To claim this find simply add a photograph of yourself or your GPS which must have been taken within a 500 foot (152.5 metre) radius of the listed co-ords and with the castle clearly visible in the background.
Also note that all images must be posted in your log and not sent via a GC message.
Failure to comply with the above request WILL result in your log being deleted.
Gwrych Castle was erected between 1819 and 1825 at the behest of Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh, grandfather of Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald.
From 1894 until 1924, when the Countess died, it was the residence of the Dundonald family. The Countess left the castle in her will to King George V and the then Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VIII). However, the gift was refused and the castle passed to the Venerable Order of Saint John. In 1928, Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald, purchased the castle for £78,000, selling the contents to meet the cost.
During World War II, the Government used the castle to house 200 Jewish refugees.
Following the war, the castle left the Dundonald family and was open to the public for twenty years. It was called "The Showpiece of Wales" at this time, and attracted many visitors.
It was also used as a training venue for the English World Middleweight boxing champion Randolph Turpin in the early 1950s.
In the early 60s it was an occasional venue for the famous motorcycle Dragon Rally and in the 70s it was used as a centre for medieval re-enactments, attracting tourists with such events as jousting and mock banquets.
The castle was then once again opened to the public in 1985. Thereafter, it started to decline.
It was bought in 1989 by an American businessman, for £750,000. However, his plans to renovate the building were not carried out and as a result, the castle was extensively looted and vandalised, becoming little more than a derelict shell, although it was used in 1996 as the backdrop for Prince Valiant, a film starring Edward Fox, Joanna Lumley and Katherine Heigl.
Historian Mark Baker campaigned for the castle to be brought back to its days of glory.
Baker was instrumental in forming an organisation, dedicated to ensuring the castle's future. Conwy council were asked to compulsorily purchase the property, eventually placing enough pressure on the then owner, who put it up for sale in March 2006.
The castle was again purchased in January 2007 for £850,000, after it failed to reach its £1.5m reserve price at the 2 June 2006 auction.
On 30 April 2007, the new owners announced a 3-year project, costing £6,000,000, to renovate the castle and convert it into a 90-bedroom 5-star hotel, creating 100 jobs. The project was subject to planning permission.
They spent about half a million pounds on its plans, clearing the site and rebuilding areas.
Unfortunately they were unable to finish the project as they were eventually placed into administration.
Refusing to be beaten Mark Baker and his organisation managed to establish a solution for the conservation and preservation of the castle. Through much hard work, a huge amount has been achieved and the profile of the castle has been significantly raised with supporters from all over the globe.
Please note that you can view the castle at any time without having to enter due to the footpaths that run both in front of and behind the castle but if you wish to visit the castle then please note that access is only available between 9am and 4pm each day and they ask for a donation of £5 per person
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.