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Historic Buildings of Denbighshire, Wales

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Profiles

  • Townshend Mainwaring, Esq. of Marchwiel Hall, MP (1807 - 1883)
    HANSARD 1803–2005 → People (M) Mr Townshend Mainwaring 1807 - 1883 Constituencies* Denbigh District of Boroughs June 29, 1841 - July 29, 1847* Denbigh District of Boroughs March 27, 1857 - November 17,...
  • Sir Reynold II de Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn (c.1362 - 1440)
    Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn (c. 1362 – 30 September 1440), a powerful Welsh marcher lord succeeded to the title on his father Reginald's death in July 1388.Reginald was the eldest son of Reginald Gr...
  • Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet of Gray's Inn (1772 - 1840)
    Biographical Summary == Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, Baronet [1688], of Wynnstay , 1st s. and h., by 2d wife, b. 25 Oct. 1772 ; suc. to the Baronetcy, 29 July 1789 ; matric. at Oxford (Ch. Ch.), 15 Oct. 1...
  • Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet of Gray's Inn (1748 - 1789)
    Biographical Summary == Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, Baronet [1688], of Wynnstay , 1st s. and h. by 2d wife, b. 1749 and suc. to the Baronetcy, 23 Sep. 1749; matric. at Oxford (Oriel Coll.), 9 May 1766, a...
  • Cynwrig ap Ednyfed Fychan (c.1195 - d.)
    Please see Darrell Wolcott: Tangwystl and Tangwystl; . (Steven Ferry, August 19, 2022.)

Historic Buildings of Denbighshire, Wales

See Historic Buildings of Britain and Ireland - Main Page

Image right - Denbigh Castle

See Table of Welsh Place names (Table listing where places are in Current [Post 1974/1996] Welsh Counties/Historic Counties

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If you have information about any of the Buildings mentioned below please share it here. If you have ancestors linked to any of the places please add them to the project.


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The object of this project is to provide information about historic buildings in the county of Denbighshire, with links to sub-projects for specific buildings as appropriate. GENi profiles of people associated with those establishments can be linked to this project and/or to individual projects where they have been set up.

Castles, Baronial and Historic houses

... in alphabetical order

❊ Indicates an available image in Gallery attached to the project

Including Castles, Abbeys, Manor Houses, Mansions, Stately Homes, Country houses, Estate houses, Courts, Halls, Parks and other listed buildings of historic interest

Bold links are to GENi projects and profiles; others are to external websites

A

B

  • The Boat Inn, Erbistock - famous 17th century public house, standing beside the River Dee. The inn takes its name from the hand-operated chain ferry which once crossed the river at this point, with remnants of the pull mechanism still existing nearby.
  • Bodnant Hall and Gardens, Eglwysbach - is a National Trust property.
  • The old farmhouse at Bodtegir, south east of the village of Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, built in 1655 by William Salesbury, the Royalist governor of Denbigh Castle during the Civil War, is Grade II* listed.
  • Bryn-y-grog, Marchwiel - large country house

