What to See in Denbigh - Top Sights and Attractions

Historical landmark in Denbigh, Wales. Denbigh Castle and town walls were a set of fortifications built to control the lordship of Denbigh after the conquest of Wales by Norman King Edward I in 1282. The King granted the lands to Henry de Lacy, the Earl of Lincoln, who began to build a new walled town, colonised by immigrants from England, protected by a substantial castle and surrounded by deer parks for hunting. The work had not been completed by 1294, when the Welsh temporarily seized the castle during the Madog ap Llywelyn revolt. The defences continued to be improved, although the castle was not completely finished by the time of Henry's death in 1311.

The castle passed between various owners in the first half of the 14th century, before coming under the control of the Mortimer family. Meanwhile, the walled town had proved impractical to live in, and a newer, much larger, settlement developed outside the defences. In 1400, the walled town was raided during the Glyndŵr Rising, although the castle itself remained secure throughout the rebellion. During the Wars of the Roses, Denbigh was attacked by Lancastrian forces; the walled town was attacked and burnt. In the aftermath, the old town was largely abandoned by its inhabitants, the walled area becoming an extension of the castle's defences.

During the English Civil War, Denbigh was held by the Royalists until it was taken in 1646 following a Parliamentary siege. The castle was seized by Royalist soldiers in 1659, after which General George Monk ordered it to be slighted, with various parts of the walls and towers being demolished. The site deteriorated further over the years and the old walled town remained almost deserted. In the middle of the 19th century, the town created a committee to manage the ruins and carried out restoration work. The central government's Office of Works took over responsibility for the fortifications in 1914, with the site ultimately passing into the control of the Welsh Cadw heritage agency.

Denbigh Castle is dominated by a triangle of three octagonal towers that forms its main entrance, considered by the historian John Goodall to be "the most architecturally sophisticated gatehouse of the thirteenth century". Eight mural towers protect the rest of its curtain wall, further protected by barbicans and a mantlet of defensive terraces and walls. The castle connects to the town walls, which remain largely intact and stretch for around 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) around the old town. The town walls were once protected by four towers and two gatehouses, although only one of the gatehouses still survives. The castle and town's gatehouse were constructed of decorative stonework, intended to symbolise royal authority and civic pride.^[1]

Historical landmark in Denbigh, Wales. St Hilary's Chapel is a former church in Denbigh, Denbighshire, north Wales, of which only the tower remains. The town's garrison church, it lay to the north Denbigh Castle. It dates to c. 1290, when the borough town was built by Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln; the earliest mention of it is in 1334. In the 1530s the antiquary John Leland described it as a "goodlye and large chappelle in the old towne.. whither most of the new towne do yett cumme". On 28 September 1645, during the English Civil War, a service at the church was attended by Charles I, the Archbishop of York, Lord Keeper Williams and numerous other important officials.

The limestone rubble church with red and brown and green sandstone dressings was abandoned in 1874 when a church was erected at St Mary's Church, Lenten Pool. In 1923 the church was largely demolished, leaving just the tower of roughly 14 metres (46 ft). The tower became a Grade I listed building on 24 October 1950.^[5]