Holt Castle

Holt Castle
Part of the County Borough of Wrexham
Holt, Wales
Holt Castle
Coordinates	53°04′41″N 2°52′49″W / 53.077919°N 2.880256°W / 53.077919; -2.880256
Type	Pentagonal enclosure castle
Height	Up to 10 metres (33 ft)
Site information
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Complete ruin. Nothing remains of the castle except a few examples of masonry.
Site history
Built	c. 1282 -1311
Built by	John de Warrene
Materials	Sandstone
Demolished	1675 - 1683
Battles/wars	Attacked during the uprising of Owain Glyndŵr
Events	Welsh Wars

Holt Castle was a medieval castle in the town of Holt, Wrexham Borough, Wales. Work began in the 13th century during the Welsh Wars, the castle was sited on the Welsh-English border by the banks of the River Dee.

In the medieval period, the five-towered fortress was actually known as Castrum Leonis or Castle Lyons because it had a Lion motif carved into the stonework above its main gate. In the 17th century, almost all the stonework was removed from the site; only the base of the sandstone foundation remain.

The castle, which was constructed between 1277 and 1311, was built from local sandstone on top of a 12 metres (39 ft) high promontory. It was shaped like a pentagon with towers at each corner.

The castle had a stepped ramp up to a main gateway, barbican, inner ward, postern and curtain walls. There was also a water-filled moat that was fed from the River Dee.

The design of the castle featured towers that were built against the face of the rock outside the curtain wall, similar to the inner wards at Ruthin and at Conwy.

Holt castle was started by Edward I on a sandstone base next to the River Dee soon after the invasion of North Wales in 1277. In 1282 Edward I presented the Welsh lands in which Holt was situated to loyal lord John de Warrene, who was also given the task of completing the castle. By 1311 the castle had been finished and a planned town laid out next to it for the use of English settlers.

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Wikipedia