Dyserth Castle

Dyserth Castle stands on a ridge above the village of Dyserth in Denbighshire. The site once commanded views over the Clwyd valley and the Clwyd Range. It was built to secure English control after the death of the Welsh prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth in 1241. The castle replaced Rhuddlan Castle and worked with Deganwy Castle to hold north-east Wales. Construction began in 1241 or 1245 and was finished around 1250. The castle was attacked repeatedly during the wars between Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and the English. After a six-week siege in 1263 the garrison surrendered and the Welsh destroyed the fortress. When Edward I retook the region after 1277 he chose to build new castles by the sea instead. During the First World War the ridge was quarried and much of the remaining masonry was removed. Visitors today see only low earthworks and fragments of the outer ditch. The ridge still rises steeply above the village, giving a sense of the original strong position. The remains lie among rough grass and heather, with no modern structures nearby. The site is quiet and open, letting the landscape speak for itself.