Leicester's Church | |
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Remains of St David's Church, Denbigh | |
Type | Church |
Location | Denbigh, Denbighshire |
Coordinates | 53°10′56″N 3°25′07″W / 53.18222°N 3.41864°W |
Built | begun in 1578-9, abandoned in 1584 |
Built for | Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester |
Governing body | Cadw |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Leicester's Church (Remains) |
Designated | 1950 |
Reference no. | 970[1] |
Official name | Denbigh, Leicester's Church |
Reference no. | DE044 |
Leicester's Church, originally known as St David's Church, Denbigh, is a large ruined church near to the hill top castle at Denbigh, North Wales. It was built for Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, from 1578, but financial difficulties meant work stopped in 1584. When the Earl died unexpectedly in 1588 the project was abandoned. It had been the only large church-building project in Elizabethan England or Wales. On Robert Dudley's death with no heir, his estates reverted to the Crown, as a roofless enclosed space. It is now a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, cared for by Cadw, the Welsh historic environment service.