Chirk Castle ( cy, Castell y Waun) is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

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 ...

located in

Chirk Chirk ( cy, Y Waun) is a town and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the traditional county of Denbighshire, and later Clwy ...

Wrexham County Borough Wrexham County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam) is a county borough, with city status, in the north-east of Wales. It borders England to the east and south-east, Powys to the south-west, Denbighshire to the west and Flintshire to the nort ...

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 ...

History

The castle was built in 1295 by

Roger Mortimer de Chirk Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Chirk (c.1256 – 3 August 1326) was a 14th-century Marcher lord, notable for his opposition to Edward II of England during the Despenser War. Background and early service Roger was the third son of Roger ...

, uncle of

Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, 1st Earl of March (25 April 1287 – 29 November 1330), was an English nobleman and powerful Marcher Lord who gained many estates in the Welsh Marches and Ireland following his advantageous marria ...

as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of

. It guards the entrance to the

Ceiriog Valley The Ceiriog Valley ( cy, Dyffryn Ceiriog) is the valley of the River Ceiriog in north-east Wales. Its Welsh name, "Dyffryn Ceiriog", is the name of an electoral ward of Wrexham County Borough. The ward is the largest ward of the county borough ...

. It was the administrative centre for the

Marcher Lords A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fra ...

hip of Chirkland. The castle was bought by Sir Thomas Myddelton in 1593 for £5,000 (approx. £11 million ). His son, Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle was a Parliamentarian during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, but became a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

during the 'Cheshire rising' of 1659 led by

George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer (18 December 16228 August 1684), was an English landowner and politician from Cheshire, who served as an MP from 1646 to 1661, when he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Delamer. A member of the moder ...

. Mullioned and transomed windows were inserted in the 16th and 17th centuries; the castle was partly demolished in the

and then rebuilt. Following the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, his son became

Sir Thomas Myddelton, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Myddelton, 1st Baronet (2 November 1624 – 13 July 1663) was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1663. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War but later took part in the ...

of Chirke. The castle passed down in the

Myddelton family The Myddelton family were substantial landowners and benefactors in and around Denbigh in the north-east of Wales. As landowners and members of parliament, a number of its members were elevated to the baronetcy. For several generations, the famil ...

to Charlotte Myddelton (on the death of her father in 1796). Charlotte had married Robert Biddulph, who changed his name to Robert Myddelton-Biddulph, leaving the castle on his death to their son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

. It then passed down in the Myddelton-Biddulph family. From before

World War I 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 ...

until after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the castle was leased by

Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, 4th Baron Seaford (9 May 1880 – 5 November 1946) was an English peer, landowner, writer and patron of the arts. Lord Howard de Walden was also a powerboat racer who competed for Great ...

, a prominent patron of the arts and champion of Welsh culture. In 1918 Chirk Castle was used as film location for

Victory and Peace ''Victory and Peace'' is a 1918 British silent war film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Matheson Lang, Marie Lohr, and James Carew. The film was produced by the National War Aims Committee that was set up in 1917 to focus on domestic ...

, directed by

Herbert Brenon Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through the 1930s. Brenon was among the early film ...

. The Baron opened up parts of the castle to evacuees during the later part of the Second World War. The

returned to live at Chirk Castle until 2004.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Ririd Myddleton Lieutenant-Colonel Ririd Myddelton, MVO KStJ DL JP (25 February 1902 – 7 February 1988), was a country gentleman and one-time member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Early life Myddelton was born on 25 F ...

was an

extra equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

from 1952 until his death in 1988. Chirk remained in the Myddelton family until it was transferred to the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

in 1981. The castle and gardens are open to the public between March and October, with limited opening dates in November and December. The castle is from

Chirk railway station Chirk ( cy, Y Waun) is a town and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the traditional county of Denbighshire, and later Clw ...

