IPublic · listed 1981Denbigh CastlePhoto: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Denbigh Castle · Photo: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 4.0A+History Grade
History of Denbigh · Cadw
191 listed buildings, 7 of them Grade I
On the Cadw list, all of them stand inside Denbigh’s built-up area, 237 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 7 scheduled monuments. 26% of its homes were built before 1919. We have photos of 17 of its listed buildings and 5 old views of the town. Denbigh grades A+ for history: #4 of 39 in Clwyd.
Listed buildings
191
237 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
7
exceptional interest
Grade II*
18
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
7
1 registered park or garden
Homes built before 1919
26%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Denbigh in 23 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Leicester's Church (Remains)Grade I listed
St Hilary's ChapelScheduled monument
Denbigh Conservative Club (Former Constitutional Club)Grade II listed
White Lion Public HouseGrade II listed
NE Quadrangle at Howell's SchoolGrade II listed+18See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Denbigh from 1610 to 1900
An old map and 5 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
1610
c. 1750
c. 1830
c. 1830
c. 1890
1900Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Denbigh’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monumentPark or garden400 m from Denbigh Castle
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
6 of 7Grade I buildings stand within 400 m of Denbigh Castle, a five-minute walk. So do 96 of the 191 listed buildings.
1 of 6neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 60% were built before 1919.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
191 listed buildings by grade
7 Grade I18 Grade II*166 Grade II
Cadw lists buildings of special architectural or historic interest in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest, Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest, and Grade II for buildings of special interest. Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on Cadw’s register of listed buildings whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).
Grade I
The 7 Grade I listed buildings in Denbigh
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 1.6% of all listed buildings; 6 of these stand within 400 m of Denbigh Castle. 6 are photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
IChurch · listed 1950Leicester's Church (Remains)Photo: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPublic · listed 1981Burgess GatePhoto: GeraintTudur2 · CC BY-SA 3.0
IChurch · listed 1950St Marcella's ChurchOn the list as Parish Church of St Marcella (also known as Whitchurch)Photo: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 3.0
IChurch · listed 1950St Hilary's ChapelOn the list as Tower of St Hilary's ChurchPhoto: Richard Ash · CC BY-SA 2.0
IPublic · listed 1950Town Wall, including North-East, Countess and Goblin TowersPhoto: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Public · listed 2004Town Wall: Western Section
Grade II*
The 18 Grade II* listed buildings in Denbigh
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. 8 are photographed.
II*House · listed 1966Bronyffynnon SurgeryOn the list as Bronyffynnon aka Hen CartrefPhoto: Eirian Evans · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Inns & shops · listed 1950Bull HotelPhoto: Eirian Evans · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Church · listed 1981Capel MawrOn the list as Capel Mawr including associated School-room and forecourt railingsPhoto: Eirian Evans · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Church · listed 1950Denbigh FriaryPhoto: JohnArmagh · Public domain
II*Inns & shops · listed 1966Thomas Gee's houseOn the list as Former House of Thomas Gee, including decorative railings to raised terrace on RPhoto: Eirian Evans · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Church · listed 1981Lon Swan ChapelOn the list as Lon Swan Independent Chapel, including associated Hall, forecourt walls & railingsPhoto: GeraintTudur2 · CC BY-SA 3.0
II*Church · listed 1981St Mary's ChurchPhoto: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 3.0
II*Public · listed 1950County HallOn the list as The County HallPhoto: Secret Pilgrim from England · CC BY-SA 2.0
House · listed 1981Bryn Celyn
House · listed 1950Bryn y Parc
Inns & shops · listed 2000Gwasg Gee Printing Works
Memorials · listed 1950Pierce's Memorial
Show the other 6
Inns & shops · listed 1966Royles Pharmacy, including adjoining ranges to the rear
Street furniture · listed 2000Summerhouse in the garden of Grovehurst
House · listed 1950Swayne Johnson & Wight, Solicitors Offices
Public · listed 2000Town Hall
House · listed 1950Y Gelli (formerly Grove House And Also Tŷ Nant)On the list as Y Gelli (formerly Grove House and also Ty Nant)
House · listed 19811 Park Street
Historic streets
Beacon's Hill has the most listed buildings
Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.
Beacon's Hill14 listed
Vale Street10 listed
Chapel Street5 listed
Park Street4 listed · 1 II*
Bull Lane3 listed
Of the 191 entries, 45 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.
What’s protected
The largest group of Denbigh’s listed buildings is homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas85
Inns, shops & warehouses61
Public & civic buildings19
Churches, chapels & priories14
Memorials, crosses & tombs6
Street furniture4
Walls, gates & bridges2
85 entries (45%) are houses, terraces and villas. 14 are churches, chapels and priories, including 3 of the 7 Grade I buildings.
