Ewloe Castle

Ewloe Castle

The origins of Ewloe Castle are somewhat unclear. There may have been a simple earthwork and timber fortification here from the time of Owain Gwynedd, but the earliest record we have of a castle at Ewloe dates from 1257, after Llewelyn Fawr captured this area of Flintshire from the English crown.

The castle stands on a treed promontory facing eastward, above the Wepre valley. It is defended on three sides by steep slopes, so all Llewelyn had to do was dig a deep ditch across the neck of the promontory to create a defensible site for his new fortress. Llewelyn's castle consisted of a D-shaped tower of sandstone, with an oval enclosure.

A later phase of construction added a curtain wall and a west tower. There is no apparent link between the two enclosures, and it is possible that they maintained separate entrances, or were even occupied by two separate families or princely households, operating independent of each other.

Ewloe was taken by Edward I in his first incursion into Wales in 1277, and was never again used for military purposes, gradually decaying into the romantic ruin we see today.