The popular ITV show ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ is moving location, from deep in the Australian jungle to the eerie yet stunning Grade I listed castle on the outskirts of Abergele, North Wales. The show is starting mid-November and will showcase Gwrych Castle’s fabulous grounds, with some ghostly spooks for the contestants.
Gwrych Castle is around 200 years old and was built between 1812 and 1822 by the Hesketh family. This castle was one of the first attempts in Wales to replicate medieval architecture in Europe. The name actually translates to ‘Hedge Castle’ in the Welsh language.
Back in the Second World War, the building was used to house over 200 Jewish children who were escaping the Nazis. Following this, in 1951, it became the training ground for Randy Turpin. Turpin was a famous boxer, preparing for a fight against Sugar Ray Johnson. The castle was finally bought in 2018 by the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust following years of fundraising and applications for grants.
Now the new set for the TV Show, it is hopeful that Gwrych Castle will get the recognition it deserves. The jungle life is being traded for the cold brick walls, and alongside them, lots of new challenges for the contestants to face. Being in North Wales, we can’t imagine the creepy crawlies are going to be an issue, but the castle is said to be haunted…
Events have been held at the castle in the past where people have explored the rumours of ghosts which hang around. One ghost claimed to be seen is the Countess of Dundonald, after a woman in white was spotted.
Paranormal investigators took a look at the castle in 2018, and the team claimed to have met the spirit of a horse in the area the stables used to be. Other sightings include a former servant girl and a gatekeeper to the castle.
Spirits aside, the castle is a beautiful location, with stunning views to the coast and surrounding woodland. Abergele town is full of history itself, once being a medieval market town with Iron Age forts in the hills close by.
The castle and Abergele town is located just off the A55, so it is easy to swing by and have a peep if you are on your way to stay with us in North Wales.