Gwrych Castle near Abergele was a popular destination for trippers from Rhyl. Gwrych is more of a mansion that a castle; the Grade 1 listed building dates from early and mid 1800s. It went through periods of residential and commercial use, but by the 1990s it had fallen into a state of neglect.Recently a company showed interest in turning Gwrych into a five-star hotel (and started work on the project) but fell foul of the present economic recession. The future of the building is now uncertain. For books about Gwrych Castle, the author to look for is Mark Baker.
The colour pictures above are postcards from my own collection. The one at the top is postmarked 1905. The black-and-white photo was sent by Diana Davies [née Nicholas]. It was taken c.1950 and shows girls from St. Mary’s Convent School, Russell Road, Rhyl, left to right: Gail Milner-Jones, Angela Cummings, Barbara Corson, Diana Nicholas and Anne Clementson.
Diana says, These are the dreaded Panama 'ats being modelled on the little train at Gwrych Castle. Not sure why we were there and seem to think we ended up at the Art Exhibition at Plas Mawr where the guide frightened the life out me by telling us about Dr. Dick and his hauntings, not to mention the dead mother and child – the baby lying on "that very window-sill". I didn't sleep for nights on end after that!
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WED 8th JUL 2015 UPDATE: Here are a couple of 2015 shots of Gwrych Castle, published by Daily Post. The castle is now owned by EPM UK, and it has been partially-restored by Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust:
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