We are back in Wales this week, as we have a few days leave. We managed to visit another 3 castles, the first of which was Denbigh.
Denbigh Castle was built by King Edward the 1st of England, with construction started in 1282 as part of his invasion of Wales.
The castle is largely a ruin now - but is well worth a visit. It sits on a hill above the town of Denbigh in North East Wales, and was built to exert control over this part of the country.
Like Edward the 1st's other Welsh castles its quite considerable in size, and encloses quite a large inner area.
There is also a further town wall and gates, which we drove past but didnt have time to stop and see.
The entrance is one heck on an imposing structure, and shows of just how big this castle is, and gives a glimpse of its defences. The walls are very thick and would have been quite impregnable back in those days before gunpowder.
The obligatory castle well is quite large and deep.
You can see it here enclosed by railings and I was rather surprised to see what was inside:
It was dry, but the bottom was full of rubbish - road cones and footballs being quite prominent !
The castle has seen quite a bit of action during its history, having been raided during a welsh rebellion in 1400. It was attacked during the War of the Roses, and also saw action during the English Civil War in around 1659, noting its proximity to England.
So it was seeing active use and action for atleast 400 years !
The castle is now in the care of CADW, which protects historic properties in Wales. They maintain it so that it does not deteriorate further, and they also make it safe for visitors. It also has a car park and a small visitors shop.
You can also gain access to the top of part of the walls, to get fantastic views all around the town on Denbigh.
The ruins are quite extensive, and provide a glimpse of what must have been quite a large castle, and housed quite a lot of people.
It took over 30 years to complete, which is not surprising given the size.
The pic above was taken inside one of the towers, and you can see where different floors were. The fluted feature in the upper floor is the remains of a fire place and chimney which would have served that floor.
There is a lot to see, and it kept us happily occupied for half an hour or so (and we went round it quickly). Its a place kids would love to visit with lots to do and places to explore.
There is a nominal entry charge, or if like us you have annual membership (in our case via English Heritage), then you can get in for free. Either way, it supports the castles continued maintenance - which to me is well worth it.
It was the first time we had visited this castle, and we were really impressed - and will hopefully make it back again sometime, and look further around the outer walls and gates which are within the town itself.
I originally posted this article on Hive Blog on 14/04/22 (the day before posting it here) - link
Links:
If you want to support important buildings, history and heritage in Wales and the UK, then please consider the following:
CADW - Protecting the Historic Environment in Wales
For a reasonable annual membership price, CADW provides access to numerous historic properties across Wales which are great for days out. Once you've been a member for more than a year you also got access to other properties across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland (half price entry during your first year, and then it should be completely free when you have been a member for more than a year) - so its well worth the investment, plus its all for a good cause.
