Visitors to the Castle
Showplace of Wales
Port Sunlight-based entrepreneur, Leslie Salts, purchased Gwrych with a view to developing the Castle as the ‘Showplace of Wales.’ Gwrych was one of the first country houses in Britain to be opened to the public as an attraction in 1949. The main rooms, which had been emptied of their contents in 1928, were once again furnished and the original stables were converted into a cafe. Of the many attractions were the world famous boxers Bruce Woodcock and Randolph Turpin who both trained at Gwrych, together with visiting illustrious choirs, television personalities, a miniature woodland railway and a children’s zoo. Between 1949 and 1969 over eight million visitors went to the Castle and the whole enterprise was one of the largest employers in the district. By the late 1960s, Mr. Salts felt that the expectations of visitors were changing and decided to sell the Castle, retiring to the Isle of Man.
The 1970s and 1980s were turbulent times for what was now becoming a rather fragile historic building. Sections of the main building’s many bedrooms were converted into self-contained holiday lets but little was done to find a sustainable new use. However, the focus for activity was transferred to the grounds of Gwych. The Sealed Knot re-enacted a civil war battle entitled ‘The Siege of Gwrych,’which led to the introduction of jousting on what was once the formal garden. Craft shops were opened in the outbuildings and a market was held on the main terrace. The dining room was used for medieval banquets, parties and wedding breakfasts and the library became ‘Llewellyn’s Bar.’ All of this came to an end in the winter of 1985 as the Castle finally closed its doors to the public.
