I'm after any info on Ruthin Castle, I know that it has been converted into a Hotel now, but thats all I can find out, nothing of any detail about the original Castle itself, so if anyone can help i would be very grateful, I think it has links with Codnor Castle that we've previously spoken about.

http://www.castlewales.com/ruthin.html
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/hauntings/ruthin.html
http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales...uthincastle.htm
http://www.ruthin.com/

From Plantagenet Somerset Fry - Castles of Britain and Ireland

I'll have a look and see what I can come up with.

Meanwhile, here's a few of my old postcards.

... and a couple more.

A print from around 1840.

Like them.

Mike Salter tells us that when the English invaded North wales in 1282, Reginald de Grey occupied Duffryn Clwyd, and was rewarded with the lordship, which was renamed after his new seat at Ruthlin. Edward had apparently already laid the founds of the castle, and the grant was made with the proviso that de Grey complete the work. Whilst he was at it, he walled the town and built the chapel of St Peter .
In 1323 Reginald's son John died, leaving as heir a son Henry became the 3rd Baron Grey of Wilton in Herefordshire, whilst a younger son, Roger, became 1st Baron Grey of Ruthlin. His grandson provoked Owain Glyndwr into rebellion when he witheld a summons for military service against the Scots. In revenge Glyndwr ransacked and burnt Ruthlin town in 1400, and then two tears later ambushed then ransomed his de Grey rival for a hefty 10.000 merks, with de Grey's son becoming the hostage.
In 1508 George Grey, the 5th baron Ruthlin, sold out to the crown, and it came to Henry 8th's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy Duke of Richmond, who died whilst still too young to harvest the full benefits of the grant. Elizabeth 1st gave it to the Dudley
Earl of Warwick, and it returned to crown ownership agter his death in 1590. Charles 1st then gave it to the Crane's, who then sold it to Sir Thomas Myddleton of Chirk, who had purchased the castle alone in 1632 which by then was described as being a ruin of no value.
The Roylaists repaired and installed a garrison in 1642, when it survived a two day attack by Sir Thomas, a parliamentarian.
It was in a good enough state of repair in 1645 to host Prince Maurice, then in 1646 surrendered to the parliamentarians after an 11 week siege, after which the Governor (Reynolds) was allowed to march free with his men.
In 1648 it was rendered indefensible for Parliament by Simon Thelwall of Plas Y Ward.

In 1796 Richard Myddleton passed away, and his younger daughter Maria inherited. She had married the 8th Baron West, and she lived in Ruthlin from 1826 until she died in 1843. During this time she had constructed a mansion in the soth eastern corner of the site. Futher additions and replanning of the grounds took place over a three year period around 1850.Since 1963 it has been used as an hotel.
There is a five sided inner courtyard which contains masonry remains of 19thc landscaping, however some walling of the medieval defences are still evident. There are patlry ruined basements below courtyard level and the vaulted cellars of the U-plan gateway towers in the south-east which are linked by a tunnel. At opposite ends of the hall range are two D-plan towers, with another at the north corner. Anothe rtower in the south coner of the inner ward is probable. A spiral stair climbs beside the Western tower leading to the dry ditch between the wards. Remains of the curtain wall of the outer ward support a platform to the north east. The 19thc building works also removed a corner tower of the outer ward as evidenced by an 18thc print which illustrates both towers and the curtain wall between. It also shows a postern leading through a rectangular turret from the ditch.

A plan of the castle .
Click to view attachment

Andrew, you always amaze me with the information you are able to find...especially plans. Thanks for all your work.

From the Daily Post, 16th May 2006

Castle targets top business with £1m facelift

Ruthin Castle - famous for its medieval banquets and wedding receptions - has announced plans to upgrade its facilities.

The upgrade, which will provide top-of-the-range meeting, conference and bedroom facilities for business guests, will take investment in the hotel to well over £1m. The work will include a partial refurbishment of the Prince of Wales dining room, Peacock Suite, principal ground floor corridors and many of the hotel bedrooms.

It will also involve general improvements for disabled persons, driveway upgrades and improvements to external parking and gardens, including the installation of closed circuit television.

New owners Anthony and Amanda Saint Claire, of Countrypark Hotels Ltd, said the current development phase had received grant of £158,511 from the former Wales Tourist Board - now part of the Welsh Assembly Government's Visit Wales - towards the cost of more than £820,000. The work is the second stage of the refurbishment.

Mr Saint Claire said: "Ruthin Castle has huge potential and we are looking forward to developing and releasing this potential, which should in turn have a positive impact on the Ruthin and Denbigh economy."

