In 1282, Edward I defeated the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (also known as Llywelyn the Last, and grandson of Llywelyn the Great), and established the new Marcher Lordship of Chirklands.

For his loyalty to the King in the wars against the Welsh and the Scottish, the Chirklands were granted to Roger Mortimer.

Mortimer built Chirk Castle in 1295 under the orders of King Edward I, as part of the king’s ‘iron ring’ of fortresses designed to secure his conquest of North Wales. The architect was probably Master James of St George, an architect from Savoy who was much favoured by Edward I. Standing high above the Ceiriog Valley, it was both a military stronghold and a statement of royal power, with its massive stone walls and sweeping views.

Edward II made Mortimer Justiciar of all Wales. However, Mortimer swapped sides and after supporting his nephew, another Roger Mortimer, against the King, he was thrown into the Tower of London and died there in 1326.

Chirk Castle then had several owners including the Earls of Arundel, Cardinal Henry Beaufort, the Dukes of Somerset and Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III).

Queen Elizabeth granted Chirklands to Robert Dudley in 1563, making him the most influential man in North Wales. The locals hated him.

Over the centuries, the fortress gradually softened into a grand family home, reflecting changing fashions and more peaceful times.

In 1595, the castle was bought for £5,000 by Sir Thomas Myddelton, a successful London merchant and one of the founders of the East India Company. Sir Thomas was made Lord Mayor of London in 1613. The Myddelton family would remain at Chirk for more than four centuries, transforming it into a magnificent country estate with elegant interiors, landscaped gardens, and parkland.

In the 1840s Colonel Robert Myddelton Biddulph and his wife Fanny Mostyn Owen, commissioned AW Pugin to decorate the State Rooms. Much of the design was later removed except in the Cromwell Hall which is the most complete Pugin interior.

In 1910 Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Lord Howard de Walden, negotiated a lease with the Myddelton Family, which continued until 1946. Lord Howard de Walden was a noted patron of the arts and supported the formation of the Welsh National Theatre Company and the Eisteddfod. He also became a fluent Welsh speaker. Lord Howard de Walden commissioned the landscape gardener, Norah Lindsay to update the gardens.

Chirk Castle was given to the National Trust in 1981 by Lady Margaret Myddleton, widow of Lt.-Colonel Ririd Myddelton and their family. The Myddletons no longer live in the Castle.

GARDENS

Sir Thomas Myddleton II laid out the large formal gardens in the French style in 1653. The next major change was in 1764, when Richard Myddleton commissioned William Emes to update the gardens. Emes built ha-has to stop the deer entering the formal gardens and planted vast lawns and thousands of trees. In 1767, Emes closed all the roads through the park including an old drovers’ path which added 11 miles to the journey of local farmers taking their cattle to Wrexham.

The ornate Baroque gates were commissioned by Sir Richard Myddelton in 1712, and made by two local blacksmiths, Robert and John Davies using iron from the Myddelton forge at Pont-y-blew. The gates originally stood near the north face of the castle, but were moved by Emes in 1770 and again in 1888 when the railway arrived.

In the 19th century, the yew trees were planted while in the early 1900s, Lord Howard de Walden invited the landscape gardener Norah Lindsay to Chirk. Lindsay created the stunning herbaceous border on the Upper Lawn and the Shrub Garden. It was her suggestion to let the yew topiary grow larger to reflect the scale of the castle building.

The kitchen garden was created in the late 1920s when the original kitchen garden at Whitehurst was sold. It was originally ornamental with fruit, vegetables and cut flowers for the house. Lady Margaret developed a small market garden in 1960s but was later neglected.

During the Second World War, the gardens were neglected but were rescued by Lady Margaret Myddelton. Lady Margaret introduced much of the planting scheme you can see today.

The lead statue of Hercules is probably by the Flemish sculptor John van Nost. It was commissioned in 1720s by Robert Myddleton.