Denbigh Castle

The striking ruins of Denbigh Castle, crowning a steep hill above the town, enjoy commanding views of the pastoral Vale of Clwyd and the round backed hills of the Clwydian Range. Denbigh, built as part of Edward I's 13th century campaigns against the Welsh, was constructed by Henry de Lacy, one of the king's chief commanders.

It was by no means the first stronghold to occupy this self-evidently strategic site: as if to emphasise English dominance, the castle was built over the stronghold of Dafydd ap Gruffud, brother of Llywelyn, the Welsh leader crushed by Edward in 1282. Dafydd was captured and killed in 1283. The building of the "new" Denbigh from 1282 onwards (which removed all trace of the Welsh fortifications) created not only a castle but a new English borough protected by town walls. The building, in two phases, was interrupted by a rising in 1294 during which the castle was held for a time by the Welsh. The later work is easily recognisable by the different coloured stone, thicker curtain walls and angular towers resembling those at Caernarfon.

The castle's finest feature is its striking triple towered great gatehouse bearing the unmistakable stamp of Master James of St George, the architectural genius responsible for all of Edward's major north Wales castles. Also of great interest are the town walls which are almost 1km long.

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