Heritage Services Seasonal Report
Denbighshire Heritage sites have enjoyed a long period of gorgeous weather for our visitors, as well as great success in our events this year.
Ruthin Gaol had an impressive turnout at our World War II Day in June, celebrating the role the Gaol played as a munitions factory during the Second World War, and what impact it had on the people of Wartime Ruthin. We had plenty of vagrants and vagabonds turn up for the “Captured on Camera” Event in July, where visitors had their faces put on WANTED posters to take home with them, with some creative crimes and scary scowls all around! Finally our wonderful staff entertained visitors with true stories of former occupants at our “Tales from the Gaol” event in August. We also had the lovely addition of fresh and local Chilly Cow ice cream that is now sold in the Gaol shop, and we could not have picked better weather to introduce it.
Ruthin Gaol will close for the season at the end of September, however will be open for private tour bookings throughout the winter months, and will be reopening for our Halloween Week event.
Visitors to Nantclwyd Y Dre got their hands dirty in the gardens with our “Beastly Bug Hunt” event, where guests searched the beautiful Lord’s Garden for various creepy crawlies, learning about biodiversity, and the insects that live in our woods and gardens. Shakespeare once again came to the Lord’s Garden as well, with Illyria Productions performing “The Merchant of Venice” in a classic open air theatre. The gardens flourished in the amazing weather, positively shining with colourful flowers thanks to the efforts of our volunteer gardeners.
Denbighshire Heritage Services also trialled our Nantclwyd Y Dre Garden Pass, which allows access to the Lord’s Garden all season long for a onetime payment. The pass will see a full launch next season and will allow you to pop in anytime during opening hours to relax in the gardens, enjoy a picnic, or simply unwind in the tranquil atmosphere of the medieval garden.
The amazing sunny weather has made the already picturesque Plas Newydd a sight to behold this summer. The house and gardens have enjoyed plenty of visitors from far and wide to learn about the famous Ladies of Llangollen. Nature Quest walks throughout the grounds have been running between May and June, allowing guests to explore the grounds and learn some interesting facts about nature through a quiz, as well as after school activities running through the rest of June. On the 22nd of September the grounds will be hosting a play titled ‘An Extraordinary Female Affection’ detailing the lives and relationship of the Ladies of Llangollen performed by Jane Hoy and Helen Sandler of Living Histories Cymru.
Rhyl Museum now has a monthly event we call “Meet the Curator” where visitors can talk with our Curator for Denbighshire and interact with genuine objects from local history, ranging from the ancient Romans to the seaside resort heyday of 20th Century Rhyl. Visitors will also be able to bring their own items and stories in to tell and share their significance, as well as get a professional opinion on any local artefacts they have.
“Meet the Curator” will run on the last Wednesday of every month all year round in Rhyl Museum, which can be found upstairs in Rhyl Library.
We will be closing for the winter months after September 30th, however some sites will be available to book guided tours throughout the off-season period. Send an email to Heritage@Denbighshire.gov.uk if you wish to make a booking or simply to find out more.
We would like to extend a big thank our staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to keep the sites active throughout the season to such a high degree, and we look forward to our next season.