Ewloe Castle | |
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Castell Ewloe (Welsh) | |
Part of Flintshire | |
Ewloe, Wales | |
Coordinates | 53°12′00″N 3°04′01″W / 53.200°N 3.0670°W |
Type | Motte-and-bailey, hillside castle |
Height | 10 metres (33 ft) |
Site information | |
Owner | Cadw |
Condition | Ruin |
Website | Castell Ewloe |
Site history | |
Built | 12th–13th century |
Built by | Owain Gwynedd Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ap Gruffudd |
In use | Open to public |
Materials | Sandstone |
Listed Building – Grade I |
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.