From the Western Mail, 30th December 2006

Edward I's 'lost' castle near collapse

The castles of King Edward I are some of Wales' most famous tourist attractions, with four designated as UN World Heritage Sites - but one is on the verge of collapsing. Ruthin Castle is covered in ivy and conservationists fear it won't last longer. It's been eclipsed by a more recent stately home, which has the same name.

The mighty castles of King Edward I have been the most constant man-made tourist attractions since the dawn of leisure visits to Wales. Fashions and technology have changed many aspects of recreation, but still people come in their hundreds of thousands to marvel at the scale and drama of Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech and others.

However, Ruthin Castle has been eclipsed by a later building which usurped not only the name but even some of the ancient stonework. The 19th-century building is now a plush hotel in beautiful, spacious grounds. But many of the original castle walls have survived. They include the remains of a whipping pit, a drowning pool and a dungeon. The location of the castle's moat can clearly be seen.

Despite being listed as an ancient monument, the structure has been neglected for so long that it could deteriorate even further without remedial action. The new owners of the site, including both the old and new castles, have undertaken some minor works to arrest the decay but cannot afford the large-scale conservation needed if the walls are to be preserved for future generations to see. Now they have pinned their hopes on setting up a charitable trust which would take responsibility for the old walls.

"By doing that we can arrange various grants and have donations made," said Anthony St Claire, chairman of the Ruthin Castle Hotel company.

"There's a very significant amount of money that needs spending - in excess of £1m. As a commercial company we inhibit ourselves. The grant authorities are less forthcoming than they would be for a charitable trust."

Organisations which support historic buildings using public money might stipulate, as a condition of any grants awarded, that visitors should be able to view the ruins.

Mr St Claire said, "We would probably have to have specific occasions or times when they're open to the public. A number of people would be interested in coming to look, if the ancient part was in better condition and more accessible. We're trying at the moment to prevent further decay. Where small sections are affected, we're making repairs to those. We're trying to prevent the vegetation that's growing over the walls becoming any worse. There's ivy, and some tree seedlings are finding homes in the stonework. We've got to be careful removing those - sometimes it can do more damage than good."

An even older castle may have stood on the site when the town of Ruthin was given by Edward I to Dafydd, brother of Prince Llywelyn, as reward for his treachery. In the late 13th century Ruthin Castle was improved with the help of Master James of St George, the renowned architect behind Edward I's great castles. The castle was used in the Civil War, but was then deliberately damaged to stop it being used for war again. In 1826 work began on a new building at the site, a grand house in the fashion of the age. The house became a hotel in the 1960s.

The Grey Lady

A ghost known as the Grey Lady is said to stalk Ruthin Castle. Local legend says that she discovered her husband, an officer at the castle, was having an affair with a local woman, whom she then murdered with an axe. She herself was executed for this killing and was denied burial in consecrated ground. Instead she was interred in the grounds of Ruthin Castle. A grave clearly visible today is said to be hers.

A vintage postcard of Ruthin Castle, recently purchased.

From the North Wales Daily Post, 15th February 2008

Anger over housing plans near Ruthin Castle

Plans for holiday lodges in the grounds of an historic castle look likely to be turned down – despite claims they could help save the place falling into further decay.

Countrypark Hotels Ltd, which owns Ruthin Castle Hotel, wants to build 15 lodges for leasing within the grounds. They would be grouped into two areas, 10 of them in shrubbery to the south of the castle and five in woodland to the north. The site is, however, within a Grade II historic park and garden and within the curtilage of the 13th-century castle which is designated as a Grade I building. The hotel itself is Grade II.

In the past the authorities have been concerned about the condition of the ruins of the original castle, and the owners have offered to set up a Trust, with financial support over a 10-year period, if planning permission is granted for the lodges. But CADW, the body responsible for historic buildings, says the lodges, along with access tracks, car parking and lighting, would seriously harm the character of the historic park, diminish the significance of the site as a whole and harm the setting of both the mediaeval and 19th century castles.

Cadw officials have welcomed the suggestion of a Trust, but would still be against the development within the woodland area. In a report to next week’s meeting of Denbighshire County Council’s planning committee the head of public protection and planning, Graham Boase, says that both areas were an integral part of the park of the mediaeval castle. Records show that in the late 13th century a “De Grey’s Walk” is mentioned, connecting the castle to the forest and deer park to the south and west of the castle.