C

  • Castell Dinas Bran ❊ Llangollen, the former stronghold of the Princes of Powys. The first building placed at Dinas Brân was not the castle which now stands in ruins on top of the hill but an Iron Age hillfort built around 600 BC. The castle visible today was probably built by Gruffydd II ap Madog son of Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor sometime in the 1260s. At the time Gruffydd II ap Madog was an ally of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Prince of Wales, with Powys acting as a buffer state between Llewelyn's heartland of Gwynedd and England. Dinas Brân was one of several castles being built following the signing of the Treaty of Montgomery which had secured Wales for Llywelyn, free from English interference. Gruffudd died in 1269 or 1270 and the castle passed down to his four sons. Madoc the eldest son was the senior, but each of the sons may have had apartments at the castle. The peace between Llewellyn and Edward did not last long and in 1276 war started between England and Wales. Edward's larger armies soon invaded Wales and the support for Llewellyn crumbled. Two of the brothers made peace with Edward, the second brother Llewellyn and Madoc. However, the castle was not in Madoc's control as the surrender document with the English refers to conditions relating to the recapture of Dinas Brân. Meanwhile Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln arrived in Oswestry with forces to capture Dinas Brân. As soon as he had arrived he was told that the defenders of the castle, probably the younger brothers Owain and Gruffudd - who were still allies of Llewellyn Prince of Wales, had set fire to and abandoned the castle. The castle was not badly damaged, the fire being mainly limited to the timber structures within the walls and Lincoln recommended to King Edward that the castle be repaired and garrisoned with English troops. Edward placed some troops at the castle at least into the next year 1277 when Llewellyn sued for peace and ordered some repair work to be undertaken. The history of the castle during the final war which restarted in 1282 is not recorded. The castle was granted to John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey. Rather than rebuild Dinas Brân, De Warenne instead built a new castle at Holt on the Flintshire, Cheshire border and Dinas Brân continued till the present day as a ruin.
  • Chirk Castle ❊ - built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley. It was the administrative centre for the Marcher Lordship of Chirkland. The castle was bought by Thomas Myddelton in 1595 for £5,000 (approx. £11 million as of 2008). His son, Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle was a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War, but became a Royalist during the 'Cheshire rising' of 1659 led by George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer. Following the Restoration, his son became Sir Thomas Myddelton, 1st Baronet of Chirke. During the 1930s the Castle was home to Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, a prominent patron of the arts and champion of Welsh culture. The Myddelton family resided at Chirk Castle until 2004. Lieutenant-Colonel Ririd Myddleton was an extra equerry to Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 until his death in 1988. The castle is in the ownership of the National Trust. http://www.castlewales.com/chirk.html
  • Cilcennus at Oaklands, Bro Gamon - Grade II* listed
  • The Cross Foxes at Overton Bridge, Erbistock - Public House dating back to 1748, was built by the Wynnstay Estate for its workers.
  • Cyffdy Hall, at Melin-y-coed, Bro Gamon - Grade II* listed

D

  • Denbigh Castle ❊ - The current Denbigh Castle was built on the site of a former Welsh stronghold held by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. The Welsh castle originally belonged to Llywelyn the Great. It was built during two phases by Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln in the Lordship of Denbigh given to him by Edward I after the defeat of the last Welsh prince, Dafydd ap Gruffudd in 1282, based on designs attributed to Master James of St George. In the first period, starting in 1282, parts of the outer ward were constructed. These outer defences included the southern and western walls and the eastern towers. Later work on the inner ward began including parts of the curtain wall and the castle's main gatehouse. The borough's new town walls were also began during this period. The castle is sited on a rocky promontory in the Vale of Clwyd. In 1294 Denbigh was attacked and taken during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn halting the work on the incomplete town and castle. The current stone castle was begun by Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln in the Lordship of Denbigh given to him by Edward I after the defeat of the last Welsh prince, Dafydd ap Gruffudd in 1282. The Welsh castle was then torn down and work began on a new English fortress. At the same time, De Lacy was also granted a Royal Charter to create a new English borough and town. Henry de Lacy substantially revised the plans in the second phase of building work. This time the inner ward's curtain wall were refortified with thicker and higher walls. In 1294, the incomplete castle was besieged and captured by Welsh forces during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn. During the subsequent siege, an English force under de Lacy was defeated trying to retake the castle. However the revolt collapsed and Denbigh was returned to de Lacy a year later. Building work then resumed. Following some defensive improvements, the castle and walls were substantially complete by 1305. De Lacy died in 1311 before building work ceased on the town and castle defences. The new English borough eventually removed all traces of the original Welsh fortifications. In 1400, the forces of Owain Glyndŵr attacked Denbigh. The town was badly damaged but the castle resisted a siege and was not captured. During the Wars of the Roses, Jasper Tudor, the Lancastrian Earl of Pembroke, tried twice and failed to take the castle in the 1460s. In the 16th century Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, held Denbigh Castle and its Lordship between 1563 until his death in 1588. During the English Civil War, the castle was repaired by Royalist Colonel William Salesbury of Rug. King Charles I of England stayed there briefly in September 1645. The following year, the castle endured a six-month siege before finally being forced to surrender to Parliamentarian forces. The castle was then slighted to prevent its further use. For the remainder of the war part of the castle was used as a prison for captured royalists. Following the restoration of Charles II in 1660, the castle was abandoned and allowed to fall into decay. The castle is managed by Cadw - the Welsh heritage agency tasked with looking after historic buildings and monuments in Wales.
  • Dinerth - remains of a hilfort on the hill Bryn Euryn overlooking Rhos-on-Sea. It is also known as Hero Castle. The founder is thought to be one Richard de la Mare, a follower of Richard Fitz Gilbert, Lord of Clare, an Anglo-Norman lord, who, by the archaeological evidence, built it on top of a previous defensive position. The castle was razed by Gruffydd ap Rhys but probably rebuilt, as it is known to have been destroyed again by Owain Gwynedd in 1136. The castle probably spent the next fifty years passing from one feudal ruler to another: from Hywel to Cadwaladr in 1144, and then ceded to Roger de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford in 1158, who garrisoned it. Destroyed by The Lord Rhys in 1164, it came into the possession of Maelgwn ap Rhys who lost it to, and recovered it from, his brother, Gruffudd ap Rhys . Maelgwn dismantled it to prevent his lands being held by Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd. As Llywelyn then captured and held all the territory from the River Arth to the River Aeron, he conferred Dinerth on the sons of Maelgwn's brother Gruffudd as was rightfully due. The site was abandoned soon afterwards.

