April 30, 2018   Monday     Chirk Castle

Chirk Castle is a marvelously preserved castle that requires no imagination as to how it looked inside.  This castle has all the bells and whistles!  It was beautiful and provided plenty of volunteers to share the history of the rooms within.

The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, 1st Earl of March, as part of King Edward 1's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales, to keep the Welsh under English rule.

Walking up to the castle.  This is the back corner of the castle.

Side of the castle.

Coming around to the front of the castle.

Walking in the entrance.

The inner courtyard.

The original main hall.  I neglected to get a shot of the whole room.

The main stairs.

Top of the stairs.  Many portraits.

A view from the second floor.

The dining room.

In 1772, this room was remodeled and named the saloon.  This was a fairly new fashion in the 1770's and signified a large room, often between the drawing room and dining room, and used mainly for entertaining guests and displaying the best furniture.

The drawing room.

The couch cushion was high so the women could lean on them instead of sit.  The fashion at the time (1700's) required this.  Otherwise, their skirts would pop up and show the lady's undergarments! 

The Long Gallery.  It's 100 feet long!  The purpose of the Long Gallery in the 17th century was to provide indoor space for gentle exercise and recreation.  The current lord of the castle learned to ride his bike in here!

The master's bedroom.

This is a room in the East Wing.  It is set up as it would have been when the Howard de Walden family leased it from 1911-1946.  Guests were encouraged to be "hands-on" in this room.

Enjoying a couch that looks like the one in the drama series, Downton Abbey.

The chairs were long in the seat.  Not sure why.

Another dining room that had some more hands-on items.

Learning to fold napkins.

A quick game of chess.

The Library circa 1825. 

They were in the midst of cleaning the books in the library.  The collection is small but significant, representing one of the last surviving early private libraries in a Welsh house.  The earliest book dating from 1513.  

Courtyard.

Tower and dungeon.

But, before we go in, let's put some ruffians in stocks!

Shifty characters!

The mastermind of the group!

Aaron and Grace lifting some chain mail.

This is the dungeon room.  It was eerie.  We were visiting on a chilly day and I couldn't imagine being imprisoned here with no adequate heating or blankets.  The human misery must have been tremendous!

Having "lunch" in the tower where guards would have been housed.

Yum!

A pretty maid greeted us.

Paul enjoying a miniature castle.

The servant's hall.

The servant's hall fireplace.  

Outside the castle going toward the gardens.

This building is the Hawk House.  Falconry was a popular sport.

Looking back at the castle.

Gift shop shenanigans!