Gwrych Castle is located on the on the coast of north Wales, on the west edge of Abergele. The park is notable for its spectacular and romantic flight of gothic fancy, with picturesque gothic park walling, lodges and towers, around the prominent picturesque landmark of Gwrych Castle (nprn 27250), with a large-scale walled and turretted terraced garden (266301). The landscape was designed for visual impact and to provide outstanding views, and this remains so today.

Gwrych Castle is set on rising ground overlooking the sea and is surrounded by parkland. The park has origins in the mid eighteenth century. The castle was built to replace Old Gwrych (Hen Wrych), now on the northern boundary (308540), in the period 1819-22. The creation of the present park, below and around the castle, probably began at the same time, if not before, and was formed from the consolidation of several holdings belonging to the Hesketh Estate.

 By 1839 the drives were in place. There were originally six, each with an entrance lodge in the same gothic style as the castle. One has been demolished leaving Kings Lodge (Abergele Lodge) on the far east off the A547, Nant-y-bella Lodge off a minor road to the south-east, Hen Wrych Lodge (27326) on the north off the A547, Tan yr Ogof Lodge with walls and towers (27939), also on the north off the A547 and behind it a castellated gate lodge (27572). An additional lodge outside the boundary to the south, Betws Lodge, formed a dramatic entrance to woodland used as a hunting and shooting reserve (418315). Within the wood is Lady Eleanor’s Tower, strikingly located on a crag. The park was enclosed within an estate boundary wall of local limestone.

The estate was broken up in 1946. Sales particulars describe all the parcels within the wall - that is the area below the castle, and the woodland behind it - as ‘parkland’. Much of it has since been reused as a golf course though superficially it retains the original wood-pasture appearance. During the life of the park land to the west of Old Gwrych was farmland pasture with isolated trees and clumps of woodland, and remains so today.

Source: Cadw 1998: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Conwy, Gwynedd & the Isle of Anglesey, 98-9 (ref: PGW(Gd)58(CON)).

RCAHMW, 15 February 2022