E

  • Erbistock Hall - grade II listed Georgian country house which stands on rising ground overlooking the River Dee. The house was built in 1770 and belonged to the Wynn family of Wynnstay. Originally built in brick in three storeys, it was later reduced to two. It has a notable topiary garden. The house was acquired by Sir Charles Bingham Lowther, 4th Baronet circa 1930. It was also owned at one time by the Brancker family.
  • Erddig Hall - Marchwiel - large country house. National Trust Property
  • Exmewe Hall ❊ (now Barclays Bank) on St Peter's Square, Ruthin, is the ancestral home of Sir Thomas Exmewe, Lord Mayor of London in 1517-18. Maen Huail, the stone upon which legendarily King Arthur beheaded his rival-in-love Huail, is behind the silver car in the gallery image.

G

  • Garthewin, Llanfair Talhaiarn. The first written records of Garthewin date to the fourteenth century, but both that house and a later Jacobean house were replaced in the 18th century by the present building, which was subsequently altered in 1930 by Clough Williams-Ellis. It was from the 18th century until the late 20th the home of the Wynne family and notable for a private theatre constructed in the stables by R.O.F.Wynne which in the 1950s saw the first performances of several of Saunders Lewis's dramas.
  • Gresford Colliery - the site of one of Britain's worst coal mining disasters. The Gresford Disaster occurred on 22 September 1934, when 266 men died following an underground explosion. The bodies of only 11 of the miners underground at the time of the explosion were recovered. The headgear wheel is preserved and forms part of the Gresford Disaster Memorial, along with a plaque. The disaster is commemorated in the hymn tune "Gresford", which is also known as "The Miners' Hymn", written by Robert Saint of Hebburn, himself also a miner.
  • Gwrych Castle Abergele: built between 1819-1825 at the behest of Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh. From 1894 until 1946 it was the residence of the Dundonald family. Gwrych Castle's present owner, Californian businessman Nick Tavaglione, who bought it in December 1989 put Gwrych up for auction on 2 June 2006, but it failed to sell. The condition of the property is being monitored by the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust. It is undergoing renovation.
  • Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst - birthplace of Sir John Wynn, MP, 1st Baronet Wynn of Gwydir http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwydir_Castle

