Ruthin

Bus

Ruthin has regular daytime bus services on Mondays to Saturdays, with the last bus on most routes leaving between 5.30 and 7.30 pm. There is no service on Sundays or public holidays.^[12]. Routes serving Ruthin are Stagecoach routes 1 and 2 to Mold (route 1 via Llanarmon and Llanferres, route 2 via Llanarmon, Graianrhyd, and Erryrys), X1 runs three times a day to Chester via Llanferres and Mold – frequency of the buses to Mold varies throughout the day between 30 minutes and 2 hours. Route X51 operated by Arriva gives a basically hourly service between Rhyl, Denbigh, Ruthin, and Wrexham (the Rhyl bus station is adjacent to the railway station, providing Ruthin's most convenient access to the national rail network, while Wrexham railway station is a short distance from its bus station). Route 55, operated by Llew Jones Coaches, operates to Corwen at intervals of between 50 and 135 minutes throughout the day, with three buses being extended to Llangollen, and two of them via Llangollen to Wrexham. Route 76, operated by M & H Coaches, runs six times a day between Denbigh and Ruthin via the villages of Llandyrnog, Llangynhafal, and Llanbedr DC; two of the services additionally serve Llanfair DC, Graigfechan, and Pentrecelyn. Less regular services include the weekly route 71 on Fridays, between Corwen, Cerrigydrudion, Ruthin, and Morrisons' supermarket in Denbigh; route 72 which operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the communities of Cyffylliog, Clocaenog, Bontuchel, Betws Gwerfil Goch, Melin-y-Wig, Derwen, and Clawddnewydd. Ruthin town has route 73, operating three buses a day around Ruthin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Rail

The Ruthin railway line and station were closed in the 1960s. Prior to the closure, Ruthin was connected by rail to Denbigh and Rhyl to the north, and Corwen in the south.

In 1858, it was intended to extend the Vale of Clwyd line from Denbigh to Ruthin. The new line was to run alongside the race-course in the town park (now Parc-y Dre housing) to the Station Hotel (renamed Park Place Hotel) which was to be the new railway hotel. However the West family successfully objected to the line going through the castle park towards Corwen. The route was diverted to the north of the town alongside the road to Wrexham and the Station Hotel renamed. Opposite Station Road lies Railway Terrace a row of Grade II listed buildings which were built in 1864 with clear evidence of the trains running in a cutting, just in front of the houses. The first sod was cut in September 1860 by Mrs Florence West, with inaugural service starting on St David's day 1862. To commemorate the occasion as well as many festivities a special song was composed with words by T Ab Gwilym, music by B Williams and published by Isaac Clarke. The line covered six and three quarter miles with stations at Rhewl and Llanrhaiadr.^[13]

Ruthin Gaol

Ruthin Gaol ceased to be a prison in 1916 when the prisoners and guards were transferred to Shrewsbury. The County Council bought the buildings in 1926 and used part of them for offices, the county archives, and the town library. During the Second World War the prison buildings were used as a munitions factory, before being handed back to the County Council, when it was the headquarters of the Denbighshire Library Service. In 2004 the Gaol was extensively renovated and reopened as a museum.^[16]

The first House of Correction, or Bridewell, was built at the bottom of Clwyd Street, next to the river, in 1654, to replace the Old Court House, where able-bodied idlers and the unemployed were sent to work. Following John Howard's investigations into prison conditions the Denbighshire justices resolved to build a new model prison in Ruthin on the site of the old Bridewell. Work began in January 1775. In 1802 the prison had four cells for prisoners and nine rooms for debtors. By 1837 it could hold 37 inmates. The Prisons Act of 1865 set new standards for the design of prisons — as the Ruthin County Gaol did not meet the standards plans were drawn up for a new four-storey wing, and the new prison accommodating up to 100 prisoners, in the style of London's Pentonville Prison was built at a cost of £12,000. On 1 April 1878 the Ruthin County Gaol became HM Prison Ruthin, covering the counties of Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Merionethshire. As far as is known, only one person was ever executed in the prison, William Hughes of Denbigh, aged 42, who was hanged on 17 February 1903 for the murder of his wife, his plea of insanity having failed. Another colourful prison personality was John Jones, known as Coch Bach y Bala – who was a kleptomaniac and poacher who had spent more than half his 60 years in all the prisons of north Wales and many in England; he twice escaped from Ruthin Gaol, first on 30 November 1879 when he walked out of prison with three others while the staff were having supper — a £5 reward was offered for his capture, which happened the following 3 January. On 30 September 1913 he tunnelled out of his cell and using a rope made out of his bedding he climbed over the roof of the chapel and kitchen and got over the wall; after seven days living rough on the Nantclwyd Estate several miles away, Jones was shot in the leg by one of his pursuers, 19-year-old Reginald Jones-Bateman. Jones died of shock and blood loss, while Jones-Bateman was charged with manslaughter, though the charges were subsequently dropped.

Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders filmed the series' fifth episode in Ruthin, where the team investigated a Victorian Era murder. Locations included the Old Gaol and the town library.

The Craft Centre

The Craft Centre had 10 studios occupied by craftsmen who could be observed by tourists working at glass blowing, ceramic manufacture, painting, furniture restoration, etc. The original Craft Centre was demolished early in 2007, and a new Craft Centre opened in July 2008 in a £4.3 million scheme which contains six craft workshops, larger galleries and an expanded craft retail gallery, two residency studios, an education space and a tourist information centre, as well as a restaurant.^[17][18]

Nantclwyd y Dre

Nantclwyd y Dre (previously known as Tŷ Nantclwyd), in Castle Street, was built about 1435 by a local merchant Gronw ap Madoc. The building was sold to the county council in 1982, restored from 2004, and opened to the public in 2007. It contains seven rooms which have been restored to represent various periods in the building's history, visitors can also observe a colony of Lesser horseshoe bats in the attic rooms.^[19]

Behind the house are two gardens, the 13th-century inner garden and the outer Lord's Garden, itself believed to have been part of a 13th-century developed castle garden.^[20] Restored in the 18th century, Lord's Garden is now itself Grade II listed. In December 2013, the council successfully applied for a grant of £177,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which will see Lord's Garden restored and opened to the public by 2015.^[21][22]

Cae Ddôl

This is Ruthin's main park area, which includes a children's play area, a lake, walks and picnic area. A skate park was built in 2007 and a zip wire and trim trail added later. The River Clwyd runs through the park.

St Peter's Square

St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church is the parish church of Ruthin. It is in the diocese of St Asaph.^[24] Parts are as old as 1282.

The Myddleton Arms

The Myddleton Arms is also known as the Seven Eyes. It is said to have been built in the 14th century. The Dutch style design, long, steeped roof is attributed to Sir Richard Clough, an Elizabethan merchant. It has four tiers of dormer windows, each at a different elevation, known locally as the seven eyes of Ruthin. The property was acquired in 1595 by Sir Hugh Myddleton who provided London with it first fresh water supply. The view of The Myddleton on the square is, in fact, the rear of the building. The front of the building looked out over the Clwydian hills.

HSBC Bank

Formerly a confectionery and bakery shop rented by Mr Thomas Trehearne, the property was owned by the Castle estate. The property also served as a chemist's shop, and later Dick's boot store. On 1 May 1898 Mr Harris Jones took the lease of the property for 21 years as a draper, hosier, glover and dressmaker, he also sold oilcloths, linoleum and other floor coverings. The shop and house were put up for sale in the 1913 by the castle estate along with the Castle Hotel and the Myddleton Arms, which were purchased by Mr William Owen. His lease expired in 1919 with Mr Jones transferring to what is now Gayla House, where he converted the ground floor from residential to retail premises in 1923. The premises are now owned by HSBC Bank.

Exmewe House

Formerly the Beehive, which served for 75 years as general drapery and millinery shop. The exact date of the building is not known, but remains of timber framing with wattle and daub indicate that the building is very old. An advertisement claimed the building to be constructed prior to 1397. The main section of the building was demolished to make way for the bank. Ruthin Court Rolls refer to a man named Telemann in Ruthin and to a house "in the high St". The rolls record that, in 1397, Howell de Rowell passed it to John Le Sergant. Little is known of the family – possibly a retainer of Edward 1st or Reginald de Grey, probably of Norman French descent. On 24 February, Sergant surrendered tenancy to his daughter Sibilia. The property passed to the Exmewe family by the marriage of Sibilia to Richard Exmewe, their son Thomas was Lord Mayor of London in 1517. Little is known of Exmewe family. Thomas moved to London, deciding to sell his Ruthin Estate of Exmewe House

He sold the house to fellow mercer, Edward Goodman. Exmewe House or Nant Clwyd-y-Dre could have been the birthplace of Gabriel Goodman, as the family had connections with both properties.

