My first memories of Gwrych Castle were the jousting tournaments held there in the 1960s and early 70swhen I was young. A medieval ensemble played along as we booed the Black Knight. There was an opulence to the place in those days.
In my teenage years, I worked for Mr Meecher who had the parking franchise at the castle. One thing I remember was the song Copacabana by Barry Manilow was on the transistor radio every hour as we worked. (Photo by Sally Hindley, used with her permission)
i remember this place with much affection and fondness,it was at the heart of my summer hollidays as a young child growing up in the glorious 70s!
me and my familly,aunties and uncles included ,used to have a fortnights holliday in pensarn every summer;our days would be spent on pensarn beach from early morning until tea time most days messing around in my dads speedboat playing games and eating the food cooked up on the camp stove by my mam and aunts,sometimes they would just go to the bakery on sandbank road in towyn and buy sausage rolls and pies.
after getting back to our caravan and having tea we would often stroll down the front to the amusements at the black cat or to the fair by the beach,but the best times were spent at the castle watching the jousting or the fire work displays they used to have,also used to be a sunday market on if i remember rightly.
such a shame to see the castle in the condition it is today,i dont see it the way it is now though,i still see it in all its majesty in them glorious summers of days gone by in the 1970s .
Thanks for sharing these vivid memories with us Stuart. Ah, the good old days…
I watched the jousting too during the 1980’s. It was a fab event, and we had wonderful times at Agergele on holiday – over the years we watched the castle fall into direpair.
It was a surprise to discover that it was not an actual fortress castle and was created to resemble a castle during the 19th century. Apparently it’s an 80 room hotel now???
I too remember the jousting at the castle. Holidays with the extended family staying in the Stackhouse chalets and spending many a day in the Black Cat amusements. Life was a lot simpler then!