Buildings are sorted by Cadw’s broad class for each building, else by words in its name; an entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
166 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
The first 150 of 166 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Abbey CottageAbbey HouseAedicular Gothic Gazebo and associated garden steps at Peacock HouseAlton Murphy Opticians PremisesAlwyn Thomas BakeryAnimal Magic (Denbigh Balti House above)Arcaded Lock-ups adjoining the former Butter MarketArosfaB WiseBeech House (Doctor's Surgery)Beresford Adams Estate Agents OfficesBoots PharmacyBron HaulBrookhouse FarmBryn Collen, including forecourt walls and railingsBryn DisgwylfaBryn Orme, including terrace revetment wallsCanol Fryn, including forecourt walls and railingsCatholic Church of St JosephChest Tomb of Twm O'r Nant at the Church of St MarcellaChurch of St DavidClergy HouseClough & Co Estate AgentsCo-op SupermarketCrown CarpetsCrown HotelCwm Eithin, including forecourt walls and railingsDenbigh Conservative Club (Former Constitutional Club)Denbigh LunchboxE C Snaith and Sons (Tailors)E Jones and Sons Electrical AppliancesExcessFlorence's Hair SalonForecourt Walls and Gatepiers to No 44 Vale StreetFormer British SchoolFormer Butter Market (currently Bragdy Brewery)Former Church Institute, including low stone enclosing wallsFormer County Court (and latterly Job Centre)Former Heaton Town House (currently premises of Whiteheads Blinds and Happy Homes Furniture)Former House at the Hawk and Buckle InnFormer Manse at Capel Lon SwanFormer Manse at Capel MawrFormer Primary SchoolFormer Slaughterhouse to the rear of No.92 (J.H Jones, Butchers)Gallt-y-CoedGarden Wall adjacent to Tan-y-FronGarden Wall at GrovehurstGarden Wall to rear of No.44 Vale Street, on E, W and S SidesGarthGate Tower Block of Plas CastellGem NewsagentsGolden Lion Public HouseGwydian House (62 & 62B)HSBC BankHolland & BarrettHope and Anchor PHHouse adjoining Bryn OrmeIs Gaer, including terrace revetment wallsJ H Jones, ButchersJones Peckover Estate AgentsJubilee Fountain to the N of Pierce's MemorialJubilee Fountain to the NW of Pierce's MemorialJust RightJust TravelKavick's BazaarKings Arms PHLluestLychgate and churchyard walls at the Church of St MarcellaMain Building at Howells SchoolMarket CrossMelting Shed at Gwasg GeeMinfforddMostyn HouseNE Quadrangle at Howell's SchoolNational Westminster Bank, including associated decorative railingsNos 15 & 17 Portland Place (partly the premises of 'Poppies')Numark PharmacyOffices of the Denbighshire Free PressOldham's BakeryPart of Shoe `B' Doo Shoe shopPentref Methodist Chapel and School-room, including adjoining MansePlas Castell, also known as Castle HousePlas Coch, including railings to forecourtPlas Pigot Country ClubPolice Station, including forecourt railingsPost Office, including shop premises on corner of Bull LanePremises to the rear of No 15 High Street (She: The Ladies Shop)Premises to the rear of No 19 High StreetPremises to the rear of No 21 High Street (Threads Wool Shop)Pretty Woman (Beauty Salon)Ray Cronin (Newsagents)Roberts Fruit and VegSaint Andrew’s Dormitory Block at Howell's SchoolSaint George’s Dormitory Block at Howell's SchoolSaint Patrick’s Dormitory Block at Howell's SchoolShagor Tandoori TakeawayShoe 'B' Doo Shoe ShopSiop ClwydSt Kentigern's Hospice HouseSun Flower Chop Suey HouseTan-y-Graig, including forecourt balustradeTelephone Call-box (No 1)Telephone Call-box (No 2)The Britannia PHThe Eagles InnThe Flower BasketThe Forum CafeThe Hawk and Buckle Hotel, including railed forecourt walls to LThe HolliesThe Old Prison, including forecourt walls and gatepiersThe Old Vaults PHThe Plough PHThe Star Shop (Halifax Building Society)Theatr Twm O'r Nant, including forecourt walls and railingsTown CrossVale ClocksWar MemorialWelsh Baptist ChapelWhite Lion Public HouseWorld Choice TravelWynne's Park Nursing Home (main block only)Y Bryn, including terrace revetment walls11 Beacon's Hill12-14 Hall Square13 Beacon's Hill13 Park Street14 Bull Lane15 Beacon's Hill15 Bull Lane15 Chapel Street15 Park Street16 Bull Lane17 Beacon's Hill17 Chapel Street17 Park Street19 Beacon's Hill19 Chapel Street2 Love Lane21 Beacon's Hill21 Chapel Street23 Beacon's Hill23 Chapel Street24 Vale Street25 Beacon's Hill27 Beacon's Hill29 Beacon's Hill31 Beacon's Hill33 Beacon's Hill35 Beacon's Hill37 Beacon's Hill
Conservation areas
1 conservation area covers 18% of Denbigh
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Denbigh Town 197549 ha
49 hain conservation areas, of 274 ha inside the built-up area.
185 of the 191 listed buildings stand in one.
Cadw’s conservation areas via DataMapWales. Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
88 of Denbigh’s 191 listed buildings were added in 2000
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
2000 · 881981 · 511950 · 30
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 30 entries were listed in 1950, 4 of the 7 Grade I buildings among them. 88 came in 2000. Only 1 has been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
7 scheduled monuments
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Welsh Government (Cadw).
