 Denbigh Castle
At the top of a hill, overlooking the Vale of Clwyd, stand the fragmented
remains of Denbigh Castle. These ruins are largely those of the
castle built by Henry de Lacy (Earl of Lincoln) in the late 13th century,
but there is believed to have been a Welsh fortress sited here, prior
to Edward I's invasion. Some evidence even suggests that the
early Christians may have occupied this area, using the rocky outcrop as a
natural stronghold.
Although, at first glance, there appear to be many walls standing to a good height, on closer
inspection it becomes clear that they are quite small sections of the numerous
buildings contained within this complex. Building work was carried
out in two distinct phases: the southern and western sides having
been completed first, followed by the other two sides, incorporating
much more elaborate work, a few years later.
Undoubtedly the most impressive, and finest example of Edwardian work at Denbigh Castle, is the Great Gatehouse. Passing through a barbican, with its own gateway and a drawbridge,
a massive and daunting structure looms ahead: a triangular arrangement
of three enormous octagonal towers. These towers consist of The
Prison Tower and the Porter's Lodge Tower on the outer wall, with
the Badnes Tower on the interior, all joined by walls to form an enclosure
with a large central hall.
Located on the east curtain wall is the irregular hexagonal shaped Kitchen Tower, with the foundations
of the Great Hall lying just to the south. Wall walks from
the Kitchen Tower, link to the Gatehouse and the three-storey White Chamber Tower.
The Green Chambers, given their name from the colour of stone used in the construction, date
from the mid-14th century. It was here that the 'first class' accommodation
was located, and was also likely to have stored wine and meat. Between
the White Chamber Tower and the north wall of the Green Chambers, stands
the base of the Pitcher House Turret, which was used to store water
drawn from the well. Further to the south of the Green Chambers
is the Postern Tower which once formed part of the town wall, but was
strengthened at the end of the 13th century by an outer defence.
During the earlier phase of building at Denbigh Castle, a set of three semi-circular towers
were raised: the Treasure House Tower, the Tower-next-Treasure Tower
which has a semi-circular exterior, but contains a rectangular room at
basement level, and the Bishops Tower. Conversely, the last tower
of Denbigh Castle to be built was the octagonal Red Tower, so named from the
red standstone used, which joins the town's Exchequer Gate.
Denbigh Castle is not one of Edward's 'Big Four' fortresses in Wales, but it is definitely
worthy of a visit to explore the many distinctive features it has to offer. |
