Gwrych Castle
Gwrych Castle is Wales’ most famous Gothick-revival house and also one of its most beautiful. Built between c.1812 and 1822 by antiquarian and gentleman architect, Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh, in memory of his maternal ancestors, the Lloyds of Gwrych. He sought expert advice from eminent Regency architects, Charles Augustin Busby and Thomas Rickman, to replicate medieval architecture whilst George Bullock and the Craces lavishly furnished the interiors. Henry Kennedy was employed to extend the Castle during the 1840’s by the inclusion of a new bedroom wing, staircase and family entrance, creating the building we see today. When Lloyd died the Castle passed to Robert Bamford-Hesketh and his wife, Ellen Jones-Bateman. George Edmund Street designed the family’s chapel during the 1870’s and also several churches and schools for the Heskeths. Robert and Ellen planted much of the present gardens with their enormous Monkey Puzzles and laurel collection.
Winifred Bamford-Hesketh, later Countess of Dundonald, was the sole heiress of the Gwrych Estate and inherited in 1894 when it became her official residence. The Earl of Dundonald gained international fame during the Boer War’s ‘Relief of Ladysmith’ and had an illustrious military career. Winifred brought up her children at the castle and became involved in Welsh affairs, notably becoming a founder member of the Church in Wales and an active participant in the National Eisteddfods. Between 1909 and 1914, Arts and Crafts architect, Detmar Blow, in conjunction with Charles Ernest Elcock, added the famous yet theatrical Italian marble staircase and renovated the state apartments to sumptuous standards. When Lady Dundonald died in 1924, her will stated that Gwrych should be bequeathed to King George V and the Prince of Wales so that the Royal Family had a permanent base in Wales. This request was declined and it was given to the Church in Wales.
In 1925 the Earl of Dundonald bought the castle back and sold off the contents to fund the purchase and was requisitioned during WWII to house over 200 Jewish refugee children as part of Operation Kindertransport. The castle finally left the family’s hands in 1946, being sold to Robert Rennie and subsequently to Leslie Salts who opened the Castle to the public for over 20 years, the boxers Randolph Turpin and Bruce Woodcock trained there and nearly 10 million people visited the castle.
The castle once had a total of 128 rooms including the outbuildings, including twenty-eight bedrooms, an outer hall, an inner hall, two smoke rooms, a dining room, a drawing room, a billiards room, an oak study, and a range of accommodations for servants, though many feel the castle’s outstanding feature was the castle’s 52-step marble staircase. There are nineteen embattled towers and the whole facade is over 2000 yards. Queen Victoria visited Gwrych in what became known as the Victoria bedroom, new extensions to the existing building for the Queen and her entourage. These rooms are situated in the front of the castle on the first floor, with two windows overlooking the Irish Sea.
From 1968 the castle had a number of owners, much of the castle was converted to public uses and in the late 70’s the castle was opened as a medieval centre with jousting contests and where markets were held. The castle finally closed in 1985, however in 1989 it was purchased by an American entrepreneur with plans to convert the castle to a five-star hotel and opera venue, sadly these plans never came to fruition and the building was frequently vandalised. In 1998 the building was severely damaged following the collapse of the roof and floors and later gutted by fire and has remained in a derelict state ever since, in spite of its Grade I listed building status.
The Castle is now owned by EPM UK Ltd who are progressing plans to develop the Castle as a Country House Hotel and Spa in partnership with their development company, Castell Developments Ltd
