I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here's Gwrych Castle saved from collapse after £2.2m investment

The Grade I listed building has been identified by Cadw as an irreplaceable cultural asset. Credit: PA Images

A 19th century castle in a "perilous condition" which featured on hit ITV series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! has been saved from collapse.

Gwrych Castle, near Abergele in north Wales gained public attention when it became the home of the popular reality TV programme, which sees a group of celebrities live in a tough environment for a number of weeks.

However, a combination of delayed development plans due to the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather conditions has led to the castle being in a "critical situation".

Dr Mark Baker, chair of Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, said buildings are in "perilous condition" following the pandemic, "during which development plans were limited and significantly delayed by the lack of funding streams and restrictions on construction work."

The funding is a "lifeline" for the castle and will go towards renovations that were delayed due to the pandemic. Credit: The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The castle now been given a "lifeline" of £2.2m by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) as part of their Covid-19 Response Fund.

The total project cost is £2.5m with £2.2m from NHMF and the rest being match funded by Richard Broyd Charitable Trust, taking the total amount to £2.5million.

The Grade I listed building has been described as one of Britain’s most important castellated mansions and has been identified by Cadw as an irreplaceable cultural asset.

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Built and designed between 1812 and 1822, the historic site was retained within the same Welsh family for a thousand years and celebrates elements of the finest British castles. 

The funding from NHMF will enable the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust to rescue the Castle’s corps de logis from imminent collapse by undertaking urgent repairs that had been halted due to the closure of the Castle and monetary support not being readily available, as a result of the pandemic.

Dr Baker continued: “This vital grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, coupled with match funding from the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust, truly is a lifeline for Gwrych Castle in order to overcome the ongoing setbacks to the castle’s restoration that were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The castle is currently in a "critical condition" Credit: The National Lottery Heritage Fund

"With this substantial funding award, we can reverse the critical situation that the site is currently in, allowing Gwrych Castle to be returned to its former glory and offering our visitors the best experience when they come to learn about the fascinating heritage it has to share.”

Dr Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “I am thrilled that the National Heritage Memorial Fund are able to support Gwrych Castle Trust with this vital grant to safeguard its future, particularly after the challenges that the global pandemic has thrown at the structure and the people who devote such care to it.

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"Gwrych Castle is a testament to the rich heritage of Wales, and the UK more widely, and is a notable example of how heritage shapes our lives and the places in which we live.

“We’re tremendously proud to have provided a lifeline for some of Wales’s incredible heritage sites and assets through the Covid-19 Response Fund – from castles and churches to libraries – helping them to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.”

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