Holt Castle Re-opens After Four Year Restoration

Following a four year restoration project the remains of Holt Castle, near Wrexham will re-open to the public this Saturday.

Over the last four years Wrexham Heritage Service has removed the vegetation that used to hide the remains; has conserved the castle’s surviving masonry; has undertaken a series of archaeological excavations involving local volunteers; has purchased the Little Park to the south of the castle and installed new and improved interpretation.

A stair has also been installed in order to allow the public to visit the castle’s former courtyard and a number of free leaflets and educational worksheets have been produced.

The Castle was built by John de Warenne the 7th Earl of Surrey from around 1282. It was built of an unusual pentagonal design with five high round tours surrounding a pentagonal inner courtyard. Following its abandonment after the Civil War it was subjected to systematic demolition initially by Thomas Grosvenor, to the extent that very little, apart from the central courtyard now survives, at least above ground.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities & Partnerships said “Holt Castle was once one of Wales’s strongest and most impressive castles; it also has an amazing history, with stories of treasure, sieges and intrigue. Thanks to funding from the Rural Development Programme and the Welsh Government via Cadw we have been able to transform this monument from a dangerous eyesore into a castle of which I hope that the local community will be proud.

“I would particularly like to thank the local community for their help and support throughout the project and particularly those volunteers who gave up their own time to assist in the archaeological work, as well as the dedicated leadership and expertise of Steve Gretner in guiding this project to fruition.”

The castle will be opened by Mr Ken Skates, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism at 1pm on Saturday June 18th.

The Deputy Minister said: “I am thrilled to be asked to take part in the celebration of the opening of Holt Castle, which I believe to be one of Wales’s hidden gems. I am pleased that the Welsh Government has been able to contribute funding towards this important project and that our historic environment service Cadw has been providing help and specialist support and guidance.

“Our heritage shapes our national identity and brings significant economic benefits, this is why it is so important that we continue to protect it through projects such as this and why we have introduced the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill to ensure our built heritage continues to be managed and protected for future generations.”

Wrexham Heritage Service received financial assistance from the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2014 which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and from Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments.