Caergwrle Castle

About

Caergwrle Castle (Welsh: Castell Caergwrle), also known as Queen's Hope in scholarly texts, is a castle located in the village of Caergwrle, in Flintshire, Wales. It was built by the Welsh under Dafydd ap Gruffydd in service to Edward I of England. When Dafydd's forces rebelled against the English, Edward sent Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton to take the castle in June 1282, but Dafydd had retreated and sabotaged the structure. Rebuilding works began, and it was given to Edward's wife, Eleanor of Castile. A town was planned at the base of the castle, but this was abandoned after a fire broke out in September 1283 when both Edward and Eleanor were present. It was passed down the royal line, but was never rebuilt. In 1823, a workman discovered the Caergwrle Bowl near the castle; it is a unique Bronze Age bowl.

Built on the south west corner of a steep hill near the Anglo-Welsh border, Caergwrle Castle has views which extend far into Cheshire. The foundations are made up of gritstone, locally quarried from Caergwrle hill, north west of the castle. There are two styles which appear in the masonry, with the most elaborate work taking place near the residential...