CYMDEITHAS HANES LLEOL RHUTHUN
RUTHIN LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY
Images from Ruthin's Past
The Roger Edwards Collection
December 2024
Roger has provided 88 images from his collection of historical images of Ruthin. Scroll down and enjoy! Please contact us if you can offer more information on the content / date of these pictures.
The images are mainly grouped by street.
An 18th century print of the Market Square and old Town Hall.
The direction is looking towards Clwyd Street, in the background.
The old Market Hall in front of the Castle Hotel - this must have been quite an obstruction on the Square.
c 1860,
This is the only known photo of this building. Looks solid enough but was demolished as unsafe. The Peers Memorial is now on this site.
Note the board announcing the tariffs for Market Traders - a pity we cannot read it.
St Peter's Square in 1883
The Peers monument is in place of the demolished Market Hall, the street is neatly cobbled, a scene of order and prosperity.
The old courthouse closes off the far end, then occupied by Aldridge's ironmongers,
The Myddleton Arms on the Square
The earliest parts of this building date from medieval times, as a Hall House. After several modifications it was rebuilt for 16C. merchant Richard Clough, who had business interests in Antwerp, hence the Flemish style roof.
After further modifications it has retained its general outline but the 'Seven Eyes' windows are positioned differently today, and the frontage is now Mock Tudor.
This photo may be from the 1890s. The shop on the left was a confectioner's, the remainder at that time was the Castle Arms inn.
Three views of the Market Square, now St. Peter's Square.
The first was taken before the Peers Memorial clock tower was built in 1883.
The second is a John Thomas image taken shortly after the erection of the memorial and improves road surfacing. To the left was a Grocer's store, now the site of the Post Office.
Note that there is no clock on the church tower - this was added in the 1940s.
Another John Thomas image of the Square and the Peers Memorial.
The grocery (Hughes') was destroyed by fire in 1904.
The building was demolished and the current Post Office replaced it.
Residents inspect the damage.
Why are they all male?
And here is the new P.O. after opening.
A magnificent John Thomas inage of the Castle Hotel (formerly the White Lion).
The sign over the ground floor window announces this as the Inland Revenue Office !
The sop to the right was Harris Jones, drapery store. The HSBC bank now occupies this site.
On the corner of the Square and Clwyd Street was Gittins and Beech's cycle store.
Today's Henlys - the old courthouse - is barely recognisable in this early 20C. image, when it was occupied by shops - notably Aldridge's ironmongers.
Market Day on the square. Records suggest that Ruthin had the second oldest street market in Wales.
A John Thomas photo of Exmewe House, since demolished.
Note the position of the rock 'Maen Huail' at the right hand corner of the building. This is probably a glacial erratic as there are other examples locally. For centuries it marked the limit of the market place in that direction.
The stone has now been moved some 10 yards to the left, in front of the replacement building, unfortunately accompanied by a plaque which fatuously refers to some imaginary Arthurian episode.
