes, this slate was not of a particularly good standard, much of it more suited to slabs than roofing slate. Nor was production high, and the output of all the quarries over the 150 years of their existence totalled, for instance, just two years' worth of output from the Blaenau Ffestiniog quarries. Prior to the arrival of the railway in the 1860s, most slate was carried by cart to the quays at Trefriw. The estate also owned a number of mineral mines, mostly in the area of today's Gwydir Forest.
The principle quarries on the estate were located around Dolwyddelan, where a
Much of the estate was, however, under continuous mortgage, and in 1894 Dolwyddelan was sold off, followed in the next two years by most of Llanrhychwyn and Trefriw. The sale of the house in 1921 by the Earl Carrington saw it passing out of inherited ownership for the first time in over 400 years, and virtually all other lands were subsequently sold off. Today the estate comprises just the 10 acres (40,000 m2) in which Gwydir Castle sits.
20th century
In 1921, the panelled main dining room from the 1640s was stripped, the carved and gilded panelling being bought at auction by William Randolph Hearst, the American press baron. On his death, the panels were inherited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and until recently were kept in storage at the museum. The new owners of Gwydir, Peter Welford and Judy Corbett, traced these panels and negotiated with the museum, which sold the panels back to the Corbetts.[5] They have been carefully replaced in their original setting, and the restored dining room was re-opened in July 1998 at a ceremony attended by the Prince of Wales.[6]
In 1922, a fire broke out and gutted the Solar Tower,[7] leaving it roofless. A subsequent fire in the West Wing made the place untenable, and it was abandoned, remaining unoccupied until 1944. In this year it was bought by Arthur Clegg, a retired bank manager, who, together with his wife and son, started a 20-year programme of renovation.
The castle is now privately owned by Peter Welford and his wife, Judy Corbett. They purchased the castle in 1994. They then began a programme of restoration to restore the 15th-century Tudor castle to its former glory.[6] The story of the restoration is told in Judy Corbett's book Castles in the Air.[8]
Gardens
The castle is set within a
The raised terrace contains an imposing
Gwydir Uchaf Chapel
Gwydir Uchaf Chapel, in the woods above Gwydir Castle, was built in 1673 by Sir Richard Wynn as a family memorial chapel for the Wynns of Gwydir. The simple exterior provides a direct contrast with its beautifully painted ceiling, depicting the
This chapel should not be confused with the one adjoining Llanrwst Church, called Gwydir Chapel. (This was built in 1633 by an earlier Sir Richard Wynn, and is said to have been designed by Inigo Jones. It has elaborate wood panelling, several family tombs and a stone coffin said to be that of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, moved from Maenan Abbey at the Dissolution.) The chapel is still owned by the Willoughby family who were the hereditary owners of Gwydir Castle. It is now managed by Cadw.
See also
- List of gardens in Wales
- Grey Mare's Tail
- Wynn baronets
- Baron Gwydyr
References
- OCLC 191731809.
- ^ Nicholson, George (1813). The Cambrian Traveller's Guide: In Every Direction; Containing Remarks Made During Many Excursions, in the Principality of Wales, and Bordering Districts, Augmented by Extracts from the Best Writers. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown. p. 804.
- ^ "Battle near Llanrwst (404823)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-86381-552-2.
- ^ "Daily Telegraph – Racked by a ruin". Archived from the original on 3 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Gwydir Castle And The Mystery Of The 'Missing Room' Prompts US Appeal". huffingtonpost.co.uk. 1 May 2017.
- ^ "Gwydir Castle-One couple's dream come true". www.magiccarpetjournals.com.
- ^ Corbett, Judy. "Castles In The Air: The Restoration Adventures of Two Young Optimists and a Crumbling Old Mansion" – via Amazon.
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- Gwydir Castle — A Brief History and Guide, by Peter Welford, 2000
- Gwydir Castle Published by Arthur Clegg.
- Gwydir Slate Quarries, by M.C. Williams & M.J.T. Lewis, 1989
- Castles in the Air, by Judy Corbett, Ebury Press, 2004
- Gwydir Castle Guidebook
External links
- Official Gwydir Castle site
- BBC News – Castle restoration marks 10 years Retrieved 13 February 2012
- The Independent – 'We slept rough and battled wild animals to restore a Welsh castle'
- Illustrated guide to Gwydir Castle
- history with a movie
- Gwydir Chapel
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Gwydir Castle and surrounding area