Details of the next 200 years are not clear: it became the King's Arms in the occupation of John Price. It then became the Queen's Arms (during the reign of Queen Anne 1702–1714). The property was purchased for £300 on 5 November 1718 by Robert Myddleton of Chirk.^[25]

During the 19th century, the property was used as a chemist's until 1913. The property was sold as part of the Castle Estate sales in 1913/1919 for £1275 to Mr Lecomber, who, in turn, sold it to Barclays Bank, which modernised it to what can be seen today.

The Post Office

Now trading as the Celtic Hair Studio at 2 Well Street. Originally a public house, reputedly built in 1401, possibly the oldest pub in Ruthin. Lewis Jones, in his 1884 "Handbook For Ruthin and the Vicinity", states that the old property, formerly the Ruth Inn, was adapted to the business of a post office about 25 years previously. It ceased trading in 1773. In 1850, the building was transformed into a draper's, later becoming the town post office until 1904.

The site of the present post office was possibly a medieval Carmelite priory of White Friars said to be founded and built by Reginald de Grey and partly destroyed by the Reformation. De Grey also provided a large piece of land close to the castle known as Whitefriars. During the 1860s and 1870s the site housed the Queen's Head public house and a horse-feed chandler; both buildings were destroyed by the 1904 fire when the new post office was built in 1906.

Clwyd St

Reebees

Located at 33, 35 and 37 Clwyd Street opposite the gaol. Now a florist, it was originally the Red Lion public house. In 1824 the hangman, Sam Burrows, was staying at the Red Lion on the night before the execution of John Connor, a highway robber. He gave a detailed demonstration of how he actually hanged a man, unfortunately the stool was accidentally kicked away and Burrows almost hanged himself. The public house ceased trading in 1905.

The Royal Oak

Now flats, the Royal Oak is one of the finest buildings in Ruthin, having three cruck frames, it is a Grade II* listed building.

Castle Street

All buildings on Castle Street are listed by Cadw. These are the earliest settlements outside the walls of the castle. Some have burgage plots at the back, established by de Grey in 1283. The plots and linear have barely changed since their foundation.

Whilst residential properties were at the castle end of the street, commercial properties were at the end close to St Peters Square. The one exception was the pub Yr Iwerddon at No. 15. The house retains a name referring to its connection with Irish drovers attending markets and fairs

Other establishments of interest include No. 1, now Boots formerly the Raven Inn, which in 1560 may have been the birthplace of Bishop Richard Parry, pupil and master (1584) of Ruthin School. He was involved with dean Gabriel Goodman and others in translating the Bible and prayer book into Welsh. The main contributor was Bishop William Morgan, but Parry's revision in 1620 became the accepted authorised version.

The Ruthin Royal Bowling Green used the Raven as their headquarters until the Cornwallis-Wests came to live in Ruthin Castle. The club met at the Raven for its annual and quarterly meetings. When competitions took place the staff of the Raven would take "Cwrw Da" (good beer) to the players. With the arrival of the Wests, the bowling green inside the curtilage of the castle forced the club to find an alternative green. One of the options they accepted was the rear of No. 8 Castle street "Gorphwysfa", then called the "Constitutional Club", later renamed the Conservative Club.

• No. 2. The Wine Vaults with their six-column Tuscan colonnade was 'known as the Black Horse in the 1820s. This is verified by the Welsh Office survey.
• No. 7. Sir John Trevor House. This served as Totty's the Lawyers in the 1700s, later as an antique shop, tea shop and finally a private residence offering bed and breakfast accommodation. Sir John Trevor was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1690 to 1695, when he was dismissed for embezzlement. He was the only Speaker to be forced to resign until 19 May 2009, with the forced departure of Michael Martin.
• "Gorphwysfa" This property was part of the Castle estate until sold off by the Castle owners in 1919. The Rifle Volunteer Corps founded in 1859 stored their armoury at the house until the drill hall was built in Borthyn in 1885. As mentioned, this property became the Conservative Club in November 1885.
• No. 9. When known as "Corwen", this property was the offices of Phillips the Attorney's. It is now a private residence. *No. 11. Ardwyn is a private residence on three storeys, formerly the offices of the attorneys Smarts.
• No. 12. Plas-yn-Dre. The exact date of this house is unknown. It was rebuilt in 1823, as recorded by a stone above the front door. The premises housed the North and South Wales Bank. L. G. Thomas, prime mover in the founding the Presbyterian Church in Wynnstay Road in 1886, was bank manager and lived here.
• Nos 16 and 18 are wooden-framed buildings with a 19th-century frontage. They formed part of the Castle estate sales of 1913 and 1919. The properties display what is probably the first use of stucco in Ruthin.

