Castles In The Air: The Restoration Adventures of Two Young Optimists and a Crumbling Old Mansion [Paperback]

 

 

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In northern Wales, 11 miles south of Conwy and 4 miles north of Betws-y-coed, across the bridge from the village of Llanrwst, on the floodplain between the River Conwy and the B5106 road, lies Gwydir Castle, the ancestral home of the Wynn family. Largely of 16th century construction, it's actually what remains of a more extensive Tudor courtyard manor house, and is the finest example of such in Wales.

Peter Welford and Judy Corbett, an architectural historian and a bookbinder respectively, pooled their meager life savings and a substantial bank loan to buy the place in the early 1990s. CASTLES IN THE AIR by Corbett is the utterly charming story of the pair's labors to restore Gwydir from its abysmally ruinous condition at purchase to something resembling its former glory.

The book offers a little something for everyone. There are the restoration adventures, of course, and also romance; Peter and Judy subsequently marry in an ancient chapel on a nearby hilltop. There's a fairly convincing supernatural ingredient that involves Peter being the unfortunate focus of animosity coming from the ghost of Lady Margaret Cave, a 17th century mistress of the manor, which resulted in his being struck on the head with a spade. There's hidden treasure, in this case the original carved wooden paneling stripped in totality from the dining room and auctioned off as a single lot in 1921 to (as it turned out) the American millionaire William Randolph Hearst, and later bequeathed to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, which still had it stored in the original packing crates in a warehouse on the rough side of town. Throughout the narrative runs Judy's dry English wit, such as when she describes the visit by an impeccably dressed representative ("Please, just call me Bill") of The Met, who was so impressed by his first view of the castle that:

"... he didn't look where he was going and stepped into the biggest pile of peacock guano you have ever seen. Peter silently directed him to a patch of rough grass where he endeavoured to remove the vile-smelling substance from the stitching of his fine Italian shoes."

Above all, CASTLES IN THE AIR is the story of the pair's love affair with and dedication to something old, historic, and worth saving in the face of seemingly impossible odds. And it would seem they've succeeded beyond their wildest dreams; the recovery and reinstallation of the Dining Room paneling brought a visit by the Prince of Wales himself, though his shoes did stick to the floor varnished only hours before his arrival.

Judy describes herself and Peter as socially reticent almost to the point of misanthropy. Therefore, the fact that they accept paying B&B guests as well as hire out the ground floor halls out for weddings - see the official Gwydir Castle website - is indication of the financial strain imposed by the ongoing refurbishment of the manor house that continues to this day and into the foreseeable future. The Welford's affection for the ancient pile is evident in Judy's words:

"... to walk in the moon-washed shadows of the yew trees and to see the ancient profile of the house silhouetted against a cloudless sky was to feel oneself suspended out of time, as though in that moment we were living in parenthesis. Sometimes, if the night was cold enough, the trails of yesterday's peacock tails would be cast in frost across the patches of lawn we had managed to scythe the day before ... We would walk down to the bottom of the garden and sit on the massive slate bench ... with the sounds of the night rustling and chirruping around us."

How incredibly rewarding the lives of these two must be!

I got married at Gwydir Castle in 2003, so having a personal interest, I couldn't wait to read the book and find out more about the Welford's painstaking restoration of such a beautiful building and grounds.

From the very first page I was unable to put the book down. I was captivated by thier complete dedication and determination to rescue Gwydir. It is beautifully written, at times moving and funny and certainly one of those books which you can completely lose yourself in. Being unable to put it down, I read it all in one day and was dissapointed when I reached the last page. I would highly reccommend it to anyone who loves Wales, castles, restoration or who just wants a bit of escapism.

Having had visited Gwydir Castle in North Wales I found the book by Judy Corbett very interesting. It is well written and is full of humour.She has such passion for the castle that had been rescued from terible fate by young Judy and her husband. Definitely a good read!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read!!
It doesn't matter if you're a history buff or simply addicted to real estate renovation this book is a must-read. Read more

Published 3 months ago by LD Thompson

4.0 out of 5 stars Castles on the Air
An excellent work of historical and contemporary narrative.This is a real page turner and you are with the narrator all of the way in unravelling the fascinating history and... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Charles Mon.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - Gwydir Castle
I found this book a really great read, I am not the type of guy who normally reads anything other than sci-fi, fantasy such as Terry Pratchett & technical stuff. Read more

Published 24 months ago by G. Egee

5.0 out of 5 stars Honeymoon bliss !
My new husband booked us into the castle for a surprise honeymoon getaway and I was spellbound as soon as I entered the gate. Read more

Published on 21 Jan 2010 by Mrs C

5.0 out of 5 stars Living their dream
My husband and I found Gwydir Castle by chance while driving through Snowdonia on holiday. It is indeed a wonderful house and I discovered Castles in the Air when I saw a copy... Read more

Published on 26 Oct 2009 by J. Lindley

5.0 out of 5 stars Castell o Werth
Mae beth mae Judy Corbett wedi ei ysgrifennu yn "Castles in the Air" yn anhygoel o gywrain, ac yn gwneud i berson fethu a rhoi y llyfr i lawr. Read more

Published on 15 Aug 2009 by S. L. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Kept My Interest To The End
This is a unique story that kept my interest until the last page. It is the story of two people who had a dream and despite the difficulties and set backs, kept a focus on their... Read more

Published on 17 Jun 2009 by UK Kiwi

5.0 out of 5 stars A magical tale of following your dreams
CASTLES IN THE AIR was sitting on my bookshelf for a while before I got around to reading it - usually I am a faction girl, so this piece of non-fiction was a slight detour from... Read more

Published on 10 Jun 2008 by Brida

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming
An utterly charming and refreshing book. I took it to bed to read a couple of chapters and continued reading until the end in the early hours of the morning. Read more

Published on 1 Jun 2008 by C. A. Peterson

5.0 out of 5 stars A magical story
I visited Gwydir Castle with my husband this past October and fell in love with the place. I picked up the book out of curiosity, and once I started reading it, couldn't put it... Read more

Published on 20 Nov 2007 by K. Brown

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