Holt Castle (1)

Image: © Mike Searle Taken: 25 Jul 2015

It is difficult to imagine, but this red sandstone plinth was created by quarrying back sandstone cliffs in order to form a base and a defensive ditch for a once mighty castle. It was five-sided with immense round towers at each corner, and protected by a moat and the River Dee. It was completed in 1311 by John de Warenne, a powerful baron and military campaigner. It proved to be impregnable, such that King Richard II made the castle his personal treasure house in 1398 because it was so secure. It went on to survive attack by the forces of Owain Glyndwr, and two hundred years later its castle garrison only surrendered to Parliament in the Civil War after withstanding an eleven month siege. The castle finally fell not to an enemy but to Thomas Grosvenor, who shipped much of the dressed stone via the Dee to help build his new mansion near Chester. A four year conservation project by Wrexham Council with funding from CADW and the Welsh Government has recently been completed. Image

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