“It is not clear how extensively wooded the park was in the immediate vicinity of the castle, but it is likely that the history of the woodland to the north west, where five lodges are proposed, goes back to the mediaeval period or beyond,” says the report. “Both areas of development for the lodges lie immediately adjacent to the scheduled area of the castle and although the lodges would not be visible from them, they would nevertheless, intrude into historically sensitive areas, have a significant adverse impact on the character of their setting and would potentially harm its archaeological importance.”

Mr. Boase said there were not enough details about the Trust, the amount of work needed to secure the future of the mediaeval castle and whether any other sources of funding have been sought.

From the North Wales Daily Post, 21st February 2008

Fresh bid for castle lodges

Plans for holiday lodges in the grounds of an historic castle are to be re-submitted. Owner of Ruthin Castle Anthony St Clair has offered to set up a trust with £250,000 towards conservation work.

At a Denbighshire planning committee meeting yesterday it was decided further discussions were needed with historic monuments body Cadw over the holiday lodge proposals.

Cadw chiefs are supportive in principle of plans to build lodges for leasing within the grounds. But there are some concerns over where they are sited. The original proposals were to group them into two areas – 10 of them in a shrubbery to the south of the castle and five in woodland to the north.

The site is, however, within a Grade II historic park and garden and within the curtilage of the 13th-century castle which is designated as a Grade I building. The hotel itself is Grade II. In the past the authorities have been concerned about the condition of the ruins of the original castle.

The owners have offered to set up a Trust, with financial support over a 10-year period, if planning permission is granted for the lodges. In a report head of public protection and planning, Graham Boase, said there was insufficient detail about the Trust, the amount of work needed to secure the mediaeval castle’s future and whether any other sources of funding have been sought.

From the North Wales Daily Post, 21st June 2008

Ruthin Castle on the market for £5.5m

Ruthin Castle is up for sale and it could be yours for a cool £5.5m. The landmark site was put on the market this week after a string of planning application delays.

Owners Anthony and Amanda Saint Claire from Llangollen were set to spend £4m on refurbishment. They were also planning to spend over £1.5m on holiday homes. But despite winning planning permission for a luxury spa this week, the multi-millionaires pulled the plug after a three-year battle against CADW and Denbighshire planners.

The couple have just sold off another of their properties near Leeds for a cool £5.5m. They say their investment would have created nearly 100 jobs. The Saint Claires also promised to reinvest in the conservation and development of the hotel and its medieval walls. But they are now offering the castle for sale.

Mr. Saint Claire said: “We have made considerable investment in refurbishment and repairs and the business is very much stronger and much more profitable than when we purchased it. For almost four years we have planned and been committed to multi-million pound investment in a spa here, and refurbishment to create an outstanding hotel that would attract many high-spend guests into Ruthin. We have searched for ways to ensure the long-term conservation of the crumbling and overgrown ancient castle walls that require vast investment without any form of commercial return, and with the very recent support of CADW and Denbighshire CC we believed at last their future could be secured. The entire process has now taken far too long for us, however, and has been opposed and unnecessarily delayed at every step of the way, often by people who are clearly ignorant of the full details.”

He said the jobs of the management team will be “safeguarded.”

From Vale of Clwyd News, 23rd June 2008

Ruthin Castle's £3m luxury spa plan given the go-ahead

Ruthin Castle is set to become a haven for relaxation after permission to build a luxury spa was finally granted by the county council last week. Owner Anthony Saint-Clare said the news came after more than three years of negotiations and planning, and says the new development will tie in with the historic feel of the existing building.

"Ruthin Castle deserves a facility of this standard and it could help release the vast potential that secures the long term financial success of this business," he told Your Vale.

Mr. Saint-Clare says the planned spa will include an indoor swimming pool, indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, an array of relaxation rooms and special private rooms for VIP guests as part of the overhaul, which is expected to cost around £3m.

Currently the site - which dates back to the 13th century - is used as a hotel, which recently won two AA rosettes for the quality of food and service at its restaurant. As the building remains largely the same as when it was sold by King Charles I in 1632, the area’s owners and Denbighshire County Council have struggled to reach a solution which would compliment the site’s history.

"Although the main body of the spa is internal, it was essential to the design that its character is distinctively ‘Ruthin Castle’ and incorporated elements of both the mediaeval castle and the Welsh countryside" said Mr. Saint-Claire. "The spa is expected to cost in excess of £3 million and together with further refurbishment of the castle interior, could catapult Ruthin Castle to the top tier of British hotels and make it the national and international draw that its historic status deserves."