CSG Annual Conference - - April 2015 - Denbigh

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ABOVE: Fig. 1. Denbigh Castle has a unique and impressive gatehouse with three octagonal towers clustered around a central octagonal entrance hall. The arrangement of such a hall with a multiplicity of complex passages and services linking each tower, and the castle court radiating from it almost at right-angles recalls that of the King’s Gate at Caernarfon (see the Sorrell painting, fig. 5). In the outermost arch at the head of the entrance sits a panel decorated with ball-flowers surrounding a niche with a seated figure, within a trefoiled arch. It is extremely impressive work, and such a level of decoration is unusual in any castle. (The figure is probably Edward II (Butler)). Originally there was a and turning bridge in front of the gate, followed by a series of obstacles (see Butler 26-28). The central octagonal space formed by the three towers was vaulted with a room above. Previous page: Denbigh from the south. © Crown copyright: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of .

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Fig. 2. The 1919 Office of Works survey included the above ground plan with a very early example of colour-coding to indicate differing periods of work. (See, for comparison, St. John Hope’s Windsor, 1913). © The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Reproduced with thanks.

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Fig. 3. Plan of Denbigh Castle. © Cadw, Welsh Government, Crown Copyright. North to the left.

Denbigh Castle & Town Walls Like , Denbigh was a lordship castle. Although the town below the castle was dam- Denbigh was built on or near the site of a aged during the early 1400s, during the residence of the Welsh princes, known as a Glyndŵr revolt, the castle appears to have held llys, during the second Welsh war, after King out. lt again saw military service in the civil Edward I granted the district to one of his wars of the 1640s, when it was held by the leading commanders, Henry de Lacy, earl of royalists. Besieged for several months in 1646, Lincoln. In October 1282 the earl and his king it fell to the parliamentarian army in late Octo- met to discuss the construction of the new ber. Unlike many , it was not dismantled castle. The initial phase, from the end of 1282, (slighted) following its capture, as the castle saw the construction of a large walled circuit was used to imprison royalists. However, with some D-shaped or half-round towers and much of the curtain wall and two towers were that formed both the outer wall of deliberately destroyed following the restora- the castle and the town defences. That section tion of the monarchy in 1660. of the castle that largely sits within the medie- The entrance to the castle, above the broad arch val town is very different in style to the initial of which is the statue of a king, possibly Ed- phase, for here we have massive polygonal ward II (1307-27), was originally reached via towers, including a triple-towered gatehouse a . Then one proceeded through a that even in its ruined state is a wonder of passage heavily defended by murder holes, medieval construction. The exterior of the tow- doorways and two before reaching ers is remarkable for the chequerboard decora- an octagonal vaulted hall framed by the three tion of different coloured sandstones.

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Fig. 4. Denbigh Castle from the north-east. Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, 1742. (Detail). Clockwise: 1. Triple-towered Great Gatehouse. 2. St. Mary’s Chapel. 3. Lord Leicester’s church. 4. Burgess Gate. 5. North-eastern Tower. 6. Countess Tower. 7. Salient and Goblin Tower. 8. . 9. Tower. 10. White Chamber Tower. 11. Great Kitchen Tower. towers. In order to reach the courtyard one had Past the Green Chambers is one of the towers to pass through another door with a . of the first phase, and this was incorporated Although the upper floors of the three towers into a more sophisticated upper gate with a and the area over the entrance hall provided a staggered and well-defended approach after number of private rooms, one of the two outer 1294. The 1280s curtain wall continues round towers of the gatehouse was named the Prison to the main front of the castle via three small Tower, since its ground-floor chamber and the towers, meeting the large polygonal Red Tow- basement below were used for the incarcera- er. Following the castle's recapture from the tion of felons. Welsh in 1294, a thin outer wall known as a The eastern side of the castle has two great mantlet was built as part of the upper gate’s polygonal towers, the Great Kitchen and the new defences; another mantlet paralleled the White Chamber towers, and running along the curtain wall running south from the Red Tow- inner face of the curtain wall here lay the er. A feature of interest in this latter section is chapel (site of), the great hall and a block of the postern or sally port provided with its own apartments called the Green Chambers. Be- small portcullis, as well as murder holes. tween the latter and the White Chamber Tow- The Town Walls er was a small doorway or postern leading out The town wall runs from the Red Tower, soon to the town walls. The existence of the site of meeting the Exchequer Gate, the foundations a sink, together with various drains, suggest of which are visible. It appears to have been that the basement of the Green Chambers was similar to the Burgess Gate, rectangular in plan used to store wine and meat, while above at ground-floor level, but round fronted on the would have been a fine suite of chambers for upper floors. The town wall continues without accommodation.