Record Street

Old County Hall now Ruthin Library

This is a Grade II Listed Building, housed in Record Street and originally named Stryd y Chwain (Welsh: Flea St) due to its very low standard of living) The inferior housing was demolished to make way for the county court and much grander houses between 1785 and 1788. The present name reflects the storing of records from the assizes and shire hall. In 1860 it became the county court, with the portico added at that time. It housed the records of and served as an assize court until the 1970s. The library opened in the early 1990s.

Police station

A Grade II listed building. Before the present police station was built, the original one was housed in Ruthin Gaol. This was built in 1890, as it gave convenient access to the courts. It contains four cells, which are no longer used, and a much reduced number of police officers present.

Well Street

Castle Mews Grade II listed building

Now a shopping precinct this building dates back to the 15th century with examples of wattle and daub just inside the building on the right hand side. Remodelled in the early 19th century, when it became the Cross Keys coaching inn serving the Ruthin to Chester route with a change of horses in Mold. It later became a temperance commercial hotel and was home to one of the three Ruthin Friendly Societies: groups of male workers of similar background who contributed small amounts on a weekly basis for insurance against injury and old age. At a later date it was the offices of Ruthin Rural District Council.

No. 10 and 12. Manor House. Grade II listed building

Late 18th-century family town house, which retained it late Georgian character until developed into today's boutique hotel and art gallery. The cellars are said to have been constructed of stone from Ruthin Castle. It has had many uses: as a boarding house for Ruthin School until 1893, a doctors home, a family home whose most famous resident was Cynthia Lennon, wife of John Lennon – their son Julian attended Ruthin School – a restaurant from the 1930s and a hotel. Today's hotel architecture and art are very much in mind, having won several awards

The Wynnstay Hotel And Wayfarer Wool Shop

These two now separate building were once connected by an archway, through which coaches and horses entered to the rear of the property for the horses to be stabled. The present Wayfarers shop is shown in the title deeds as an outbuilding consisting of "an old saddle room, l with a room over and Gentleman’s Convenience".

The Wynnstay Hotel, now a private house, is first recorded in the records as being established in 1549 and was known for many years as the Cross Foxes, which formed the heraldic arms of the Wynnstay family. The family originated from Wrexham and boasted they could travel from Chester to the Llŷn Peninsula without once leaving their land. It was important hostelry as the coaching inn for Ruthin to Denbigh travel. It served the Ruthin, Mold and Chester Royal Mail service. The pub in its heyday had a bowling green and tennis courts, and also had a central porch, which was demolished in 1969.

Plas Coch (also known as the Conservative Club) Grade II Listed building.

This is of medieval origin and is a former 17th-century town house. It was rebuilt in 1613 using red sandstone from the castle and became home to the Constable of the castle. The building has two storeys with attics and four large windows on each floor. In 1963 it became a banqueting hall owned by Rees Jones, who used to trade at the village hall in Llanfair. It became the Conservative Club in 1977, and having been slightly altered, now offers all-round function facilities.

Other areas

The Spread Eagle

The Spread Eagle is the coat-of-arms of the Goodwin family. Formerly an inn, records show it traded only from 1792 to 1915, after which it became a temperance hotel, then a retail shop.

Rose Cottage

Rose Cottage is a privately owned residence and a Grade 2* listed building located on the corner of Rhos Street and Haulfryn. It is listed as an "exceptional survival of a medieval cruck-framed hall-house of relatively low status, retaining its plan-form, character and detail".^[26]

Scott House

Situated on the Corwen Road just past Ruthin Castle, Scott house was built 1933 to house the nursing staff of Duff House Sanatorium, which acquired Ruthin Castle and 475 acres of land for their private clinic in April 1923. The Grade II listed building is set in landscaped grounds. The building was later divided into flats.