Gwydir Castle facts for kids
Gwydir Castle is a historic house located in the beautiful Conwy Valley in Wales. It's about a mile west of the old town of Llanrwst and 1.5 km south of the village of Trefriw. Built around 1500, it's a great example of a strong, fortified manor house, not a traditional castle with huge walls. Gwydir Castle sits near the River Conwy and is surrounded by the Gwydir Forest.
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What Does 'Gwydir' Mean?
The name 'Gwydir' most likely comes from "Gwy-dir," which means "water land." This makes sense because the area near the castle often flooded from the nearby River Conwy. Another idea is that it could mean "Gwaed-dir," or "the bloody land." This name might come from the many battles that happened in this area long ago.
A Look Back: Gwydir Castle's History
There have been buildings on this spot since as far back as AD 600! In the early Middle Ages, many small fights took place here between different Welsh kingdoms. Two big battles happened nearby in AD 610 and AD 954.
Early Owners and Famous Visitors
In the 1300s, a Welsh knight named Howell ap Coetmor was the first recorded owner of a manor house here. He was a brave soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War as a leader of archers. He even fought alongside the Black Prince at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356! Later, he supported the famous Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr.
By the 1500s, Gwydir became the home of the powerful Wynn family. They were very important in North Wales during the Tudor and Stuart times. The Wynns rebuilt the house, using old stones from a nearby abbey that had been closed down. You can still see Sir John Wynn's initials and the date 1555 above the main entrance!
Even though it's called a castle, Gwydir is more like a large, strong country house. It's different from the huge castles built by Welsh princes like Llywelyn the Great or English kings like Edward I.
Many important people have visited Gwydir. Katheryn of Berain, a famous Welsh noblewoman, lived here. King Charles I is said to have visited in 1645. Much later, King George V and Queen Mary stayed here in 1899 when they were the Duke and Duchess of York.
The Gwydir Estate and Its Changes
In the 1500s and 1600s, the Wynn family's Gwydir Estate was huge, covering about 36,000 acres! The castle itself was in a deer park. Over time, the estate passed to other families. By the early 1800s, the land was mostly mountains and not very good for farming.
The estate also had some slate and mineral mines. However, the slate wasn't the best quality, and not much was produced. Before railways arrived in the 1860s, most of the slate was taken by cart to the quays at Trefriw.
Over the years, much of the estate was sold off. In 1921, the castle itself was sold, leaving the estate with just the 10 acres of land around Gwydir Castle that it has today.
Gwydir in the 20th Century
In 1921, a famous American newspaper owner named William Randolph Hearst bought the beautiful wooden panels from Gwydir's main dining room. After he died, the panels ended up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The current owners of Gwydir, Peter Welford and Judy Corbett, found these panels and managed to buy them back from the museum! They carefully put them back in their original place. The restored dining room was officially opened in 1998, with the Prince of Wales attending the ceremony.
In 1922, a fire badly damaged part of the castle, and another fire made it impossible to live in. Gwydir Castle was empty until 1944 when Arthur Clegg bought it. He and his family spent 20 years bringing the castle back to life.
Today, Peter Welford and Judy Corbett own Gwydir Castle. They bought it in 1994 and have worked hard to restore it carefully. Judy Corbett even wrote a book about their journey called Castles in the Air.
Exploring the Gardens
Gwydir Castle is surrounded by a beautiful 10-acre garden. It has some very old cedar trees. One cedar tree was planted in 1625 to celebrate the wedding of King Charles I. There's also a huge yew tree, sometimes called the "Lovers Tree," which is thought to be between 600 and 1000 years old! This means it was growing even before the castle was built.
The garden has a grand Renaissance arch from the 1590s. The Old Dutch garden features ancient yew trees shaped into interesting designs (called topiary) and an eight-sided fountain. The Royal and Statesman's gardens have Welsh Oak trees planted during the royal visit in 1899 and again in 1911. A path called the Chinese Walk leads across the fields to the River Conwy, where you can still see parts of the old Gwydir Quay.
Gwydir Uchaf Chapel
Gwydir Uchaf Chapel is a special chapel hidden in the woods above Gwydir Castle. Sir Richard Wynn built it in 1673 as a family chapel for the Wynns of Gwydir. From the outside, it looks quite simple. But inside, it has a wonderfully painted ceiling! The paintings show scenes from the Creation, the Trinity, and the Last Judgement.
This chapel is different from another chapel next to Llanrwst Church, which is also called Gwydir Chapel. The chapel in the woods is still owned by the Willoughby family, who used to own Gwydir Castle. Today, it is looked after by Cadw, a Welsh government group that cares for historic sites.