Civil War EarthworksPost Medieval/Modern; Siegework
Denbigh CastleMedieval; Castle
Denbigh Friary ChurchMedieval; Friary
MedievalDenbigh Medieval Town (North - Eastern Corner)Medieval; Town
Denbigh Town WallsMedieval; Town Defences
Earl of Leicester's ChurchPost Medieval/Modern; Church
St Hilary's ChapelMedieval; Tower
1 registered park or garden
Pierce Memorial GardenGrade II · Formal memorial garden
History Grade
Denbigh grades A+ for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (238 points, 295 per 10,000 residents)More than 93% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (26%)More than 77% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
26% of Denbigh’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
26%
Before 1900
0.9%
1900–18
2.3%
1919–29
8.2%
1930s
4.6%
1945–54
4.4%
1955–64
18%
1965–72
14%
1973–82
6.5%
1983–92
3.9%
1993–99
4.9%
2000–08
0.5%
2009–15
6.5%
2016–25
DenbighEngland & Wales
26% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1965–72, which added 18% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (0 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Born here
13 notable people born in Denbigh before 1900
Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Humphrey Llwyd
Hugh Holland
John Parry
David Griffith
William Williams
Thomas Gee
Thomas Richard Lloyd
Rhoda Broughton
Henry Morton Stanley
William Edwards
Eleanor Mary Reid
Elizabeth Casson
Enid Charles
1500165018001950
Henry Morton Stanley1841–1904 · British journalist and explorer (1841–1904)
Rhoda Broughton1840–1920 · Welsh novelist (1840–1920)
ER
Eleanor Mary Reid1860–1953 · British palaeobotanist (1860-1953)
Thomas Gee1815–1898 · British journalist (1815–1898)
EC
Elizabeth Casson1881–1954 · Welsh doctor
HH
Hugh Holland1569–1633 · Welsh writer
John Parry1776–1851 · Welsh harpist and composer (1776-1851)
David Griffith1800–1894 · Welsh poet (1800-1894)
Everyone born in Denbigh → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Denbigh has the 8th most Grade I buildings of 749 towns its size
Places of 5,000–13,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.
Denbigh7
#46 of 749for listed buildings per resident (237 per 10,000). Brecon, Rye and Dartmouth lead.
Only Wells, Sherborne, Melbourne, Ludlow, Whitby, Bradford-on-Avon and Blandford Forum have more. The typical town its size has 0.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Denbigh
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denbigh | 8,072 | 191 | 7 | A+ |
| St Asaph | 3,483 | 52 | 1 | A− |
| Ruthin | 5,700 | 196 | 3 | A |
| Bodelwyddan | 1,785 | 24 | 0 | B+ |
| Rhuddlan | 3,791 | 21 | 0 | B− |
| Dyserth | 2,038 | 11 | 0 | B− |
| Meliden | 2,002 | 8 | 0 | B− |
| Kinmel Bay | 9,016 | 4 | 0 | D |
In brief
Denbigh in brief
Few towns are as rich in listed heritage as Denbigh: per resident it has more than 93% of UK towns. All told, the list holds 191 listed buildings, 7 of them Grade I. Its housing is old: 26% of homes date from before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. Its Grade I buildings cluster together: 6 of them stand within 400 m of Denbigh Castle.
Only 7 of the 749 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings. Beacon's Hill alone has 14 listed buildings. A conservation area has protected part of it since 1975.
Questions about Denbigh’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Denbigh?
Cadw lists 191 buildings inside Denbigh’s built-up area: 7 Grade I, 18 Grade II* and 166 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Denbigh?
7, including Burgess Gate, Denbigh Castle, Leicester's Church (Remains), Parish Church of St Marcella (also known as Whitchurch), Tower of St Hilary's Church and Town Wall, including North-East, Countess and Goblin Towers.
Which street in Denbigh has the most listed buildings?
Beacon's Hill (14), Vale Street (10) and Chapel Street (5) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.
Are there scheduled monuments in Denbigh?
Yes, 7 scheduled monuments, including Civil War Earthworks, Denbigh Castle, Denbigh Friary Church and Denbigh Medieval Town (North - Eastern Corner).
How many conservation areas are there in Denbigh?
1, covering about 49 hectares of the town. The largest is Denbigh Town.
When were Denbigh’s buildings listed?
The first in 1950; the most, 88, in 2000.
Are there old photos of Denbigh?
Yes: 5 public-domain photos and postcards from 1750 to 1900, and an old map from 1610, all on this page.
Who was born in Denbigh?
Among people born before 1900: Henry Morton Stanley (1841), Rhoda Broughton (1840), Eleanor Mary Reid (1860), Thomas Gee (1815) and Elizabeth Casson (1881).
How old are the homes in Denbigh?
26% of homes were built before 1919 and 37% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
Listed buildings, scheduled monuments and historic parks and gardens: Cadw, © Crown copyright, via DataMapWales.
Sources: Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Cadw conservation areas via DataMapWales (October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.