Ruthin Craft Centre ( cy, Canolfan Grefft Rhuthun) is a craft centre in the historic, market town of

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas ...

(/ˈrɪθɪn/ rith-in; pronounced Rith-een) north

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Ruthin Craft Centre shows the best in national and international contemporary applied arts. The original Craft Centre was demolished early in 2007, and a new Craft Centre opened in July 2008 in a £4.3 million scheme which contains six craft workshops, larger galleries and an expanded craft retail gallery, two residency studios, an education space and a tourist information centre, as well as a restaurant. The new building, by architects Sergison Bates has been widely recognised, winning the 2009 Dewi-Prys Thomas Prize, being shortlisted for the 2009 Art Fund Prize and highlighted as a 'Design Delight' by the Design Commission for Wales. The centre is revenue funded by the

Arts Council of Wales The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; cy, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts C ...

and is part of

Denbighshire County Council Denbighshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Denbighshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council is based at County Hall in Ruthin. Elections take place every five years. The last election was on 5 M ...

. Director of the Ruthin Craft Centre, Philip Hughes, was interviewed by Culture24 during the Art Fund nomination in 2009.

Ruthin Art Trail

The art trail was launched first in 2014, costing £250,000 to attract tourists to Ruthin town. The beginning of the trail is located in the Craft Centre, which in itself brings 90,000 visitors each year. The trail consists of ten spy holes, with 22 figures on buildings and roofs throughout the town to give a flavour of the history and folklore of Ruthin. These "spy holes" include various portrayals of Ruthin's history, from an illustration of the old livestock market, to the myth of a wild dog. Small metal figures have also been devised. The trail is designed to tour people around Ruthin, set out with oak benches and freshly planted trees which are designed to encourage people to explore the town further. The tourists would be led up Market Street, across St. Peter's square, down Clwyd Street which leads to the Old Gaol, and through a series of other streets that will take them back to Market Street. The art trail was designed by Lucy Strachan, who wanted to encourage people to discover the town of Ruthin. The artists and designers took advice from a former secondary school head teacher and local historian regarding Ruthin's heritage and legends. BBC Website
accessed 18/06/14

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* {{authority control Tourist attractions in Denbighshire Buildings and structures in Denbighshire Arts centres in Wales Ruthin Textile museums in the United Kingdom Glass museums and galleries English design Decorative arts museums in England Decorative arts museums Design museums Ceramics museums in the United Kingdom Art museums and galleries in Wales Art museums established in 2008 2008 establishments in Wales