PRINCE Charles will visit a town in Powys next week as he officially opens a refurbished castle to the public for the first time.
Clarence House said Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, will be in Hay-on-Wye on Thursday to officially open the castle which can now be visited by the public for the first time in its 900-year history.
Opening in May to coincide with the Hay Festival, the world-renowned literary event, the official opening will see The Prince of Wales arrive in the Market Square, welcomed by the sound of Brecon Town Band.
The refurbished Hay Castle in all its majesty. Picture: Stuart Townsend.
He will climb the stairs to the main gate, where he will hear from a timber conservationist about the recent restoration works before opening the gate and thereby officially opening the refurbished castle.
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Prince Charles will enter the castle and tour the Portraits of Writers display, visit the Clore Learning Space and Reading Room, try his hand on the 1856 letter press and climb to the viewing platform with views across the Powys town and surrounding countryside.
The view from Hay Castle. Picture: Stuart Townsend.
He will then meet the Hay Castle Trust team, architects, trustees, donors, volunteers, children that use the space throughout the visit to what is one of the greatest surviving defence structures on the England-Wales border.
Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, foundations and individual donors, the town now has an important heritage destination, a vibrant new centre for learning and the arts, and a space for the community to come together, Clarence House said.
Prince Charles pictured during a visit to Ross-on-Wye in November 2019. Picture : Steve Niblett
Visitors can see and hear stories from the past using smart phones and iPads, enjoy dressing up in medieval costumes sewn by volunteers, have a go on a 150-year-old Columbian letterpress or watch a three-minute animated history of the castle projected onto the stone walls of the medieval tower.
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The new Clore Learning Space is a place for inspiring adult workshops as well as school visits, it added.
Inside the refurbished Hay Castle which will be officially opened by Prince Charles next week
The specially-designed loans gallery will host touring exhibitions; the inaugural display ‘Portraits of Writers’ features works from the National Portrait Gallery and is funded by Arts Council England.
At the top of the tower viewing platform, visitors will be treated to stunning views of the Wye Valley and border landscapes.
The Richard Booth Collection – established as a tribute to the former owner of the castle, and self-declared King of Hay – can be found in his study and includes his crown, sceptre and robe, and the original flag of independence.
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