Denbigh Castle

	The gatehouse of Denbigh castle.

The market town of Denbigh, about half-way along the Vale of Clwyd, lies at the foot of a steep-sided hill that is crowned by a massive castle. Built by Henry de Lacy, who was granted the area by Edward I in 1282, it was intended as a centre of English influence in this strongly Welsh area.

As well as the castle, de Lacy built massive walls around the town, which was a purely English enclave in Wales. The native Welsh were not allowed to own property inside the walls. Yet despite their strength, both town and castle were captured several times when the Welsh rebelled against their English conquerors.

In part this was because an uncertain water supply meant that the townsfolk soon abandoned de Lacy's walls and rebuilt on a more convenient - though unprotected - area below the original town.

The castle was captured by the Parliamentarians in 1646, recaptured by the Royalists in 1649, after which it was "slighted" or deliberately destroyed by General Monk to keep it from being used by the Royalists. The signs of this destruction are one of the main features of the castle walls as you approach.