Bodelwyddan Castle ( cy, Castell Bodelwyddan), close to the village of Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl,

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, was built around 1460 by the Humphreys family of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

as a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

. It was associated with the Williams-Wynn family for around 200 years from 1690. It has been a Grade II* listed building since 1962 as a "Gothick castellated style in the early C19". Having been opened to the public as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

, as of mid 2019, it was up for sale and the historic building was closed to the public. By August 2019, the grounds and attractions were also closed, but the nearby hotel (independently operated) was not affected.

History

The

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

was bought from the Humphreys by Sir William Williams, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1680 to 1681. The castle was remodeled in 1805 into a Greek Revival style and then reconstructed between 1830 and 1832 by Sir John Hay Williams, who employed the architects

Joseph Hansom Joseph Aloysius Hansom (26 October 1803 – 29 June 1882) was a British architect working principally in the Gothic Revival style. He invented the Hansom cab and founded the eminent architectural journal, ''The Builder'', in 1843. Career Ha ...

(inventor of the Hansom cab) and

Edward Welch Edward Welch (1806 – 3 August 1868) was a British architect born in Overton, Flintshire, in North Wales. Having been a pupil of John Oates at Halifax, West Yorkshire, he formed a partnership in 1828 with Joseph Hansom, who later invent ...

to refurbish and extend the house; the modifications made it into the castellated style. The castle has been described as one of Hansom's most ambitious projects, "being wildly dramatic and owing nothing to its predecessors".Tony Haskell, ''Ibid.'', p.133 At the same time works were carried out to construct an estate wall and formal gardens. Further refurbishment work was carried out in the 1880s by Sir Herbert, 7th Baronet, who inherited Bodelwyddan Castle from his heirless cousin. By the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the house had become a recuperation hospital for wounded soldiers. During this time, the grounds of the estate were used by soldiers based at the nearby

Kinmel Camp Kinmel Park Training Area is an army training ground in what was once the grounds of Kinmel Hall, near Abergele, in Conwy county borough, Wales. The camp was built in 1915 to train troops during the First World War and was later used to house tro ...

for

trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became a ...

training. Traces of these trenches can still be seen. According to WalesOnline, the castle has been reported as haunted.

Lowther College

By 1920, the cost of maintaining the castle and estate had grown too burdensome, and the Williams-Wynn family leased Bodelwyddan to

Lowther College Lowther College was a public school for girls in the United Kingdom in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The school was originally formed in 1896 at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, by Mrs. Florence Morris (later Lindley). In 1920 the school mov ...

, a girls' private school. The school was formed in 1896 at

Lytham St. Annes Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the 2011 census was 42,954. The town is almost contiguous with ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Florence Lindley Florence Lindley (''nee Morris'') was the first headmistress of Lowther College, a private girls' school set up in 1896 in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire. In 1920 she oversaw the college's move to Bodelwyddan Castle in Denbighshire, where she remai ...

. Lowther College purchased the property five years later, in 1925. The school is thought to have been one of the first private schools for girls to have its own swimming pool. It also had a private golf course. The Lowther College Tableaux were well regarded within the community for their musical excellence. Boys were admitted from 1977. The school closed in 1982 due to financial problems.

Museum and arts centre

In the 1980s, the site was bought by

Clwyd Clwyd () is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to th ...

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

with the aim of developing the castle as a visitor attraction. The historic house and grounds were opened to the public and managed by Bodelwyddan Castle Trust, an independent registered charity. Partnerships were formed with the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

and the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

, so that the castle could be used to display objects from these collections. In order to house these items, the interior of the castle was restored by

Roderick Gradidge Roderick Gradidge AA Dipl. ARIBA (3 January 1929 – 20 December 2000) was a British architect and writer on architecture, former Master of the Art Workers Guild and campaigner for a traditional architecture. Career Gradidge was an evangelist ...

