Bodelwyddan, on the lower reaches of the Vale of Clwyd not far from Rhyl, pairs two very different 19th-century landmarks. Bodelwyddan Castle itself takes its present form largely from the work of Sir John Hay-Williams, who inherited the estate from his father Sir John Williams in 1830 and had it substantially remodelled, with work overseen by Joseph Hansom — inventor of the Hansom cab — and Edward Welch. During the First World War the castle served as an Army sanatorium for wounded soldiers, while its grounds were used by troops from nearby Kinmel Park Camp to train for trench warfare.
A short distance away stands St Margaret's Church, universally known as the Marble Church for its lavish interior of fourteen different marbles, including pillars of Belgian Red marble and a nave entrance of Anglesey marble on bases of Purbeck stone. It was built as a memorial: Lady Margaret Willoughby de Broke, daughter of Sir John Williams of Bodelwyddan Castle, commissioned the church in memory of her husband, laying the foundation stone in 1856. Designed by architect John Gibson and completed at a cost of £60,000, it was consecrated in 1860, its 202-foot spire still visible for miles across the Vale of Clwyd, including from the A55 coast road.
The core of Bodelwyddan Castle dates back to around 1460, when it was built as a manor house for the Humphreys family of Anglesey, though the castellated appearance visitors see today owes much to a dramatic 19th-century remodelling for the Williams-Wynn family, who added the towers and battlements fashionable in the Gothic Revival period. The castle stands in extensive parkland close to the village, with formal gardens that have been restored to their Victorian layout.
Nearby stands the Marble Church, officially St Margaret's, a striking Gothic Revival church with a slender spire that has become a well-known local landmark visible for miles across the Vale of Clwyd. The castle's grounds were also used as a military hospital and training ground during the First World War, adding a further layer to its long history, and the site today combines heritage visits with parkland walks.