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Chirk

This attractive border town’s origins lie in the 11th century castle of which, unfortunately, little remains except a small motte close to the town’s Church of St Mary. This Norman relic should not be confused with Chirk Castle (National Trust), which lies a mile outside the town, and was built in the 1280s. It remains mightily impressive with its massive drum towers at each corner. The castle is still lived in by the Myddleton family whose antecedent Sir Thomas Myddleton, Lord Mayor of London, purchased the castle in 1595 for £5000. The castle’s treasures include elegant state rooms, some Adam-style furniture, tapestries and portraits. By contrast, the castle’s dramatic dungeons evoke a less attractive side of medieval life. Outside, the magnificent iron gates were made and erected in 1701 by the Davis Brothers, and are one of the glories of the grounds, which also feature topiary yews, roses, flowering shrubs and a picturesque hawk house.

Just south of the town are two splendid constructions that span the Ceiriog valley: the first, an aqueduct built in 1801 by Thomas Telford, carries the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, while the other is a viaduct built in 1848 to carry the then new Chester to Shrewsbury railway line over the River Ceiriog.