Caergwrle Castle

One of my favourite local places. Caergwrle Castle, also known as Queen's Hope in scholarly texts, is located in the town of Caergwrle, in Flintshire, Wales. It was the final castle to be built by Welsh rulers before the loss of Welsh independence in 1283.

Built on a steep hill near the Anglo-Welsh border, the castle has views which extend far into Cheshire.

Construction of the castle began in 1277, after King Edward I gave the lordship of Hope to Dafydd ap Gruffudd as reward for his service in the Welsh war concluded earlier that year. Notable features included two D-shaped towers and a great circular keep overlooking the approach to the south-east. It has been speculated that Dafydd employed English masons to work on the castle, which was apparently unfinished when Dafydd revolted in 1282. By the time Edward had gathered an army to invade Wales in June, Dafydd had already retreated from Caergwrle, and had slighted the castle, even blocking up its well to deny it to the English. Edward promptly began rebuilding the castle, and gave it to his wife, Eleanor of Castile. However, a fire in 1283 gutted the castle, and it was never rebuilt.