Gwrych Castle may look every inch the medieval fortress, with its battlements, towers and imposing presence overlooking Abergele, but in truth it is a 19th-century creation. Built in the 1820s as a grand country house, it was deliberately designed to resemble a romanticised vision of a castle. The architects succeeded so well that many visitors still assume it to be the genuine article.
Much has already been written about the castle’s early years and its pre-war history. But we wanted to explore what came next – how Gwrych adapted in the decades after the Second World War, when it entered a new and colourful phase under the ownership of entrepreneur Leslie Salts. His era saw the castle shift from private estate to become one of the top tourist attractions in Wales, a story of ambition, reinvention, and eventual decline.
In July 1946 the empty castle and 370 acres of land was acquired for £12,000 by “confirmed bachelor” Jesse Rennie who announced it would become a private residence for himself and his parents. He later opened a restaurant and applied for an alcohol license, but was turned down. In October of that year he sold the castle to Merseyside businessman Leslie Salts and went off to buy another mansion in Anglesey, which later burned down. Rennie was declared bankrupt in 1970.
Leslie Salts buys a castle
The man who would change Gwrych Castle’s fortunes after the war was Leslie Salts, a sharp and ambitious businessman with a flair for reinvention. He began his career as a commercial artist before moving into the world of advertising, where he quickly set up his own agency. From there, his interests spread across a wide range of ventures – cosmetics, medicines, and even holiday camps.
By the age of thirty, Salts had already amassed a fortune and joined the ranks of Britain’s post-war millionaires. His success, however, came with a reputation: he was admired for his business acumen but also regarded as ruthless, a man who rarely let sentiment stand in the way of profit.
It was this mixture of vision, drive and hard-nosed pragmatism that he brought to Gwrych Castle when he took it on in the 1940s, determined to turn the crumbling estate into a profitable tourist attraction.
Leslie Salts wasted little time in putting his stamp on Gwrych. Announcing that the castle would be opened to the public, he prepared an ambitious programme of attractions for the 1949 season. The sweeping east lawn was transformed into a natural amphitheatre capable of holding 2,000 people, where visitors were treated to concerts ranging from choirs and classical musicians to popular singers—and even hypnotists.
For wetter days, a vast marquee was erected to host indoor performances, complete with a state-of-the-art £2,000 Hammond organ, a striking investment for its time. The castle’s stables were converted into an upmarket café overseen by a French chef, while inside the castle itself, Salts’ own paintings – he was a talented artist – were displayed alongside the historic interiors.
At night the entire castle was illuminated by floodlights, creating a spectacular landmark visible for miles around. The formula proved an immediate success. That first summer alone, it was claimed that more than 350,000 people came through the gates, establishing Gwrych Castle as one of North Wales’s most popular post-war attractions.
Visiting Gwrych in the late 1940s and early 1950s was a rather different experience to today’s tourist attractions. Instead of a single admission price covering everything, visitors paid a modest entry fee to enter the grounds, with each individual attraction charging an additional fee of its own. This meant families could pick and choose what they wanted to see, but it also ensured that the most popular features generated extra income.
Expanding the Attractions
For the 1950 season, Salts broadened the offer with a range of new draws. A petting zoo and monkey house proved especially popular with children, while an aquarium brought an added element of curiosity for adults. Perhaps the most exciting development, however, was the miniature railway.
Built by Ernest Dove and operated with his son Ken, the line was supplied with two charming steam engines named Silver Queen and Belle of New York. The sight of the little locomotives chugging around the grounds added to the sense of spectacle. Ken Dove’s involvement would prove long-lasting – he eventually rose to become the castle’s manager and resident director, guiding the attraction through its busiest years.
The Mystery of the Caves
Among Salts’ more unusual innovations was the reopening of five caves behind the castle. Said to have been sealed for more than a century, they were transformed into themed grottos with modern lighting, offering visitors a mysterious, atmospheric diversion.
But the excitement surrounding the new attraction was soon darkened by tragedy. Later that summer, the body of a baby boy was discovered in one of the caves. An autopsy revealed that the child had been smothered. A murder investigation was launched, and Scotland Yard detectives joined the local police in questioning guests who had visited the castle in the weeks before the discovery.
Despite the scale of the inquiry, no one was ever brought to justice. The caves soon disappeared from Gwrych’s publicity material, suggesting that they were quietly closed in the aftermath of the grim discovery.
Boxing arrives at Gwrych Castle
In May 1950, Gwrych Castle gained an extraordinary visitor when Salts persuaded boxer Bruce Woodcock to live and train at the estate in preparation for his forthcoming World title fight against Lee Savold. At the time, Woodcock was a household name, holding the British, European, and Empire Heavyweight titles, and his presence turned the castle into a magnet for fans.
