Kinder castle saved from ‘perilous’ state after 20-year campaign
Future of Grade I Listed Gwrych Castle, which housed Kindertransport refugees, bought after Government steps in with £600,000
A listed castle in north Wales that housed hundreds of Kindertransport refugees has been bought after the Government stumped up the final £600,000, after campaigners warned of its “perilous” state of disrepair.
The future of the Grade I Listed Gwrych Castle in Abergele, which was the original home of Zionist youth movement Bnei Akiva, was secured last week after UK government-funded National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) stepped in with “the final piece of the financial jigsaw”.
Dating from 1810, with direct links to British royalty, the castle housed 200 Jewish refugee children as part of Operation Kindertransport during the Second World War.
Bnei Akiva and Bachad (Friends of Bnei Akiva) looked after these children under the guidance of Arieh Handler, in the first Jewish Hachsharah farm in England, teaching them the ideology of Torah v’Avodah and giving them agricultural training to help them set up some of the early kibbutzim in the soon to be established State of Israel.
The Castle was home the Bnei Akiva’s first ever ‘kinus’ (gathering) in December 1940, hosted Handler’s wedding, and continues to play a role in modern day youth movement, hosting summer camps and educational visits.
The government’s £600,000 followed a large donation by the charitable trust of hotelier Richard Broyd, who bought the medieval Grade 1-listed Bodysgallen Hall and the Grade 1-listed Hartwell House, outside Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire.
The rescue effort was spearheaded by Dr Mark Baker, who set up the Gwrych Trust 21 years ago, after it was looted, vandalised and reduced to a derelict shell after an American businessman pulled out of plans to buy it in the late 80s.
“As a child, I would pass the castle every day to and from school, and at the age of eleven founded the castle trust,” he said this week.
“Now we are in a position to purchase and realise that vision. A huge vote of thanks must go to the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust for believing in our vision.”
NHMF chair Sir Peter Luff said: “Gwrych Castle is enchanting, even in its sadly reduced state. The vision of Gwyrch Castle Preservation Trust to restore this spectacular building with a rich history and to open it again is inspiring. All of us at the National Heritage Memorial Fund felt compelled to support their ambition.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
