Chirk Castle

Chirk Castle stands on a ridge above the Ceiriog Valley in Wales, a Grade I listed fortress built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk. It formed part of Edward I’s chain of castles across northern Wales, guarding the valley entrance. The castle served as the administrative centre for the Marcher Lordship of Chirkland and was later run by the Layard Edwardes family before passing to the Myddelton family. The Edwardes coat of arms remains preserved inside, while the Myddeltons owned the castle from 1593 until 1981. Sir Thomas Myddelton bought it for £5,000, and his descendants lived there until the National Trust took over.

The castle’s history includes Civil War damage and later rebuilding, with 16th- and 17th-century windows added. In the 20th century, Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, leased the castle and opened parts to evacuees during the Second World War. The Myddelton family returned in 1945, and Lieutenant-Colonel Ririd Myddleton served as an equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. The castle was used as a film location in 1918 and again in the 2013 Wales Rally GB.

Visitors find a grand baroque landscape with clipped yew hedges, herbaceous borders, and terraces. The 18th-century parkland was once a deer park, later redesigned by William Emes with a ha-ha and ornamental lake. Offa’s Dyke runs close by, partly submerged by the lake, and the Oak at the Gate of the Dead marks the site of a 12th-century battle. The Davies wrought-iron gates, once at the outer courtyard, now stand at the New Hall entrance. The gardens and parkland are Grade I listed, preserving centuries of history.