Bodelwyddan Castle / Castell Bodelwyddan

History

The Humphreys family of Anglesey built the first castle at Bodelwyddan around 1461 as a manor house after their lands in Anglesey were confiscated by Edward IV to be given to another family. The Humphreys received the lands in Bodelwyddan in return.

Over the next two centuries of civil wars and strife in the area, the Humphreys never gained fame or glory but did serve as High Sheriffs of Flintshire on two occasions in the 17th century. Around 1690, the estate was sold, and the family became fragmented.

In the late 17th century, the castle took a new lease on life under the direction of Sir William Williams, a barrister who was Speaker of the House of Commons in two parliaments of Charles II, in 1680 and 1681.

Around 1805, the castle was remodeled in the neo-classical style for Sir John Williams. Bodelwyddan Castle was renovated again for his son, Sir John Hay Williams, starting in 1830. The alterations were the beginning of what turned out to be many years of work, and the resulting towers, arches, and crenellations turned the house into a mock castle. The architects were Joseph Hansom, who later invented the Hansom cab, and Edward Welch. Between 1830 and 1842, Sir John also enclosed the house and gardens within a limestone wall, and he built a garden wall that, when heated, would have provided frost protection. John's diaries state, "We found human bones near one of the chimneys, and I built them into the wall behind the stone figure Y Gwr Hir" (the long man). No bones have ever been discovered.

Bodelwyddan Castle was used as an officer's mess and recuperation center by the British Army during World War I. The army stayed until 1920, and soldiers from nearby Kinmel Camp also trained in trench warfare in the grounds, where traces of the trenches remain. The castle was then leased to Mrs. Florence Lindley, who converted it into Lowther College, a girls-only private school that had been founded in 1896 at Lytham St Annes, and the college bought the castle in 1925. Boys were admitted in 1977, and the school closed in 1982 because of financial problems.

Clwyd County Council then bought the castle, which was run by the Bodelwyddan Castle Trust, a charity. A National Portrait Gallery display opened in 1988, and the castle won Museum of the Year in 1989. In 1994, part of the site was leased to the Rank Organisation for a hotel.

The National Portrait Gallery partnership ended in 2017 after Denbighshire County Council cut the castle's funding, and the historic house closed to the public in 2019, followed by the grounds and attractions. The hotel carried on, and in 2021, Bourne Leisure Hotels, which runs the Warner hotels, agreed to buy the castle's remaining lease from the council. The council kept the woodland, meadow, car park, and farmland, and in December 2025, it officially opened them as the Bodelwyddan Country Park.

Castle Highlights

The historic house is no longer open to the public as a museum, but the hotel welcomes day visitors who book afternoon tea or a garden tour, and the parkland around the castle is now a country park.

Today, Bodelwyddan Castle is a Victorian Gothic Revival-style castle that houses the Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel, an adults-only hotel run by Warner Hotels. It has tranquil gardens, including formal gardens designed by Thomas Mawson around 1910, and pointed arches, battlements, and ornate details, giving it a fairytale appearance.

Parts of the main staircase to the entrance hall are said to date from the 17th century. The corridor leads to the great hall with an elaborate plaster ceiling.

The castle hotel provides easy access to castles nearby that are open to the public, including Rhuddlan Castle and Conwy Castle.

Visitors over 18 can come for afternoon tea or a garden tour if they book ahead, and the Coffee Nest welcomes walk-ins daily from 10am to 5pm. Archery is among the activities the hotel offers.

Bodelwyddan Castle is also haunted.