CASTLES WREXHAM

Caergwrle Castle, built between 1278 and 1282 by Dafydd ap Gruffudd, stands as the last castle constructed by a native Welsh prince before English conquest reshaped the medieval Welsh landscape. Granted lands by Edward I, Dafydd used Caergwrle as a base for his 1282 attack on Hawarden, an assault that sparked Edward's decisive second Welsh campaign that ended Welsh independence. The castle likely remained incomplete when abandoned following a fire, becoming ruinous by 1335, yet its earthworks and stone remains survive in the village of Caergwrle in Flintshire. Now protected by Cadw through guardianship, the castle is accessed via a moderate woodland path from the village center, making it an accessible and contemplative site where visitors can reflect on the final chapter of native Welsh rule in medieval Britain.

Holt Castle stands on the west bank of the River Dee in Wrexham, Wales, built between 1282 and 1311 by John de Warren. This strategically important Norman fortress featured distinctive round corner towers and was constructed from locally quarried triassic sandstone. The castle served as an English stronghold after Edward I's conquest of Wales and withstood two sieges during the English Civil War, becoming the final castle to fall in Northeast Wales in 1646. Though substantial stone was removed in the 17th and 18th centuries for nearby construction, visitors can observe remains of the defensive walls, gateways, moat traces, and weathered stonework protruding from the grassy mound, along with the castle's earthen defenses.