"Chirk Castle" Topic

The ECWtravelogue took a day out in the summer to visit Chirk Castle in North Wales. Chirk is home to a large collection of Civil War era arms and armour, had a role to play in Booth's Rebellion, and has a very rare C17th military drum on display.

link

Looking at the photo, it immediately struck me that somebody had punched holes in the walls to install the windows, so we can't see what it looked like in its heyday. On the other hand, if they hadn't, nobody would have lived there, it would have been allowed to deteriorate, and now it would be one of those lovely, atmospheric ruins.
Historical preservation can be confusing sometimes.
Thanks very much for the photos and report.

Grelber
Bulldoze half of Nashville!! I want to see things the place the way it was for the December 1864 battle!

Thanks Grelber, it does look like that doesn't it. I'm pretty sure that those windows are the bit of the original castle that got converted into the Tudor residence.

Can't say definitely, as the route around the house was quite disorientating.

Plus if anyone says "what about the drum at the Royal Armouries?", Yes it is older than the Chirk drum, but is Dutch.

Nice to see a place visited in my great Pilgrimage of '85. remember it as very beautiful and in excellent shape. Sadly for every place I saw, I missed three. TMH as a young friend of mine once said.

Chirk Castle looks quite peculiar because they reduced the height of the towers during the late medieval/early Tudor era, when its primary purpose was as a residence rather than a defensive feature. The basic layout and much of the fabric is medieval 14th century, although most of the detail including the crenelations are 17th-19th century.

I have done lots of archaeological excavations at the Castle, we are digging there again this month now the Welsh lockdown has lifted.

Hope you have good weather newarch.

Thank you KYPD, it can scarcely be any wetter than it was last summer, when I did the initial excavation of a building to the south-west of the castle under the eagle eyes of 20 odd expectant volunteers and students. No pressure!