H

  • Hafodunos ❊, a gothic revival mansion ravaged by fire in 2004. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, it was built between 1861 and 1866 for Henry Robertson Sandbach, replacing a house that had been built in 1674. Henry Robertson Sandbach family had bought the estate in 1830. The new house was built to replace a much older hall which had been built in 1674. The site had been occupied since at least 1530 but the remains of both previous houses are untraceable. The Sandbach family sold Hafodunos in the early 1930s. The hall was requisitioned in the early 1940s by the Dinorben School for Girls, allowing its pupils to escape the effects of World War II. The school closed in 1969 and then became an accountancy college in the 1970s. It was subsequently owned by Caer Rhun Hall. After the school shut down, Hafodunos Hall was converted into a residential home for the elderly. The residential home shut down in 1993 for failing to meet required standards and no suitable long term use was found. The building then fell victim to dry rot which had spread rapidly through the servant’s quarters into the main house. In 1998 Conwy Council were contemplating serving an Urgents Works Notice, however the owner had died leaving the estate in debt. Hafodunos was put on the market again and was eventually bought in 2001 by a developer from Colwyn Bay. During the late spring of 2004 he unveiled plans for hotel and Caravan Park. On the night of 13 October 2004, Hafodunos Hall was the subject of a devastating fire which gutted the main block of the house. Two men from North Wales were sentenced for the arson attack: Christopher Szabo, 22, from Eglwysbach, was jailed for three years, and Adam Kaluzny, 20, from Llandudno, was sent to a young offenders' institution. After the fire Hafodunos and gardens fell into neglect. The property was put up for sale in April 2008 with a guide price of £500,000 - £750,000. The property was eventually sold in January 2010 for £390,000, with the new owners expressing a desire to restore the hall for use as a single dwelling.
  • Holt Castle ❊ - begun by Edward I soon after the invasion of North Wales in 1277, known as Castrum Leonis or Castle Lyons because it had a Lion motif carved into the stonework above its main gate. In the 17th century, almost all the stonework was removed from the site. In 1282 Edward I presented the Welsh lands in which Holt was situated to loyal lord John de Warrene, who was also given the task of completing the castle. By 1311 the castle had been finished and a planned town laid out next to it for the use of English settlers. Welsh forces burned down the town in 1400 during the uprising of Owain Glyndŵr; although the castle was not taken. By the 16th century Holt Castle had fallen into disuse and ruin. The English Elizabethan map maker John Norden surveyed the castle and noted that it was "nowe in great decay". For most of the First English Civil War, Holt was garrisoned by Royalists troops. It was captured by the Parliamentarians in 1643 but retaken by the Royalists in spring of 1644. After they had surrendered, thirteen of the Parliamentarian garrison were put to the sword and their bodies were thrown into the moat. In January 1647, after a siege that lasted for nine months the Royalist governor, Sir Richard Lloyd surrendered Holt to the Thomas Mytton (the commander of the besieging Parliamentarians). After the surrender Colonel Roger Pope was appointed Parliamentary governor of the Holt. By order of Parliament Holt was slighted later that year. Between 1675 and 1683 much of the castle was taken away by Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet of Eaton, who used barges to carry the stonework downstream to rebuild Eaton hall after the English Civil War. In the 18th century all that remained of Holt Castle was part of a tower and a rectangular building. Despite this Anne Pytts died here. She had previously been the Countess of Coventry. Only the base of the sandstone foundation remain.

L

  • Llangedwyn Hall - Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 10th Baronet, descendant of Owain Gwynedd lived his final years at Llangedwyn Hall - reference http://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Llangedwyn
  • Llanrwst Almshouses, was built in 1610 by Sir John Wynn of Gwydir to house poor people of the parish. The buildings closed in 1976, but were restored in 1996 with the aid of Heritage Lottery funding, reopening as a museum of local history and a community focal point.
  • The Llindir Inn, Henllan - 13th-century partially-thatched building, and is well known for its ghost. Dewi Roberts, in his book The Old Villages of Denbighshire and Flintshire, writes how pub-goers have seen 'an attractive woman in white' (described elsewhere as a woman in blue). She's believed to have been married to a sailor, and while he was away at sea, she found herself a lover. One winter night her husband took unexpected shore leave, and caught them both in flagrante delicto. He murdered his wife, and from that moment on, a number of people claim to have seen her. The story attracted so much attention, that it was even part of a television programme back in the sixties. Like all ghost stories, however, there are inaccuracies, and local legend has it that only females are able to see the ghost, known as Sylvia. She also appears only in the upstairs part of the pub and on cold frosty nights. The 'ghost' legend was not known in the village prior to World War II, and probably originated as a means to encourage more trade, particularly from US troops stationed in nearby Denbigh. In recent times another tenant, whose partner was coincidentally named Sylvia, tried un-successfully to embellish the story. Fortunately this Sylvia met a better fate - she just upped and left. The Llindir had the unenviable reputation in that the later day Sylvia's partner was known as "Wales' most miserable landlord", and was referred to by his customers as 'Happy Al' because of his miserable demeanour.
  • Llys Euryn Manor, Rhos-on-Sea - Ednyfed Fychan, 13th-century seneschal to Llywelyn the Great and ancestor to the House of Tudor, was granted the land and built a castle on the hill (Bryn Euryn) overlooking Rhos-on-Sea of which all traces have disappeared, and a manor, of which the ruins of its 15th-century reconstruction can be seen today.

