Ellesmere Castle

Ellesmere Castle stands on a hill east of the town of Ellesmere in Shropshire. It was built soon after the Norman Conquest as a motte and bailey castle by Roger de Montgomerie, the first Earl of Shrewsbury. The castle overlooks the Mere, a large natural lake that gives the town its name. Henry I gave it to the Peverel family, but Henry II took it back and gave it to Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, a Welsh prince. By the 1240s it belonged to the le Strange family, who held it for centuries. The castle was ruined during the English Civil War. Now only the earthen mound remains, topped by a bowling green. Trees cover the slopes of the motte, and the surrounding land is mostly farmland and woodland. The nearest city is Wrexham, 17 kilometres to the north. The countryside here is quiet and rural, with few buildings nearby. Visitors climb the grassy mound to the bowling green on the summit. From there they look out over the Mere and the rolling Shropshire hills. The trees on the sides of the mound give shade and shelter. In winter the area can be cold, with average temperatures below zero, while summer brings milder weather. The lake and the open fields around the castle make it a peaceful spot to walk and enjoy the countryside.