Welsh castle entrance will re-open to the public
A closed-off castle entrance which at one time welcomed major figures in British and world history has been restored to its former glory and will soon re-open to the public, thanks to a half a million pound public appeal.
Loyal supporters of Powis Castle in Welshpool were asked to help raise £500,000 to restore the medieval castle's crumbling East Front which was once the main, grand entrance which welcomed the likes of Queen Victoria and King George V into the castle.
The entrance had fallen out of use in the 18th century and had since badly deteriorated, and despite the National Trust acquiring the property in 1952, the public have never been able to access the entrance as the crumbling steps were deemed too dangerous.
Now, with the East Front of the castle being the focus of a huge restoration project for most and a public appeal for funds, final preparations are underway for the public to get a first glimpse of the newly repaired entrance.
Discovery tours will be running from March 6, before its official opening on March 29.
Alison Dunne, volunteering and community involvement officer at Powis Castle, said that excavation works revealed that the entrance would have formed the medieval castle's eastern ward, with a taller curtain wall and towers around the bowling green area, and a defensive ditch potentially crossed by drawbridge in front of the gate house.
She said: "The public response to this appeal was absolutely remarkable, one of the most successful the National Trust has ever had in fact, with our amazing supporters raising the sum in just two months.
"The restoration works took nearly 10 months. The most obvious issue to rectify was the large number of paving slabs down the steps that had either sunk or cracked."