M

  • Maes Caenog: Farm Building at Plas Clocaenog, Grade II* listed
  • Marchwiel Hall ❊ is a Grade II listed building in the village of Marchwiel - Country House, Marchwiel - was a seat of the Broughton family. The current 1840's built country house has five main reception rooms, a ballroom, and 12 bedrooms, with adjoining stables and outbuildings set on 150 acres (61 ha) of estate grounds.[see http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28985155.html] In 1883, its then owner, civil engineer Benjamin Piercy laid out a cricket ground. In 1913 Sir Alfred McAlpine, bought the property, founder of Alfred McAlpine and son of 'Concrete' Bob McAlpine, who died there on May 25 1944. Alfred developed it as "one of the most picturesque settings for playing the game in the country". The last of the McAlpines to live in the hall was Sir Alfred's grandson John Bell, who left to live in the Far East in 2008. Home to the Marchwiel and Wrexham Cricket Club. Residence of Townshend Mainwaring, Esq. of Marchwiel Hall in 1851.
  • Marford Mill, opposite Rossett Mill, was first built around 1086 and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Until the building of Rossett Mill it was the only mill in the area. Marford Mill has an unusual double wheel. The Mill has been the home, since the 1980s, to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the UK's largest shooting association.
  • Melin Plas-yn-Rhos, Bro Garmon, - a water-powered corn mill thought to date from the 18th century

O

  • Old Court House ❊ - half-timbered, built in 1401 immediately after the town was razed in the opening action of Owain Glyndwr's rebellion. Now a branch of the NatWest Bank, features the remains of a gibbet last used to execute the Irish Franciscan priest, Charles Meehan. He was a wanted man, implicated amongst the Titus Oates plotters, when shipwrecked on the Welsh coast and taken up for treason. He was drawn, hanged and quartered in 1679.
  • The Old House at Cysulog, north west of Maerdy, is a one-and-a-half storey 17th-century farmhouse built of stone, with slate roofs and some weatherboarding. It bears date panels showing both 1650 and 1652, and is Grade II* listed.
  • Old Sontley, Marchwiel - large country house
  • Old Voelas House, Pentrefoelas, home of the Wynne family, was built in 1545 at the foot of the hill which is the site of a motte built around 1164 in the time of Owain Gwynedd. It was demolished in 1819 and a new site was established two kilometres to the west. The current Voelas Hall was built in 1961 and was designed by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis.