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Fig. 5. View of the Great Gatehouse from the north-west. Alan Sorrell’s atmospheric 1961 reconstruction drawing showing the conjectural appearance of the castle in the early 14th century. towers, and largely hidden by houses, to the that Parliament’s artillery was directed in 1646 Burgess Gate, the upper part of which shows in order to deprive the royalists of water. the same marvellous chequerboard stonework N.B. Recent work by Cadw has not been seen at the castle. The gate originally had a incorporated into the above text, but as Will drawbridge, a portcullis, a doorway, murder Davies explained, it is likely that the later work holes and . The two rooms above - [defined as ‘continued or begun after 1295’] one with a latrine, the other with a fireplace - did commence at the same time as the definite were linked to the town wall on either side. 1282 work. So, much like Caernarfon, that part The eastern section of the town wall is the best of the castle enclosed by the south curtain and preserved. A locked gate (key from the castle) town walls at Denbigh had the foundations laid gives access to the wall, which leads to a tower and upper courses built (great gatehouse etc), at the north-eastern corner, and on to the Coun- with work being completed post-1295. tess Tower. From here the 1280s wall runs Further Reading back up to the castle, the only mural tower being the Bastion Tower not far from the cas- L. A. S. Butler, Denbigh Castle, Denbigh town tle. However, the defences were enlarged to the walls, Lord Leicester’s Church, St Hilary’s south of the Countess Tower after 1294 to Chapel, Denbigh Friary. Revised edition. Car- create a salient that incorporated an important diff: Cadw, 2007. supply of water, augmenting the well in the J. A. A. Goodall, 'The baronial castles of the Welsh castle. The focal point of this stretch is the conquest', in D. Williams and J. R. Kenyon Goblin Tower in which the well is situated. It (eds.), The Impact of the Edwardian castles in was against this section of the town's defences Wales, 155-65. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2010.

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ABOVE: Fig. 6. Edward Blore’s view of the Denbigh gatehouse with its Prison Tower on the right. Pencil on paper, 1870 Shelfmark: Additional MS 42023 Item number: f87 © British Library Board. The drawing highlights how much has been lost, especially to the Porter’s Lodge Tower (left), prior to the intervention of the Ministry of Works, c. 1920 onwards. BELOW: Fig. 7. One of a number of Office of Works survey plans and drawings, c. 1919 drawn up in advance of consolidation/rebuilding. It has now become obvious just how much necessary intervention was involved to shore up the building, much of which work was, and still is, camou- flaged. Plan © National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Reproduced with thanks.

