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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · North Wales

Ruthin Castle

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Ruthin Castle — Grade I listed castle in Denbighshire, Wales, UK.

Ruthin Castle, castles in North Wales

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1.5 h–3 h
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Ruthin Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Part of Ruthin Castle Estate. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed castle in Denbighshire, Wales, UK". Coordinates: 53.1122°, -3.3117°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

Ruthin Castle (Welsh: Castell Rhuthun) is a medieval castle fortification in Wales, near the town of Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, on a red sandstone ridge overlooking the valley. Part of the ancient walls still remain and now form part of the Ruthin Castle Hotel.

From Cadw under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Ruthin Castle (Welsh: Castell Rhuthun) is a medieval castle fortification in Wales, near the town of Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, on a red sandstone ridge overlooking the valley. Part of the ancient walls still remain and now form part of the Ruthin Castle Hotel.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

Ruthin Castle occupies a site that was first used as an Iron Age fort. In 1277, Edward I of England granted the land to Dafydd ap Gruffydd in gratitude for his assistance during the invasion of North Wales. It is unclear whether there was an existing fort on the site or whether Dafydd established the castle. At the start of the English Civil War the castle was in a state of disrepair and the necessary works were hastily performed to make it defensible. It withstood an eleven-week siege by parliamentary troops in 1646 before surrendering when the attackers announced that they intended to lay mines under the walls. Oliver Cromwell's forces later dismantled and demolished the castle, in a…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
53.1122, -3.3117
District
Denbighshire
Parish
Ruthin
Postcode
LL15 2NU
Parliamentary constituency
Clwyd East

Sources

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Nearby

More castles in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Ruthin Castle?
Ruthin Castle is in North Wales, United Kingdom (postcode LL15 2NU), in the parish of Ruthin.
Is Ruthin Castle a listed building?
Ruthin Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Does Ruthin Castle charge admission?
Ruthin Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Ruthin Castle?
Drivers can navigate to postcode LL15 2NU. It sits within the Clwyd East parliamentary constituency.