Landscape

The property is notable for its gardens, with clipped yew hedges, herbaceous borders, rock gardens and terraces and surrounded by 18th century parkland. This parkland was originally laid out as a deer park in the 14th century. From the early 17th century there were both formal and kitchen gardens adjacent to the castle, probably on the eastern side. The gardens continued to develop after the Civil War, including the construction of an outer courtyard to the north, surrounded by stone walls with a wrought-iron gateway. By 1719 the courtyard had been turfed over and the gates replaced by a magnificent set of wrought-iron gates and gatescreen made by Robert and John Davies of Bersham. A panoramic view of the park by

Thomas Badeslade Thomas Badeslade (active c. 1719–1750) was an English topographical draughtsman, who worked extensively with the engraver W. H. Toms. One of his early works was to draw the illustrations for the ''History of Kent'' published in 1719 by Dr J ...

, published in 1742, shows the resulting grand baroque layout of formal gardens and avenues. This included formal gardens to the east of the castle, with a walled outer courtyard and kitchen gardens to the north. Most of this layout was swept away by extensive landscaping in the 1760s and 70s, undertaken by

William Emes William Emes (1729 or 1730–13 March 1803) was an English landscape gardener. Biography Details of his early life are not known but in 1756 he was appointed head gardener to Sir Nathaniel Curzon at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. He left this post ...

, on behalf of Richard Myddelton, including the construction of a ha-ha and the removal of the Davies gates to be re-erected at the New Hall entrance. These works were largely responsible for the present-day appearance of the park. A prominent feature of the park is the earthwork of

Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke ( cy, Clawdd Offa) is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to h ...

, which passes within 200 metres of the castle. This is shown on the Badeslade drawing, labelled as ‘King Offa’s Ditch’, with the ornamental lake beyond. The earthwork was partly submerged by the creation of the lake. In 2018 and 2018 the

Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Clwyd-Powys (YACP)) is an educational charity which was established in 1975. Its objective is ‘to advance the education of the public in archaeology’. CPAT is one of ...

excavated a section across Offa's Dyke here, and found substantial remains of the ditch and bank. The parkland landscape had partly been responsible for preserving the remains of the Dyke. The Oak at the Gate of the Dead lies 300m from Chirk Castle and marks the site of the 1165

Battle of Crogen The Battle of Crogen is an engagement said to have taken place in Wales during Henry II of England's summer 1165 campaign against an alliance of Welsh kingdoms led by King of Gwynedd, Owain Gwynedd. Later Welsh chronicles recorded that a detach ...

. The castle was used as a special stage in the 2013 Wales Rally GB.

Gallery

The north east prospect of Chirk Castle in Denbighshire on of the seats of John Myddelton Esqr.jpeg, The north east prospect of Chirk Castle, 1735 The_north_view_of_Chirck_i.e._Chirk_Castle,_in_the_county_of_Denbigh.jpeg, A north view of Chirk Castle, c.1810 ChirkCastleOverview.JPG, Chirk Castle Approach Chirk Castle gates.jpg, The castle gates ChirkCastleEntrance.JPG, Main entrance ChirkCastleCourtyard.JPG, Courtyard ChirkCastleGarden.JPG, Garden alongside the castle Chirk Castle from the North.jpg, ''Chirk Castle from the North'', by

Peter Tillemans Peter Tillemans ( 1684 – 5 December 1734)Noakes, Aubrey, ''Sportsmen in a Landscape'' (Ayer Publishing, 1971, )pp. 47–56: ''Peter Tillemans and Early Newmarket''at books.google.com, accessed 7 February 2009. ONDB writes: "In 1733 Tillemans re ...

, 1725 The west prospect of Chirk Castle in Denbighshire, one of the seats of John Myddelton Esqr (1132147).jpg, The west prospect of Chirk Castle c.1733-47 Chirk Castle - Adam Tower.jpg, Adam Tower from the south-west Chirk Castle courtyard and west range.jpg, The courtyard and turret clock from the east

References

External links

*
Chirk Castle information at the National Trustwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Chirk Castle and surrounding areaList of paintings on show at Chirk castle
{{Wrexham Castles in Wrexham County Borough National Trust properties in Wales Gardens in Wales Historic house museums in Wales Museums in Wrexham County Borough Country houses in Wales Grade I listed buildings in Wrexham County Borough Rally GB Grade I listed castles Chirk Myddelton family Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales

History

Landscape

Gallery

See also

References

External links