The impact was immediate. In just one month, an astonishing 174,000 people visited Gwrych to watch Woodcock train on the east lawn. Reportedly, 80% of the crowd were women, drawn by the glamour of the sporting superstar. On the busiest single day, 27,000 visitors were admitted, with thousands more turned away. Traffic in the surrounding area ground to a halt, with jams stretching for eight miles.
Although Bruce Woodcock ultimately lost his World title fight and retired later in 1950, the crowds he drew proved an irresistible lesson for Leslie Salts. The estate’s grounds had clearly become a magnet for boxing enthusiasts, and Salts quickly encouraged other fighters to train at the castle.
Later that year, Freddie Mills undertook a week-long training stint, followed by a three-week stay from Randolph Turpin. Turpin’s presence proved particularly significant: later that year he became the British Middleweight Champion after defeating Albert Finch. His return to Gwrych in 1951 only increased his popularity, drawing large crowds of spectators eager to watch the champion in action.
Randolph Turpin: World Champion
In July 1951, Randolph Turpin captured national attention by stunning the world with a victory over Sugar Ray Robinson to become the World Middleweight Champion. The fight took place at Earls Court in front of 18,000 spectators, cementing Turpin’s status as a sporting hero.
Although he lost the title just 64 days later, it did little to diminish his popularity. His adoring fans continued to flock to Gwrych Castle whenever he trained there, drawn by the chance to see a world champion in action and further enhancing the castle’s reputation as a hub of celebrity and spectacle.
Randolph Turpin returned to Gwrych Castle in 1952, now advertised as “The Greatest Attraction in Britain.” Huge crowds quickly followed, eager to see the world-class boxer in action once more. Despite the attention and revenue he drew, Turpin later complained that he never received a share of the profits the castle was generating from his appearances.
The uneasy relationship between Turpin’s manager, George Middleton, and Leslie Salts was well known. Middleton reportedly referred to Salts as a “conman” and consistently warned Turpin to steer clear of any business dealings with him. So it came as a surprise when Turpin announced a partnership with Salts to build miniature railways. Together, they formed the International Miniature Railway Company, unveiling ambitious plans for a railway in Fleetwood, along with others “all around the world.”
A Controversial Partnership
The relationship between Randolph Turpin and Leslie Salts deepened in unexpected ways. Turpin announced that Salts had become his business manager and financial advisor, and that he was even attending Turpin’s fights in a managerial capacity. Adding to the tension, Salts applied for a boxing manager’s licence, much to the dismay of Turpin’s long-time manager, George Middleton, sparking a flurry of rumours and speculation in the boxing world.
The surprises didn’t end there. Turpin then revealed that he and Salts were entering a new business venture together: a partnership to purchase the Great Orme complex, a bold move that further cemented the perception that Salts was a man willing to push boundaries and attract attention wherever he went.
To read the full story of what happened when Salts and Turpin bought the Great Orme complex please visit our blog Great Orme Summit Complex
Publicity and Expansion
By the mid-1950s, Gwrych Castle continued to thrive, even as Leslie Salts stepped back from his involvement with boxing. The focus returned entirely to the castle itself, and no further fighters were invited to train on the grounds.
In 1953, Salts demonstrated his flair for publicity in a rather unusual way. The miniature railway’s steam engine, Belle of New York, was renamed President Eisenhower. Salts even wrote to the American president to request permission for the use of his name – and received a personal letter of approval in reply. The signed letter was framed and proudly displayed at the castle for many years, a testament to Salts’ skill at marketing and generating attention.
By 1956, the castle’s accommodation was expanded to meet growing demand. The top floors were converted into holiday flats, offering 22 bedrooms ….but with only three shared bathrooms. Encouraged by the popularity, Salts applied to build 41 chalets in the grounds, but the council rejected the proposal, curbing further expansion.
By the 1960s, Gwrych Castle was facing a noticeable downturn in visitors. The novelty of a stately, historic castle was waning, as people sought more modern and exciting leisure activities. To appeal to a younger audience, Salts tried several innovations: the French café was transformed into a trendy espresso coffee bar, and a Chamber of Horrors was built in the castle cellar. Despite these efforts, visitor numbers continued to fall.
Recognising that more drastic measures were needed, Salts unveiled an audacious plan in 1963. He proposed a £5 million redevelopment, converting the castle into a hotel and building 1,000 houses on the grounds, priced between £3,500 and £6,000. To make the scheme more attractive, he offered to build a new promenade and marina in nearby Abergele. The plan would have increased the town’s population by 40 percent.
However, the project ran into prolonged bureaucratic obstacles. The planning application dragged on for three years, ultimately ending in rejection by the Secretary of State for Wales, leaving Salts’ grand ambitions unfulfilled.