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Denbigh Gatehouse and archaeological / cess began with a lengthy discussion on site, architectural reconstructions choosing the most appropriate viewpoint and For the millions of people visiting ruined medi- considering the missing elements of architectur- eval castles and monasteries each year, recon- al detail, such as the form of the roof. Draft after struction drawings can reveal the former glories draft would then follow, with questions being of the architecture and throw light on the van- posed to his collaborating historian, ensuring ished ways of life within their ancient walls. the accuracy of detail for the proposed date of reconstruction. Alan Sorrell was one of the pioneers of archae- ological reconstruction. Fig. 5, his view of Chris Jones-Jenkins has followed in the foot- Denbigh Gatehouse (1961) illustrates one of steps of Sorrell, Ball, and Ivan Lapper but per- his many acclaimed historical, detailed, yet haps offering a more architecturally precise atmospheric and dramatic drawings. (See Sor- examination of the castle’s structural features rell’s Living History, Batsford, 1965, pp. 82- with a different approach, one which is deliber- 83; also his British Castles, Batsford, 1973, ately sober and draughtsman-like rather than and Mark Sorrell’s Alan Sorrell Reconstruct- evoking the emotive and atmospheric mood- ing the Past, BCA / Batsford, 1981). In his music of the period. This has included the intro- commentary on Denbigh, Sorrell noted that duction of multi-angled cut-away views so that beyond the main entrance, ‘the concentrated we can all appreciate the workings of a room’s complexity of the structure becomes apparent’. contents and how chambers and floors connect He also noted that the system of wall-passages and relate to each other. Over three decades, was so arranged ‘that the defenders could pass Chris’s wonderfully distinctive and richly infor- through the gate-towers and make a circuit of mative drawings have enhanced the pages of the wall or enter the portcullis chambers with- guidebooks and display panels at many historic out disturbing those occupying the upper sites. Most Cadw guidebooks contain one or rooms. The central octagon was vaulted in more examples of Chris’s work, work which stone and there were rooms in the apartments now extends to English Heritage. above….It is a remarkable architectural com- In the following four pages there are a series of plex, beautiful in workmanship, very strong, digitised artworks by Chris of the Denbigh yet possessing a quality of urbanity, which to gatehouse that utilise CAD techniques and a certain degree disguises its warlike purpose’. state-of-the-art computer digital modelling Sorrell’s many drawings, which also included software. These tools allow a series of floors to Ancient and Roman buildings in Britain, con- be built up as detachable sliced layers, giving tinue to be an inspiration to amateur enthusi- insights into how the master masons had to asts and professional archaeologists alike. plan and seriously think though a project with These kinds of reconstructions add a new di- the agility to readily comprehend three-dimen- mension in our ability to mentally grasp and sional outcomes before any of the building- understand the original conception, form, and work started. It also forces the reconstruction architectural complexity that medieval ma- artist to thoroughly think through the creative son’s were capable of achieving. Following process so that comprehensive architectural Sorrell, Terry Ball, who died aged 79 in 2011, integrity is achieved. Such a rigorous analysis became one of Britain's best-known and most allows views from underneath, looking up influential artists in this field. Terry Ball’s (see, for example fig. 11, from basement lev- works were not ‘artistic impressions’, but care- el). None of this, however, is automatic. Every fully considered and meticulously argued re- level has to be crafted and considered, usually constructions. Paintings such as that of the in consultation. A similar process informs the general bird’s eye view and great hall at St. way that the Holt Castle CAD images have Davids Bishop's Palace in Pembrokeshire been modelled and built up, with Chris work- would take him months to complete. The pro- ing closely with Rick Turner.

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ABOVE: Fig. 8. Artist’s impression of Denbigh’s great gatehouse (with the Porter’s Lodge cut away to show the building’s internal arrangements. Illustration by Chris Jones-Jenkins,1990. This appears in the Cadw Denbigh Castle guidebook, (rev. ed. 2007, p. 26). BELOW: Fig. 9. CAD reconstruction of the Denbigh gatehouse, less .

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ABOVE: Fig. 10. Ground-floor layout of the gatehouse showing the locations of the three portcullises. BELOW: Fig. 11. Looking up from the ground floor showing the vaulted roof of the central octagonal courtyard, treatment of the passageway ceilings and timbered ceilings in the towers.

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ABOVE: Fig. 12. First- floor level showing the linking passages. BELOW: Fig. 13. Floors and passageways for the 2nd floor, including notional side chambers. Physical evidence becomes more scarce higher up the building. Some survives for the central chamber, but all evidence of chambers on each side has disappeared (see fig. 15).

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Fig. 14. Roof-top level, chimneys and caphouse for the primary stair for all 3 towers. Fig. 15. The present remains of the gatehouse from the N-W, illustrating the difficulties of accu- rate visual recreation.

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Fig. 16. Sally port and Bishop’s Tower, Den- bigh, from the 1919 Ministry plan (detail).