, an expert on

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

. The portrait gallery opened in 1988 and was named

Museum of the Year The Museum of the Year Award, formerly known as the Gulbenkian Prize and the Art Fund Prize, is an annual prize awarded to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for a "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence". The award of £ ...

in 1989. The castle's association with the National Portrait Gallery came to an end in 2017 after its funding was cut by Denbighshire County Council.

Closure of the castle and grounds

In 2017 Denbighshire County Council decided to sell the site. In February 2019, the property's 99-year lease castle was still listed for sale; by June 2019, the Bodelwyddan Castle Trust stated that the historic house had been closed. The gardens and park remained open to visitors at that time. In August 2019, the trustees advised that in addition to the castle, "public access is no longer granted for the woodlands, parklands, play area and trench experience". In mid-2021, Bourne Leisure Hotels agreed to purchase the remaining part of the Castle from Denbighshire County Council which had bought the lease to the building. Bourne planned to fully refurbish the castle and to operate it via its Warner Leisure Hotels subsidiary which was already operating the hotel area on the property. The Council would retain the woodland, the meadow, a car park and the agricultural lands as well as the small lodge on the edge of the property.

Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel

Part of the site was leased to the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...

in 1994 for development into a luxury hotel, Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel, operated by Warner Leisure Hotels. According to the historic listing, the hotel is located "within the domestic yard". The historic house and grounds are distinct from the hotel, although Warner did consider purchasing the site in 2017. During the closure of the castle to tourists, the hotel area of the property was not affected and continued to operate.

Gardens

The castle is set within a large area of parkland, and formal gardens, the most recent of which was originally designed by Thomas Hayton Mawson in 1910.

Bodelwyddan Castle Gallery

File:Bodelwyddan Castle 01.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle File:Bodelwyddan Castle - geograph.org.uk - 14395.jpg, Bodelwyddan Castle Main gateway. File:Bodelwyddan Castle 02.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle 02 File:Bodelwyddan Castle 03.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle, Entrance Staircase with Gothic detailing. C.1802 and later File:Bodelwyddan Castle 23.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle, Williams Arms over archway towards gardens File:Bodelwyddan Castle 21.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle Gothic wing added 1802–8. File:Bodelwyddan Castle 34.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle Gothic window alcove 1802–8. File:Bodelwyddan Castle 33.jpg, Bodelwyddan Castle, Medieval knight on NE facade c1840. File:Bodelwyddan Castle35.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle, Detail in Gothic room, mainly 1802-8 File:Bodelwyddan Castle 08.jpg, Bodelwyddan Castle Doorin Gothic room, mainly 1802-8 File:Bodelwyddan Castle 07.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle Gothic fireplace. File:Bodelwyddan Castle 06.jpg, Bodelwyddan Castle. Gothic revival ceiling 1802–8 with Williams family crossed foxes. File:Bodelwyddan Castle 05.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle Greek revival doorway to Gothic room. File:Bodelwyddan Castle 09.JPG, Bodelwyddan Castle Garden entrance by Thomas Mawson. File:Bodelwyddan Castle 24.jpg, Bodelwyddan Castle. Obelisk in Garden. File:View of the St Margaret of Antioch’s Church from the Bodelwyddan Castle. Wales, UK.jpg, View of the St Margaret of Antioch's Church from the Bodelwyddan Castle

References

Literature

*Foister, Susan (1988). ''The National Portrait Gallery at Bodelwyddan Castle.'' London: National Portrait Gallery Publications. . *Hubbard, E. (1986). ''Buildings of Wales: Clwyd.'' Penguin/Yale University Press. pg. 325.

External links

Bodelwyddan Castle
– official site
PhotosNational Portrait Gallery
{{coord, 53, 15, 40, N, 03, 30, 06, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Castles in Denbighshire Grade II* listed buildings in Denbighshire Historical reenactment events Mock castles in Wales Museums in Denbighshire Historic house museums in Wales Art museums and galleries in Wales Gardens in Wales Country houses in Wales Bodelwyddan