Penrhyn Castle

Penrhyn Castle looms over Bangor like a Norman fortress but was built between 1820 and 1837 by Thomas Hopper for George Hay Dawson-Pennant, whose fortune came from the enslaved people on his family's Jamaican sugar plantations and from the Penrhyn slate quarry, scene of the bitter three-year strike of 1900 to 1903 that the castle now tells openly. Inside, the Grand Staircase took ten years to carve, a one-tonne slate bed was made for Queen Victoria's visit in 1859, and the state rooms hold Old Master paintings; the Victorian kitchens are laid out ready for service, and the stable block houses the Industrial Railway Museum. Outside are a walled garden, a play area and views across the Menai Strait to Anglesey and back to the mountains of Eryri. Two waymarked 1-mile trails start from the car park, and dogs on short leads are welcome in the grounds and cafes, though not the castle or walled garden. Reviewers praise the room volunteers, the cafe and the slate-splitting demonstrations. Tips from visitors: a buggy runs from the car park to the castle door, and most people find two to three hours enough.