The Sally Port Almost opposite the D-shaped Bishop’s Tower on the western flank of the castle’s inner lies the ingeniously linked sally port protected by its own mini-portcullis. It appears on the 1919 (figs. 2, and above fig. 16) plan and is reconstructed by Chris Jones-Jenkins in the current Cadw guidebook (2007, p. 35), fig. 17. It is presumed (per guidebook) that there was a postern door at the apex of the outer base of the Fig. 17. Detail of the CJJ reconstruction Bishop’s Tower, that led to a stepped path to drawing of the sally port for Cadw. (Denbigh the stairs leading down to the subterranean guidebook, 2007, p. 35), highlighting the port- tunnelled sally port, which then led out to an cullis, and the slots for the murder holes. inconspicuous exit beyond the mantlet near the drawing is unresolved and omits this detail. It is ditch or bank. The mantlet, or lower outer wall presumed that access to the portcullis housing protected from view those exiting from the was obtained by a wall-passage leading from postern door in the Bishop’s Tower. Whilst the the basement of the Bishop’s Tower, over a Bishop’s Tower is destroyed to its footings, the bridge onto the mantlet. This writer can think of sally port is relatively well-preserved. no other directly similar sally-port, and the im- The sally-port arrangement consists of narrow ages on the following pages illustrate the loca- winding stairs and a passage (murette) leading tion, configuration and workmanship of the out through the base of the mantlet. The passage underground passage. There is no archaeologi- was defended at the foot of the stair by a half- cal evidence for the exit/postern door in the round 5" wide grooved portcullis and an inner Bishop’s Tower at the crown of the ‘D’, but door with a sharp turn in the passage. Each of doors in similar positions do exist - the North the two lengths of the passage has a murder hole West inner gate-tower at Aberystwyth (which in the roof. No trace survives of an outer door to also links - in a straight line - to a sally port of the passage or an upper housing for the portcul- the 1280s? or earlier, and Mortimer’s Tower at lis mechanism. Consequently the reconstruction Ludlow, which the CSG are visiting in 2016.

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A B

Figs. 18-21. The sally port. A. The 6" wide x 4" deep portcullis groove, with chase open to the sky above. B. Second dog-leg turn (beyond the portcullis groove). C: Third dog-leg turn towards the exterior exit (now blocked). D: The exterior sally port in the bank of the ditch.

C D

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Fig. 22

95. Obstacles in the lower postern gate includ- Denbigh - The Postern Tower, Upper Gate ed drawbridge, portcullis, possibly murder and Postern Gate. holes, and two-leafed doors. Then followed the These three formidable defensive elements are three bends or doglegs in the steep sloping illustrated by Chris Jones-Jenkins (1990) in stepped passage, a barbican-type passage de- the extremely valuable reconstruction (Cadw fended by the arched bridge and wall- guidebook, 2007, p 33), which is shown in the walks connecting the two gates. Defending the final culmination of their development in c. final stretches was the ‘D’ shaped Postern 1300. It is an ‘imaginative reconstruction’ Tower, and the upper gate adjacent was pro- (guidebook) that shows the relationship be- tected by a drawbridge and a portcullis. Inset: tween the upper gate and the postern gate, The 1919 colour plan of the postern gate com- both of which were apparently constructed plex drawn without the benefit gained from when the southern defences of the castle were further excavation. The illustration above is © strengthened after Madog’s rebellion in 1294- Cadw and reproduced with thanks.

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ABOVE: Fig, 23. The upper Postern Gate from the bailey interior looking south. Remains of the early ‘D’-shaped Postern Tower to the left and drawbridge pit under the planks of the bridge. BELOW: Fig. 24. View of the steep passage dropping down to the lower Postern Gate beyond the right dog-leg. This view would be seen from the Postern Tower (fig. 25). Note springing for the arch over the passage.

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Fig. 25. View of the steep and wide passage that drops down to the lower postern gate. Looking up to the ruined Postern Tower where, at the top, the steps dog-leg to the left. The 1919 survey plan (fig. 22. Inset) does not show any stone steps along this incline so it is not clear whether these are a later 20th century introduction or not. The 1976 D of E guidebook p. 29 states ‘The passage had steps for pedestrians on the left side and originally a sloping way for horses on the right. Image: Peter Burton.

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Fig. 26. The lower Postern Gate and the approach to it. The gate was a two–storey tower. In the foreground is the drawbridge and counterpoise pits with the pivot seating just visible. Beyond is the barbican space and the castle mantlet wall running east-west. The approach follows the line of a ditch, the age of which is uncertain (to the writer), and it may represent an earlier approach to a defended hill-fort or later Welsh llys /castle that pre-dates the Edwardian castle.

