is situated on the summit of the Caled-Vryn, an isolated limestone rock, rising abruptly to the height of two hundred and forty feet from the western boundary of the Vale of Clwyd, and incloses an area of considerable extent; the principal entrance is on the north, under a lofty and magnificent arch, which is nearly entire, and flanked by two large towers, now in ruins; above it is a niche, in which is a robed figure of the founder, Henry Lacey, Earl of Lincoln, in a sitting posture; the whole of the rooms and towers are in a state of the utmost dilapidation. The citadel is surrounded with walls, a mile and a quarter in circumference, which inclose the whole of the ancient town: the principal entrance is on the north-west, and is defended by two majestic towers, which are nearly entire; from these the walls extend round the brow of the hill, on the most elevated and precipitous parts of which numerous lofty towers have been erected, forming together one of the strongest bulwarks in the kingdom. Within these walls are the ruins of the church or chapel, founded by the Earl of Leicester; and the chapel of St. Hilary, formerly appropriated to the use of the garrison, and now the parochial church.
The walls inclose a considerable area, now covered with grass, in which horses and cattle are depastured. Within the walls of the fortress are numerous cottages, which materially diminish the interest commonly excited by such extensive ruins; and on the south-west front of the castle, and on the boundary wall on this side, are an extensive terrace and bowling-green, commanding one of the richest and most delightful views of the fertile Vale of Clwyd, embracing the whole of the eastern portion of this beautiful and finely varied tract, terminated by the ocean at Llandudno bay, and on the south by the whole range of Clwydian mountains, with their numerous camps and tumuli. On this delightful spot the congress of bards and minstrels, called the grand Eisteddfod, was held on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th days of September, 1828: it was honoured by the presence of his royal highness the Duke of Sussex, and most of the nobility and gentry of the surrounding country. The bowling-green, in the midst of the ruins, is well worth a visit; it is laid out with considerable taste.—Within two miles of Denbigh is
Gwaunynog,
which was visited by Dr. Johnson, during his residence with Mrs. Piozzi: the estate was at that time in the possession of his friend, the Rev. Dr. Myddelton. In the hall is still retained an easy chair, in which Dr. Johnson was accustomed to sit. On the grounds, a short distance from the house, in a very retired situation, overhung with trees, is a monument to his memory, bearing the following inscription:—
SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL. D.
OBIT 13 DIE DECEMBRIS,
ANNO DOMINO 1784,
ÆTATIS 75.
And on the other side, on a marble tablet,—“This spot was often dignified by the presence of Samuel Johnson, LL.D., whose moral writings, exactly conformable to the precepts of Christianity, give ardour to virtue, and confidence to truth.” Over a door of a cottage on the estate are the following lines, the composition of the learned lexicographer:—
Around this peaceful cot, his humble shed,
If health, if confidence, if virtue tread,
Though no proud column grace the gaudy door,
Where sculptured elegance parades it o’er;
Nor pomp without, nor pageantry within,
Nor splendid shew, nor ornament is seen;
The swain shall look with pity on the great,
Nor barter quiet for a king’s estate.1768.
Near to this place is the village of Henllan, about two miles from which is Llanefydd, leading to the Aled and Elwy vales.
DINAS MOWDDWY,
(Merionethshire.)
| Bala | 18 |
| Dolgelley | 10 |
| Llangollen | 40 |
| Machynlleth | 13½ |
| Mallwyd | 1½ |