Denbigh Friary

Cadw's description

Location

Situated at the lower (eastern) end of the town, at the foot of the hill; at the end of the lane, itself leading E off Rhyl Road.

History

The Carmelite Friary at Denbigh is said to have been founded by Sir John Salusbury of Lleweni in the last quarter of the C13; his tomb and brass (recording his death in 1289) are recorded here, together with several later Salusbury tombs, in a mid C17 description. Speed, however, ascribed the foundation of the friary to a John de Sunimore in the C14. It is possible that the latter gave a further endowment to an already established house. Whatever the case, much of the surviving fabric of the church is of late-C13 date. Various bequests to the community are recorded, including twenty marks towards the building of new cloisters by Henry Standish, Bishop of St. Asaph, in the early C16. Standish (1518-35) is recorded as having lived at the friary 'in the Bishop's Chamber,' as did his successor, Robert Purefoy. The friary was suppressed at the Dissolution in 1537 and the church and some of the claustral buildings appear to have been adapted as houses. An inventory taken at the time describes the church as being slated and having a leaded timber steeple; cloisters, a chapterhouse, a gatehouse and the other usual friary buildings are also itemised. The church was subsequently used as a wool store and a malt house, before being gutted by fire in 1898.

Exterior

Ruins of the former friary church; aisleless, with continuous nave and chancel plan. Of rough-dressed limestone with some buff/brown sandstone dressings and later brown brick infill. The church is roofless and has lost its W gable; the N and S walls stand to wall plate height and the E gable is complete. The latter has a large pointed-arched Perpendicular tracery window of 5 lights with cusped tracery head (early bricking-up). Three window openings and an entrance to the S side and 2 window openings to the N side, that to the chancel a (blocked) 5-light window with grouped, arched lights. On the S wall of the choir is a heavily-weathered 3-seat sedilia, with a simple piscina to its E. The chancel and much of the nave have stone-flagged floors.

Reason for designation

Listed Grade II* as the highly important ruins of a mediaeval Carmelite friary church.

Scheduled Ancient Monument (AM 23 RCAM 126).