The castle is sold
By early 1967, Leslie Salts began divesting parts of the estate. In a notable transaction, he sold 92 acres of castle land to Abergele Golf Club for £40,000, enabling the development of an 18-hole course that remains in operation to this day.
That June, Salts sold the remaining castle property to a three-man consortium, with one member also acquiring his former Wrexham home, Bronwylfa Hall. However, this deal ultimately fell through, and five months later Salts sold Gwrych Castle to Pentland Hick of Associated Pleasure Parks (APP) for £125,000.
Hick brought a strong track record in leisure development, having successfully transformed Flamingo Park Zoo (now Flamingoland) into a thriving attraction. Over the following years, he would acquire several other zoos across the UK, marking a new era for Gwrych as it passed from the hands of a showman into those of a leisure entrepreneur.
The new owners quickly devised plans to build 270 “Swiss-style” holiday chalets, an outdoor swimming pool, and an extension to the miniature railway. However, despite Hick’s impressive track record, the plans were rejected by the council. In 1969, APP was acquired by Scotia Investments, who continued operating the castle.
Meanwhile, Leslie Salts retired at the age of 60, moving to the Isle of Man and taking up residence at the upscale Bolivia Mount estate near Ramsey. During his time at Gwrych Castle, it was estimated that 10 million people had passed through the gates. In retirement, Salts continued to invest in hospitality, acquiring several hotels on the island, cementing his reputation as one of Britain’s most audacious post-war leisure entrepreneurs.
Medieval mania at Gwrych
The early 1970s saw a surge of public interest in all things medieval, and Gwrych Castle embraced the trend with gusto. In 1972, the formal gardens were cleared to make way for a 2,000-seat jousting arena, billed as “the first to be built since the Middle Ages.” Shows were staged twice daily, organised by the Nottingham Jousting Association, drawing crowds eager for spectacle.
The miniature railway was also reinvented. Now diesel-powered and renamed The Magic Dragon Railway, the locomotive was fitted with a flamboyant dragon head, much to the delight – or bemusement – of younger visitors. Pony rides were added for children, making the castle grounds a full day out for families. That year, 60,000 people passed through the gates.
To complement the jousting, medieval banquets were introduced in 1973. Scotia rebuilt the old dining hall to create a banquet centre capable of seating 100 guests. Visitors enjoyed six-course meals served by “wenches watched over by heavily-armoured knights,” with mead, wine, or ale included in the £3.50 ticket price (rising to £4 the following year). The hall was also available for private events and wedding receptions.
Meanwhile, the upstairs flats were converted into staff accommodation, housing 30 to 40 people each summer, ensuring the castle had the manpower to maintain its ambitious array of attractions.
In 1974, it was decided that Gwrych Castle would close to day visitors and focus solely on its evening medieval banquets. The move was met with concern; Colwyn Bay’s publicity manager commented, “North Wales can’t really afford to lose such a novel attraction. I hope it will return.”
Unfortunately, the banquets did not generate the expected revenue. By November, the castle was put up for sale.
It was purchased by Darjeeling Holdings, a company run by two London businessmen who had recently sold their tea plantations in India. The new owners wasted no time in liquidating the assets. In January 1975, an auction was held to sell off “surplus contents,” including chandeliers, wall hangings, cabinetry, the old electric organ, and other furniture and effects. Later that year, two of the castle lodges were sold, marking the beginning of a period of significant dispersal and decline for the estate.
Medieval banquets continued but were scaled back to Saturdays only. For the summer of 1975, the grounds reopened to the public again, offering jousting, pony rides, and the miniature railway.
That August, a grand mock battle called “The Siege of Gwrych Castle” was organized by 1,500 members of the Sealed Knot Society, with all profits going to charity. While 40,000 visitors were expected, only 5,500 showed up—falling short of the 10,000 needed to even break even.
Following shareholder concerns, the Department of Trade announced an investigation into Darjeeling Holdings and shortly afterward the company went bankrupt. Control of the castle passed to the official receiver and it went back on the market in early 1976, listed at £250,000.
After the castle’s financial collapse, its affairs were overseen by the official receiver. One member of the former jousting team was offered residence at the castle in exchange for handling “light security.” He was also tasked with organising the jousting events, for which he received a share of the takings. Later, he was allowed to run the bar and began hosting Friday night discos to boost income.
During this period, the main castle building remained closed, and the miniature railway was out of action, but the grounds were open to the public for walks and picnics, with a small admission fee of 10p for adults and 5p for children. Jousting events carried an extra charge of 80p for adults and 40p for children.
In January 1978, the site was sold to Thornwell Finance, run by Jack Waite. The new owners promptly evicted the live-in jouster, leading to an “altercation” and a subsequent court case. Despite this upheaval, many of the activities continued much as before.
