Penrhyn Castle

With its fairytale turrets, Penrhyn Castle looks rooted in the medieval period but it is in fact a 19th Century recreation of Neo-Norman architecture, filled with fascinating Georgian and Victorian curios.

Front of Penrhyn Castle

The castle belonged to the Pennant family and was built in the early 19th Century, financed by the family’s fortunes made in the sugar plantations of Jamaica and the nearby slate mines of Penrhyn. The castle has fascinating past connections including the medieval Welsh Princes and 17th Century Pirates of the high seas.

The castle is set in extensive grounds though the building alone covers and area of one acre, while the frontage, a splendid mix of red ivy clad turrets towers and curtain walls, measures more than 180 metres. The interiors blend three centuries of mock medieval architecture, which arguably surpasses the exterior. Its impressive rooms include the imperiously spacious Grand Hall, with fabulous handcrafted wood panelling and an impressive decorative ceiling. The Ebony Room houses a fine collection of old masters, the most prominent of its kind in North Wales . The State Bedroom and Chapel, are Norman themed and the suites in the castle Keep house a slate bed specially made for the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1894.

The grounds of Penrhyn Castle once covered an area of 72,000 acres and included 600 farms. Today the gardens are made up of expansive lawns studded with trees that reach right up to the castle walls. Some of the trees were in fact planted by visiting dignitaries including Queen Victoria and the Queen of Romania. Formal gardens can be found in the walled garden with a selection of strangely beautiful plants.

The old domestic quarters and stables have been converted to house an Industrial Railway Museum with locomotives and steam engines from the early 19th Century.


This attraction is included in the Great British Heritage Pass.