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Fig. 27. The fragmentary lower Postern Gate and the approach to it, looking east from the mantlet. Image courtesy of CSG member Peter Presford.

Any Welsh Involvement? in the 13th century were, for a long time, un- There was a suggestion, raised during the visit derestimated. The circuitous route of entry fol- that a number of the half-round ‘D’ towers lowing ditch contours around the castle and the might have been built by the Welsh in the 13th general steep dog-legged approach to the gate century. These relate to the towers along the are typically Welsh in concept, and it was sug- south and west curtain, one of which might gested that this may have been the main point have been the upper Postern Tower. Llywelyn of entry at one time (cf. Criccieth). Lacy had ap Iorweth stayed at Denbigh in 1230, and seriously modified the gate/postern complex by Dafydd ap Gruffydd had his main stronghold at 1300. An analysis of the ditch and another look Denbigh in 1282, until Henry de Lacy built the at the two D-shaped towers along the south present castle. The building skills of the Welsh curtain might repay such an investigation.

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Fig. 28. Plan of Denbigh, Castle & Town Wall © Cadw, Welsh Government. Crown Copyright.

Fig. 29. Left. Detail from John Speed’s map of Denbigh, 1610. From the south. Key: Clockwise from the : 1. Bailey & Gatehouse 4 2. Exchequer Gate - leading to upper town 3 5 3. Burgess Gate - leading to lower town 6 4. North-Eastern Tower 5. The Salient & Countess Tower 2 6. The Goblin Tower 1 7. Kitchen Tower? 7 11 10 8. Postern Tower 8 9. The Mantlet 9 10.Treasure House Tower 11.Tower-next-Treasure-House

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Fig. 30. Burgess Gate - plan. The late-13th or early-14th century gate was the principal and prestigious entry into the town - its importance and civic pride being emphasized by the chequer- work design of the masonry. The entrance passage to the north was originally approached by a bridge across a ditch. The first floor accommodation (fireplace and latrine)was occupied by two interconnecting rooms and there was access to the wall-walks on either side. There is no access to the first floor from within any of the ground floor rooms - a usual arrangement.

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Fig. 31. Burgess Gate - Edward Blore, 1870, from the north (from outside the town walls); pencil on paper; Shelfmark: Additional MS 42023 Item number: f88. © British Library Board. The gabled building abutting the east tower has since been removed.

The Burgess Gate. Denbigh forward west loop appears to have been recon- The greater part of the magnificent town walls structed more as a window. The large first-floor survive. The late 13th century Burgess Gate cross-axis upper space was divided into two originally stood over 60 ft high and is probably unequal-sized rooms with a total of three win- one of the strongest medieval town gateways in dows facing the rear (south). A straight stair- Britain. It is an impressive structure with towers case rose up from the west end to the roof. having rounded fronts rising from square bases Doorways (east and west) lead out onto the with spurs, a feature found in many late 13th walkways on the main town wall. The upper century castles in south Wales. The passage was façade on the front north-facing side has cheq- commanded by cruciform-looped firing slits in uerwork stone patterning similar to that on the the towers and by large in the castle’s main gate. The south side has been crown of the roof passage before and after the refaced in limestone at some period, with the portcullis (which had half-round grooves).The rest being faced with green sandstone.

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ABOVE: Fig. 32. The rear (south side) of the Burgess Gate, highlighting the limestone (and possibly refaced facades) and modern renewed quoins. There was no rear two-leafed door, just one gate-passage door, rebated approx. centrally. BELOW LEFT: Fig. 33. Interior niche embra- sure and arrow loop in the ground floor of the west tower (entrance to which is within the gate-passage). BELOW RIGHT: Fig. 34. Hooded door to wall-walk - first floor, east tower.

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Fig. 35. The Burgess Gate - From the south-east. The upper door, presumably giving access to the wall-walk, (although it is forward of it) seems unusually large, ornate and detailed and may have had a grander purpose.

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Fig. 36, above, and fig. 37 (next page). Burgess Gate - From the north. The steep incline continues through the gate-passage. Note the chequerwork pattern above. Image: Peter Burton.

