During the
Second World War, as part of the programme, the Government used the castle from 1939 to 1941 to house 200 Jewish refugees; it was run by the Jewish Zionist youth movement .
Daniel Sperber was born there in this period. After the war, the Dundonalds put the estate up for sale and in 1946 it was purchased by Robert Rennie who opened it as a visitor attraction, "The Showpiece of Wales". It was then sold to Leslie Salts and was said to have attracted nearly 10 million visitors. It was also used as a training venue for the English World Middleweight boxing champion
Randolph Turpin in the early 1950s. In the early 1960s it was an occasional venue for the famous motorcycle
Dragon Rally, and in the 1970s it was used as a centre for medieval re-enactments, attracting tourists with such events as
jousting and banquets.
Lemmy, the lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band
Motörhead claimed to have stayed at the castle.
Closure and decline In the 1980s the castle attracted motorcyclists from across Britain, and gained notoriety as a venue for drunkenness and antisocial behaviour. The police attended the area frequently to keep the peace. The castle closed to the public in 1987. His plans to renovate the building and create a centre for opera were not carried out and the castle was looted and vandalised, becoming little more than a derelict shell. In the 1990s it was occupied by
New Age travellers who "sold off fittings, including fireplaces and stained glass, and stripped the slates and lead from the roof". Later "battlements were toppled from the towers". Also in 1994, arsonists destroyed power-lines by setting an old caravan alight. Years later, in June 2021, a new transformer and pole were installed after the trust had secured enough funds to pay for it. During Tavaglione's ownership, historian
Mark Baker campaigned for the castle's preservation — a campaign that he started when he was twelve years old. Baker was instrumental in forming the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, dedicated to ensuring the castle's future. The condition of the property was monitored by the trust, who lobbied Conwy council to compulsorily purchase the property, eventually placing pressure on the American owner, who put it up for sale in March 2006. Clayton Hotels bought the castle in 2007 for £850,000, after it failed to reach its £1.5m reserve price at auction. They announced a three-year project, costing £6,000,000, to renovate the castle and convert it into a 90-bedroom hotel, creating 100 jobs. The project was subject to planning permission, but had the support of the trust. Clayton Hotels spent about £500,000 on its plans, clearing the site and rebuilding areas, but subsequently went into administration. New developers obtained fresh planning permission in 2012 for another hotel development, but this also failed to progress.
Partial recovery In 2018 Gwrych Castle and its estate was sold to Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, a registered charity, enabled by a grant from the
National Heritage Memorial Fund. Some of the estate is leased to
Natural Resources Wales for a 999-year term. The aims of the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust are: 'to preserve for the benefit of the people of north Wales and of the nation, the historical, architectural and constructional heritage that may exist in and around Gwrych Castle, Abergele, North Wales in buildings (including any building as defined in Section 336 of the Town & Planning Act 1990) of particular beauty or historical, architectural or constructional interest.' Further aims were also explained in a Welsh-language article setting out their hopes to promote Welsh-based crafters, artists, musicians, and other creative avenues; "It's clear which path we want to follow - one that supports Welsh culture." The castle is open to visitors seven days per week from 10am to 5pm for a fee. The main building remains a ruin and cannot be accessed, but a small number of rooms, some outbuildings, and the castle grounds can be visited. Due to the high cost of repairs and restoring lost content, the trust relies on volunteers or/and philanthropists who contribute their time, experiences, knowledge and skills. From the castle the views are far reaching; the
Irish Sea to the north, the
Little Orme and
Great Ormes near
Llandudno to the west, to the east the hill where
Castell Cawr is located,
Rhyl and
Prestatyn, and on good days
Liverpool. Gwyrch Castle is a
Grade I listed building. In 2024 the castle was placed in the highest category of risk on
Cadw's Buildings at Risk register. ==Architecture==