Record St Ruthin

Record St, Ruthin, North Wales.

attractions | facilities | location l terms | gillian | ilbordello | millend mitcheldean

Home and Gallery of Painter Gillian Lewitt

To make enquiries or reservations - contact postmaster@recordstruthin.co.uk

Record St Ruthin was the home of artist, calligrapher and scenery painter, Gillian Lewitt. It has been retained by her family in memory of her and her creative life, and is full of her embroidery, painting and calligraphy work, and signed programmes from her time in the theatre - Bristol Old Vic, Sadlers' Wells and Stratford upon Avon.

Record St is situated in the medieval market town of Ruthin, which has more listed buildings than any other town in Wales. The town house is ideal for walkers, painters, writers, families and friends alike, and is set up to sleep 6 adults and 2 children.

Some interesting and bizarre facts about Ruthin:

The town of Ruthin was built on a red sandstone hill as a strategic lookout over the River Clwyd. Ruthin is a town which has over seven hundred years of recorded history and whose streets have been trodden by kings, queens, princes and travellers. It has suffered plague, battle and siege, and its diverse buildings reflect the best of architectural styles making the town an outstanding Conservation Area worthy of preservation.

In addition to its attractive architecture and medieval street patterns, Ruthin has a wide range of quality specialist shops, and plenty of places to eat and drink. With Ruthin placed as it is, at the foot of the Clwydian Range, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the visitor is never far from a pretty walk or a magnificent view.

The 'Maen Huail' stone in front of Exmewe Hall (now Barclays Bank) is where King Arthur is reputed to have had executed a rival in love.

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  It is said that only three buildings in Ruthin survived the raid by the army of the Welsh Prince Owain Glyndwr when he attacked the town in 1400.
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  At one time there were 60 inns or pubs in Ruthin - one for every 10 men in the population - and 9 of them were situated round St. Peters Square.
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  The last execution to be held in St. Peter's Square was in 1679, when a Catholic priest was hanged, drawn and quartered.
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  In Medieval times, Welsh inhabitants lived in Well (Welsh) Street and Mwrog Street, whereas the English kept close to the castle in Castle Street & Dog Lane within the line of the 'Pale'.
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  Before and during the First World War, Ruthin Castle hosted Edwardian high society through its owners, the Cornwallis-Wests. Famous visitors included the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII,) the actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Lady Randolph Churchill (mother of Winston Churchill). George Cornwallis-West became Winston's step-father, being the elder by only 17 days. The antics at the castle may well have shocked the respectable townsfolk!
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  The Davies brother of Bersham, who made the fine gates of St. Peter's Church (1727), knew Jean Tijou, the French wrought-iron worker. Tijou made the gates at Versailles, Hampton Court, Chatsworth, and the Dean's Gates at St. Paul's Cathedral, so the Ruthin gates are in good company.
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  The family names of Thelwall, Goodman, Moyle, Langford, Kenrick and Lloyd all figure prominently in the history of Ruthin during the Middle Ages and the 16th and 17th centuries.
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  Ruthin School was the first school in North Wales to teach French.
  When convicts managed to escape from the gaol at the bottom of Clwyd street, boys from Ruthin School were occasionally called in to help run them down, one such chase ending near Corwen.
  
  
  
  (The above information is taken from a site designed and hosted by Eaglecrest for Ruthin Town Council,
  a council which cares about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
  Graphics by Eaglecrest and Fineline.
  E-mail: webmaster@eaglecrest-cs.com
  
  

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