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Figs. 38-40. Burgess Gate, Denbigh. View of the array of rectangular ‘murder holes’ in advance and to the rear of the the portcullis groove. The two rear ‘murder holes’ have central oillets, presumably to allow siting and angled archery fire. Note offset heights of the flanking arrow slits, in theory preventing friendly fire damage. The half-round portcullis chase (typically Edwardian, but some Edwardian castles continued with square grooves (Rhuddlan, Harlech etc) are a classical standard - 6 inches wide x 5 inches deep.

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Fig. 41. The Salient, Countess Tower and Goblin (Well) Tower. Steps continue back up to the cas- tle further south. Plan, © Cadw, Welsh Government, Crown Copyright. ‘Second period’ (guide- book). Post-1295.

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*

Fig. 42. The Countess Tower group, at the start of the salient passage leading to the Goblin Tower.

ABOVE: Fig. 43. Denbigh walls from the NE. S & N Buck, 1742 (detail). The corner where the salient diverges from the town wall, lead- ing to down to the Goblin (Well) Tower.

RIGHT: Fig. 44. Access from/to the vital water source, the Goblin Tower, was closed off by two sets of portcullises. One, with a half-round groove, 5" wide, is positioned at the base of the steps just to the south of the Countess Tower (that eventually became a group of three buildings), and is marked with an asterisk on fig 42 (Inset).

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ABOVE: Fig. 45. Will Davies of Cadw addressing the CSG at the top of the Salient near the Countess Tower (left). View looking S-E. BELOW: Fig. 46. The Salient walk going south downhill toward the Goblin Tower, seen directly ahead. (See reconstruction of this view in the Cadw guidebook, 2007, p. 41, by CJJ).

THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE87 2015-16 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 29: 2015-16 CSG Annual Conference - Wrexham - April 2015 - Denbigh Town Walls - The Salient - Goblin Tower

Fig. 47. Looking back NE along the Salient, from the Goblin Tower (right), remains of the wall- walk with a series of loops up to the Countess Tower group of chambers, top left.

The Goblin Tower and Securing Water rests on the edge of two sets of underlying rock formations; the castle itself is built over a The tower is a large pentagonal/hexagonal bas- strata of carboniferous limestone. This is not a tion projecting from the face of the limestone water-bearing formation, and the well inside cliff. It is of two storeys with a narrow stairway the castle bailey (of only 50ft depth) was unreli- descending from the lower floor down to the able, according to medieval records. The Trias- well. The lower floor has the main entrance on sic sandstones of the Vale of Clwyd are noted the north approached by a flight of steps contin- for their water-bearing qualities and are the uing the pathway leading down from the Coun- source of Denbigh’s present supply. The adja- tess Tower. The upper storey was reached by a cent Triassic Red Sandstone formation occurs staircase on the south wall; it has a fireplace in just to the east of the castle and hence a second the angle between the south wall and the face of well was built and was sheltered by the Goblin the cliff. The well mechanism was probably Tower which stands just on the red sandstones. housed at the level of the lower floor, but there might have been a well house on the tower roof The tower was the main objective of besieging to eliminate too much labour in carrying water forces in 1648 (see W J Hemp, ‘Denbigh Cas- buckets to the castle itself. tle’ Y Cymmrodor, XXXVI, 1926, pp. 64-120); it is built against the fault-line of the limestone According to E. Neaverson (Mediaeval Castles and a short distance to the east red Triassic in - A Study of Sites, Water Supply sandstone is known to occur just below the and Building Stones, 1947), Denbigh Castle surface of the ground.

THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE88 2015-16 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 29: 2015-16 CSG Annual Conference - Wrexham - April 2015 - Denbigh - Town Walls - The Salient - Goblin Tower

ABOVE: Fig. 48. Geological sketch-map of Denbigh showing the castle and walled town and the proximity of the Goblin Tower to the water-bearing Triassic Red Sandstone deposits. (From Neaver- son, 1947, p. 29. BELOW: Fig. 49. The top of the 21m high Goblin Tower, from the Salient wall-walk.

THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE89 2015-16 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 29: 2015-16