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Ruthin

Host to one of the largest sheep and cattle markets in Wales, this historic market town in the scenic Vale of Clwyd has a layout that appears to have changed little from medieval days. In fact, a description of Ruthin made in Elizabethan times, where it is described as “the grandest market town in all the Vale, full of inhabitants and well replenished with buildings”, remains true today. St Peter’s Square is a good place from which to view the town; it was here in 1679 that a Catholic priest was hung, drawn and quartered.

 Approached through a magnificent set of 18th-century wrought iron gates stands the town’s splendid Parish Church of St Peter. Founded in the late 13th century as a collegiate church, its notable features include an early 16th-century oak roof that consists of 408 carved panels, each with a different design. Behind the church there are some beautiful buildings in the collegiate close – 14th-century cloisters, the Old Grammar School founded in 1589, and 16th-century almshouses.

St Peter’s Square itself is fringed with many lovely buildings, including the particularly eye-catching 15th-century Myddleton Arms with its unusual Dutch style of architecture and its seven dormer windows that have been dubbed the Eyes of Ruthin. At one time there were around 60 inns and pubs in Ruthin – one for every 10 men in the town – and nine of these were to be found around the square. On the south side of St Peter’s Square stands the impressive wattle-and-daub Old Courthouse, which dates from 1404. It was a temporary resting place for prisoners, who were kept in the cells below the magnificent beamed courtroom. The building is now occupied by the NatWest bank but the beam once used as a gibbet still projects from the northeast wall.

On Clwyd Street stands Ruthin Gaol, through whose gates thousands of prisoners passed between 1654 and 1916. Visitors (all volunteers these days!) can see how prisoners lived their daily lives: what they ate, how they worked, the punishments they suffered. The cells, including the punishment, ‘dark’ and condemned cells, can be explored, and there are hands-on activities for children.

In Castle Street can be found one the oldest town houses in North Wales. Nant Clwyd House is a fine example of Elizabethan architecture, although parts date back to 1435. During the reign of Elizabeth I it was the home of Dr Gabriel Goodman, an influential man who was the Dean of Westminster for 40 years. He established Ruthin School in 1595 and also founded the town’s almshouses.

Ruthin is also renowned for Maen Huail, a stone that stands in the market place. According to legend, it marks the place where Huail was beheaded by King Arthur because of rivalry in love.

Ruthin Castle, begun in 1277 by Edward I, was the home of Lord de Grey of Ruthin who, having proclaimed Owain Glyndwr a traitor to Henry IV, was given a large area of land originally held by the Welshman. After Glyndwr crowned himself Prince of Wales, de Grey was the first to suffer when Ruthin was attacked in 1400. Though the town was all but destroyed, the castle held out and survived the onslaught. During the Civil War the castle again came under siege, this time surviving for 11 weeks in 1646 before eventually falling to General Mytton, who had the building destroyed. Partially restored and then owned by the Cornwallis-West family, Ruthin Castle played host, before and during World War I, to many famous and influential Edwardians including the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), the actress Mrs Patrick Campbell, and Lady Randolph Churchill, the mother of Winston Churchill. Today, the castle, with its charming grounds and roaming peacocks, is a hotel that specialises in medieval banquets.

A more recent addition to the town’s attractions is the Ruthin Craft Centre, a striking zinc and cast stone building with undulating roofs inspired by the surrounding Clwydian hills. The complex includes three galleries, six artist studios, a retail gallery, education and residency workshops, tourist information office and a cafe with courtyard terrace.