Caergwrle Castle
Caergwrle Castle stands on a rocky ridge above the Alyn valley, overlooking the village of Hope. It was constructed in the 1270s during the turbulent final decades of Welsh independence, and unusually for a Welsh stronghold of this date it shows a combination of native and Marcher architectural influence. The castle was originally begun by Dafydd ap Gruffudd after he broke with his brother Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and aligned himself with King Edward I of England. Construction appears to have remained incomplete, and in 1282 Dafydd surrendered the partly built fortress to Edward I. The king then repaired and strengthened the walls to use Caergwrle as a foothold during his last campaigns against the princes of Gwynedd. A major fire in 1283 severely damaged the structure, and although repairs were carried out, the castle was never brought to full completion. Its military value declined quickly once Wales was subdued. Architecturally the castle consists of a roughly triangular enclosure with round and polygonal towers adapted to the rocky summit. Traces of curtain walls, towers and gate structures remain visible, as do the foundations of domestic buildings against the inner walls. The ridge-top vantage point provides wide views over the Alyn valley and towards the Clwydian Range. Today Caergwrle Castle is an evocative ruin reached by a short but steep footpath. Its commanding position, interrupted history and mixture of Welsh and English building styles make it one of the most distinctive late thirteenth-century fortresses in north-east Wales. Alternate names: Hope Castle, Castell Caergwrle Caergwrle Castle / Hope Castle Caergwrle Castle stands on a rocky ridge above the Alyn valley, overlooking the village of Hope. It was constructed in the 1270s during the turbulent final decades of Welsh independence, and unusually for a Welsh stronghold of this date it shows a combination of native and Marcher architectural influence. The castle was originally begun by Dafydd ap Gruffudd after he broke with his brother Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and aligned himself with King Edward I of England. Construction appears to have remained incomplete, and in 1282 Dafydd surrendered the partly built fortress to Edward I. The king then repaired and strengthened the walls to use Caergwrle as a foothold during his last campaigns against the princes of Gwynedd. A major fire in 1283 severely damaged the structure, and although repairs were carried out, the castle was never brought to full completion. Its military value declined quickly once Wales was subdued. Architecturally the castle consists of a roughly triangular enclosure with round and polygonal towers adapted to the rocky summit. Traces of curtain walls, towers and gate structures remain visible, as do the foundations of domestic buildings against the inner walls. The ridge-top vantage point provides wide views over the Alyn valley and towards the Clwydian Range. Today Caergwrle Castle is an evocative ruin reached by a short but steep footpath. Its commanding position, interrupted history and mixture of Welsh and English building styles make it one of the most distinctive late thirteenth-century fortresses in north-east Wales.