By Christmas 1979, part of the castle was reopened as The Hunting Lodge Restaurant, offering visitors a new reason to return. In 1981, a Sunday market was introduced, which eventually grew to over a hundred stalls, and a small funfair was set up in the car park, maintaining Gwrych’s role as a local leisure destination even as its grandeur declined.
In June 1982, Gwrych Castle was sold to Mrs Margaret Donald, a businesswoman from Anglesey. As with many of its previous owners, little changed under her stewardship. The grounds remained open to the public, while the castle itself stayed closed and continued to deteriorate.
The local council repeatedly urged Mrs Donald to take action to halt the building’s decline, but despite the castle’s Grade II listing, there was no legal requirement compelling her to maintain it in good condition. As a result, Gwrych slowly fell further into disrepair, marking another period of stagnation in its long and colourful history.
Gwrych closes to the public
By 1985, Gwrych Castle’s long run as a public attraction came to an end. The grounds were closed, and the house itself had fallen into a dire state, described as “uninhabitable”, with most of its windows smashed out.
The jousting team, known as the Knights of Gwrych Castle, remained active for a time, performing at occasional events around the region. Meanwhile, throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, the castle continued to draw visitors – albeit unofficially. With little to no staff or security present, people were free to explore as they pleased. Tales circulated of guests swinging from chandeliers, trying on suits of armor, and even riding a moped down the grand staircase.
Unsurprisingly, the lack of oversight led to significant vandalism and theft, with numerous fixtures, furnishings, and historic items damaged or lost. This period marked one of the lowest points in Gwrych Castle’s history, as the once-grand estate slipped further into decay.
In 1990 the castle was bought by a Californian businessman who announced a £10 million plan to rebuild it as a five star hotel, conference centre and 2000-seat opera house. But yet again, nothing happened and three years later he announced he was “duped” into buying it.
In 1994, a mysterious fire caused significant damage to Gwrych Castle, with parts of the building destroyed and some of the floors collapsing into the cellar.
The following year, a group of travellers moved in, taking advantage of the castle’s neglected state. They stripped the building of what remained, selling roofing slates and burning much of the interior wood for heat.
In 1996, a film crew arrived to shoot scenes for a movie called Prince Valiant. Remarkably, the travellers remained on site, temporarily moved aside for filming, only to resume their activities once the crew departed. The movie itself flopped at the box office, doing little to bring attention or revenue to the struggling castle.
A campaign to save the castle
In late 1996, 11-year-old Mark Baker launched a campaign to save Gwrych Castle. He reached out to influential figures, including Tony Blair and the Prince of Wales, generating widespread media attention and forcing the public and authorities to take notice of the castle’s perilous condition.
In 1997, the castle was granted Grade I listed status, placing it among the top 5% of Welsh historic monuments. Just weeks later, the travellers who had occupied the castle for two years were evicted. Their residency had left the castle an empty shell, stripped of its roof and interior, leaving only the stone walls intact. Concrete blocks were placed across the entrances to prevent further occupation.
Mark continued to champion the cause, writing a book and establishing a website to raise awareness. An official preservation trust was eventually formed to oversee efforts to save the castle. During this period, the property remained in the hands of an absentee Californian businessman, but in 2006 the trust successfully pressured him to sell the site to Clayton Hotels, who planned to rebuild the derelict structure. After spending £500,000 to clean up the site, however, Clayton Hotels went bankrupt, leaving the castle’s fate uncertain once more.
In June 2018, the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust successfully purchased the castle, thanks in large part to a £600,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF). Additional support came from the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust, enabling the trust to begin safeguarding the property.
The castle entered the national spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it served as the filming location for the popular reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, attracting new attention to its historic and cultural significance.
By 2023, the trust secured a further £2.2 million in funding from the NHMF, earmarked for urgent repairs to protect and restore the castle for future generations. Dr Mark Baker, the campaigner who first brought attention to the castle as a boy, remains heavily involved and has served as chairman of the trust for many years.
In a symbolic nod to the castle’s history, one of the lodges sold off in 1975 was bought back by the trust and is now available as holiday accommodation, allowing visitors to stay on the estate and experience a piece of its remarkable story.
Visit the trust website for more information on the latest developments.
Updates:
In 2001 Turpin was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and in the same year a bronze statue of him was unveiled in Warwick’s Town Square. The official unveiling ceremony was performed by Sir Henry Cooper. You can read More about Turpin in our blog on the Great Orme Summit Complex
Leslie Salts did eventually open the miniature railway on Fleetwood seafront, but not until 1954, and without the involvement of Turpin. It only ran for two seasons and then closed due to lack of business. The steam loco ‘Winston Chiurchill’ was moved to Gwrych Castle after closure. All of the steam locomotives associated with Leslie Salts – at Gwrych Castle, Great Orme and Fleetwood – still survive today. The railway track at Gwrych also apparently still survives, rusted and overgrown.
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