Ewloe Castle

Ewloe Castle
Castell Ewloe (Welsh)
Part of Flintshire
Ewloe, Wales
Ewloe Castle's curtain wall and Welsh keep
Ewloe Castle is located in Wales
Ewloe Castle
Ewloe Castle
Coordinates53°12′00″N 3°04′01″W / 53.200°N 3.0670°W / 53.200; -3.0670
TypeMotte-and-bailey, hillside castle
Height10 metres (33 ft)
Site information
OwnerCadw
ConditionRuin
WebsiteCastell Ewloe
Site history
Built12th–13th century
Built byOwain Gwynedd
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
In useOpen to public
MaterialsSandstone
Listed Building – Grade I
Ewloe Castle

Ewloe Castle (Welsh: Castell Ewloe or Castell Ewlo) is a native Welsh castle built by the Kingdom of Gwynedd near the town of Ewloe in Flintshire, Wales. The castle, which was one of the last fortifications to be built by the native Princes of Wales, was abandoned at the beginning of the invasion of Wales by Edward I in 1277. Its construction, using locally quarried sandstone, appears to have continued piecemeal over many years and may have not been completed. On taking the castle, the English Crown gave it little military value and allowed it to fall into ruin.

Ewloe was sited on high ground within Tegeingl, a cantref in the lands of north-east Wales (Welsh Perfeddwlad). Standing near the Chester road, it maintained a strategic position near the Wales–England border. The castle is located on a steeply sloped promontory within a forested valley. It overlooks the junction of two streams with higher ground to the south.