Denbigh Castle

Ten miles south of Rhyl, Denbigh Castle crowns a limestone spur above the market town of the same name, commanding one of the most dramatic hilltop positions of any castle in Wales. It is larger than Rhuddlan, more ruined, and arguably more spectacular — a sprawling Edwardian fortress where you can walk freely through towers and gatehouses with views stretching from the Irish Sea to the mountains of Snowdonia. It receives a fraction of the visitors that the more famous Conwy and Caernarfon attract.

History

Denbigh Castle was begun in 1282 by Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, as part of Edward I's second campaign of Welsh conquest following the revolt of 1282 and the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It was built simultaneously with a new English borough planted beneath the castle walls — the planned town of Denbigh, whose medieval street pattern and town walls survive to a remarkable degree.

The castle's most distinctive feature is the Great Gatehouse, an extraordinary three-towered structure that was intended to be the grandest entrance of any Edwardian castle in Wales — more ambitious even than the gatehouses at Harlech or Caernarfon. It was never fully completed: the octagonal towers that were planned for the outer corners were never built, and the inner passage displays the carved heads of Edward I and de Lacy in the corbelling, as if watching over the castle's unfinished ambition.

Denbigh was involved in every major Welsh and English conflict for three centuries. It was a Royalist stronghold during the Civil War, withstanding a prolonged Parliamentary siege from 1645 to 1646 — one of the last Royalist castles to surrender in Wales. The subsequent slighting left it in the condition you see today: magnificent in ruin.

What to See

The castle and its attached town walls enclose a considerable area on the hilltop. The Great Gatehouse dominates the approach and is the most complete part of the structure — walk through its vaulted passage and up the wall-walk for views across the Vale of Clwyd. The Postern Tower at the far end of the enceinte gives the best panorama: west to the Clwydian hills, north to Rhyl and the sea, east across the Dee valley towards England.

Within the castle grounds are the remains of a church begun by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in the 1570s — intended to be a cathedral for a new Welsh diocese that was never created. The roofless shell is one of the more melancholy ruins in Wales.

Cadw manages the site and there is a modest admission charge. The town walls, which run from the castle down the hill and back again, can be walked freely and are included with castle admission.

The Town of Denbigh

Denbigh itself is a working market town with independent shops, a weekly market, and the character of a genuine Welsh community that functions for its own population rather than for visitors. The medieval street pattern of the Edwardian borough survives in the upper town, and the Burgess Gate — one of the original medieval town gates — stands at the top of the main street. Allow an hour to walk the town walls and explore the upper town after the castle.

Getting There from Rhyl

Denbigh is ten miles south of Rhyl via the A525 through Rhuddlan and St Asaph. The drive takes about twenty minutes. Arriva Buses Wales operates services on the Rhyl–Denbigh corridor; check current timetables. There is parking near the castle.