When the brave crop of stars ventured into Gwrych Castle in North Wales rather than jetting off for the sunny climes of Australia for the 2020 series of I’m A Celebrity...
Get Me Out Of Here , many fans thought they were crazy for swapping the jungle for the freezing Welsh countryside. One look at the stunning 19th century castle, nestled into the Welsh hills close to Abergele and abandoned for decades can’t have calmed the nerves of eventual winner Giovanna Fletcher , Vernon Kay , Jordan North and the other celebs calls it their home for three weeks. Built between 1812 and 1822 by Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh, Gwrych Castle was a testament to its owners ambition, foresight and determination.
Over the next few decades, the castle was extended to include new wings, a stunning marble staircase and the gardens and huge 3,000 acre estate were developed. However, as with many of the aristocracy, the family fell onto financial hards times and the castle was used to house hundreds of Jewish children, brought to safety to the UK as part of Operation Kindertransport. It then underwent several reincarnations, first as a visitor attraction until its sale in 1968, when it was then transformed into a medieval entertainment centre, complete with jousts in the castle’s once magnificent pleasure gardens.
But by 1990, it had been sold again, this time to an American businessman who dreamed of turning it into a golf course and luxury hotel - these plans never materialised. Decades of ne.