P

  • Pant Iocyn House (later Pant-yr-Ochain), Gresford - built in the 1550s alongside the road from Gresford to Wrexham by Edward Almer MP and three times High Sheriff of the county. It was one of the chief houses in east Denbighshire and descended in the Almer family until it was bought and enlarged by Sir Foster Cunliffe, 3rd Baronet in 1785. The 18th century addition now serves as a gastro pub.
  • Penrhos Engine House, Pen-Rhos , Brymbo - built c.1794 by John Wilkinson, now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Brymbo contains several structures of interest in industrial archaeology, such as the original "No. 1" blast furnace commissioned by John Wilkinson, and associated buildings. Above the village stand the remains of Wilkinson's lead smelter, the "Bottle", next to a pond (locally known as the "Cold Pool") used to supply water to the Steelworks until 1990.
  • Plas Iolyn, Pentrefoelas - home to the 16th-century MP Ellis Price (by 1514-1594) and his son, the poet Tomos prys. It is now a farmhouse.
  • Plas yn Iâl ❊, Bryneglwys - the ancestral home of the Yale family who included Elihu Yale, a benefactor of Yale University in the United States.
  • Plas Newydd ("New Hall"), where The Honourable Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Eleanor Butler (the Ladies of Llangollen) lived.
  • Plas Nantyr country house and estate. Llansantffraid. It forms part of the ancient manor of Cynlaeth Owen which Owain Glyndwr ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales Owain Glyndwr] inherited from his father in the late 14th century. In the 19th century, the estate was owned by Richard Tyrwhitt, a barrister and the Recorder of Chester. Following Mr Tyrwhitt's death in 1836 his family emigrated to Canada and named the place where they settled Nantyr. At his death the Estate was sold to the Myddleton-Biddulphs of Chirk Castle, from whom it was bought by Sir Thomas Storey in 1892.

R

S

  • Sycharth castle - ruins of Owain Glyndŵr's castle lie a few miles outside the village of Llangedwyn towards Llansilin.

T

  • Tomen-y-faerdre, Llanarmon-yn-Ial. the lords of Iâl had constructed an earth-and-timber motte during the 11th century, which seems to have acted as an administrative centre. King John rebuilt the castle in 1212 for his campaign against Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.
  • Trevalyn Hall, Rossett, is a Grade II* listed Elizabethan manor house built in 1576. The house and its grounds were owned by the Trevor family for several generations. During the 1980s the building was converted into apartments.

V

  • Valle Crucis Abbey ❊ Llantysilio was established in Llangwestl near Llangollen in about 1201, under the patronage of Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor of Castell Dinas Brân.

W

  • Wristleham Castle, Wrexham: remains of a motte and bailey established in 1161 located in what is now known as Erddig Park. Thought to be the beginnings of Wrexham as a town in the 12th century.
  • Wynnstay Estate, Ruabon - family seat of the Wynns. During the 17th century, Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet inherited the Watstay Estate through his marriage to Jane Evans (daughter of Eyton Evans of Watstay), and renamed it the Wynnstay Estate. The estate, originally known simply as Rhiwabon, was owned by the Eyton family who later changed its name to "Watstay". On inheriting the estate, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet took on the additional surname of Wynn and commissioned the building of a new mansion, to be known as Wynnstay, to replace the original building. The arms of the Williams-Wynn family show an eagle with the Welsh motto "Eryr Eryrod Eryri" which translates into English as "The Eagle of Eagles of the Land of Eagles", the "Land of Eagles" being Snowdonia and reflecting the family's origins in that part of Wales. Parts of the grounds were landscaped by Capability Brown and the park was regarded as one of the largest and most important in Wales, containing several important monuments: a column by James Wyatt, erected in 1790 as a memorial to the fourth baronet; the Nant y Belan Tower and the Waterloo Tower. In 1858 the 'old' Wynnstay was destroyed by fire, with many valuable manuscripts being lost. Sir Watkin built a new mansion on the same site. During the Second World War the hall and part of the park became the headquarters for the Royal Engineers Survey, a specialist branch of the RE responsible for providing training for sappers who staffed the mobile Map Production units which were part of all British Army operations. RE Survey moved out in 1946. Owing to heavy death duties, the Williams-Wynns moved from Wynnstay to nearby Plas Belan, a house in the estate grounds, and finally left Ruabon forever in 1948, severing a link with Ruabon of over two centuries. Lady 'Daisy' Williams-Wynn continued to live at Belan for much longer than 1948. Much of the estate was put up for sale and the house became a private school, Lindisfarne College (which took its name from the island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland although it had no connection with the island). The school itself closed in bankruptcy in 1994 and the house was converted into luxury flats.

Y

  • Y Giler, Pentrefoelas - built in the 16th century, was the home of the poet Rhys Wyn and is now a pub

References and Sources

Denbighshire Specific

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