Chirk Castle

Chirk Castle — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

A Castle Built to Last

Chirk Castle was built between 1295 and 1310 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, one of the great barons of the Welsh Marches, under commission from Edward I as part of his programme of conquest and consolidation in north Wales. Round-towered, massive, and built on a hilltop commanding wide views in every direction, it is a castle in the full military sense — designed to hold down the surrounding country and serve as the seat of a powerful Marcher lord. It is approximately 6 miles south-east of Oswestry on the B4500.

What makes Chirk genuinely extraordinary is that it has been continuously occupied ever since — over 725 years without a break, making it one of the very few medieval castles anywhere in Britain still lived in without interruption from its construction to the present day. Most Welsh castles are ruins; Chirk is a home. The Myddleton family, who acquired it in 1595, lived here for almost four centuries, and the castle passed to the National Trust in 1981 with the family retaining a private apartment.

The Castle Interior

Because it has been lived in continuously, Chirk has accumulated layers of history in a way that roofless ruins cannot. The medieval drum towers and curtain walls of the outer shell enclose interiors that range from Tudor through Baroque to Victorian, each generation of the Myddleton family having remodelled and refined to their taste. The state rooms are impressive: the Long Gallery, created in the early 17th century, stretches the full length of one range and is hung with portraits spanning the family’s tenure. The Adam-style saloon, the drawing rooms, and the servants’ quarters (thoughtfully presented by the National Trust with an eye to the full social history of the house) all reward exploration.

The castle also holds a significant collection of furniture, tapestries, and decorative arts accumulated over the centuries. The medieval dungeons — complete with original fittings — survive below the state apartment level.

The Gates

Chirk Castle is perhaps most famous beyond the castle-visiting world for its wrought-iron entrance gates, considered among the finest examples of decorative ironwork in Britain. They were made between 1712 and 1719 by Robert and John Davies of Bersham, near Wrexham — craftsmen who produced some of the outstanding ironwork of the early 18th century. The gates are extravagant, intricate, and clearly intended to announce that whoever lived beyond them was a person of consequence. They were moved in the 19th century from their original position at the park entrance to their current location at the inner gate, where they form a magnificent entrance to the castle forecourt. The original outer gate piers and overthrow screen, also by the Davies brothers, still stand at the park entrance on the road into Chirk.

The Parkland & Gardens

The castle sits within extensive parkland whose historic avenue approach — a long straight drive lined with mature trees — gives a dramatic entrance. The formal gardens to the east of the castle include a topiary garden with clipped yews, a hawk house, and a walled garden with herbaceous borders. Beyond the formal gardens the parkland opens out into rolling countryside with views across the border country.

Offa’s Dyke, the great 8th-century earthwork boundary of the kingdom of Mercia, runs through the Chirk estate — walkers on the Offa’s Dyke Path pass immediately below the castle. The combination of medieval earthwork and medieval castle, in the same landscape, gives the walk a particular historical charge.

Chirk Aqueduct

One mile north-west of the castle, carrying the Llangollen Canal across the valley of the River Ceiriog, stands the Chirk Aqueduct — a ten-arch stone aqueduct completed by Thomas Telford in 1801, four years before his more famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct downstream. The two structures are together a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What makes Chirk particularly striking is that the Victorian railway viaduct was built immediately alongside the aqueduct, so that canal and railway run side by side across the valley. Standing below and looking up at both structures together — the narrow stone arches of the aqueduct and the broader brick arches of the viaduct — is one of the more arresting industrial-heritage views in the region.

Visiting

Chirk Castle is managed by the National Trust; admission charges apply (free to NT members). The castle and gardens are open most days from late March to October; the gardens alone open through the winter months. Check the National Trust website for current opening times and admission prices before visiting, as these change seasonally. There is a National Trust car park on site with a charge for non-members.

The castle is at postcode LL14 5AF, 6 miles south-east of Oswestry via the B4500 off the A5. Buses from Oswestry and Wrexham stop in Chirk village, from which it is approximately a mile walk uphill to the castle entrance. Getting to Oswestry from further afield. For more on the castle and village, see the Chirk visitor guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an admission charge at Chirk Castle?

Yes. Chirk Castle is a National Trust property and standard admission charges apply. Entry is free for National Trust members. Check the National Trust website for current prices before visiting.

When is Chirk Castle open?

The castle and gardens are generally open from late March to October. The gardens alone open through the winter months. Check the National Trust website for current opening times as these vary seasonally.

How far is Chirk Castle from Oswestry?

Chirk Castle is approximately 6 miles south-east of Oswestry via the B4500 off the A5. By car the journey takes about 15 minutes.

Can I walk to Chirk Castle from Chirk village?

Yes. Chirk village is served by buses from Oswestry and Wrexham, and the castle is approximately 1 mile uphill from the village centre.