House Beautiful, July 1997
THEIR HOME IS YOUR CASTLE
A young couple has been hard at work restoring a medieval mansion in Wales. Now you can be their guests

You glimpse the tower and turrets of Gwydir Castle as you cross the River Conwy on a slender, hump-backed bridge designed in the 17^th century and attributed to Inigo Jones. Ring the Celtic bell on the castle's heraldic gate, which opens onto a courtyard alive with preening peacocks, and Judy Corbett and Peter Welford will greet you.
This attractive couple, aged 29 and 32, are the new owners and hardworking restorers of 500-year-old Gwydir Castle, which now welcomes guests. They are immersed on the period: Peter Welford is an architectural historian, first at the Courtauld Institute and now as consultant and Judy Corbett is a bookbinder who often resuscitates antique volumes.
Despite its glittering history (monarchs from King Charles I to Queen Mary have stayed here) and its grand dimensions - about 10,000 square feet divided into thirty or forty rooms - Gwydir is very much the Welfords' home.
When they bought the place a few years ago the roof leaked, chimneys swayed, and chickens roosted downstairs. Now with urgent repairs out of the way, the electricity, heat, and hot water in place, a thorough rejuvenation is galloping forward with paint, paper, and period pieces. There are three refurbished guest bedrooms, two with full bath.

Most exciting has been the 17^th-century wall and ceiling decorations of the main dining room. Once the glory of Gwydir Castle, the elaborate carved wood panelling - enhanced by vermilion-gilded and silvered leather - has languished in crates ever since 1921, when it was pried off and sold at auction to William Randolph Hearst. After the newspaper magnate died in 1951, the Metropolitan Museum of Art inherited but never displayed the treasure. Alerted by locals to the whereabouts of the room's decorations, the couple ultimately convinced the museum to return the crates. Restoration of the room should be completed by summer's end.
Overnight guests are treated to a breakfast of bacon and eggs and a smoked fish and rice dish called Kedgeree. Corbett serves it in the Hall of Meredith, a great room with a vaulted ceiling and an inglenook. After breakfast, most guests gravitate to the gardens outside the castle before moving on to their next destination.

Pictures, from top, left to right: Peacocks preening in entry courtyard of Gwydir Castle.  The owners with their Lurchers, an ancient breed owned in Gwydir's earliest days. In a small guest room, one of dozens of fireplaces kept burning at the castle. Vaulted breakfast hall. Multiple trunks of a thousand-year-old yew. Guest room with stone walls, casement windows, medieval furnishings. Uncrated carvings and gilded leather decorations soon to be restored to walls.