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From the Wrexham Evening Leader, 14th September 2007

Beauty spot crackdown on drunken yobs

War has been declared on boozed-fuelled yobs who are becoming a menace at a local beauty spot. For years, louts have been plaguing dog walkers and nature lovers trying enjoying the supposed peace and tranquilty of Wepre Park with their drinking, bad language and anti-social behaviour.

The park, one of Flintshire's most popular beauty spots, and Ewloe Castle which stands in its grounds, have become a haven for underage drinking. Wepre Park Visitor Centre has repeatedly been vandalised, residents have complained of late-night parties, a children's play area has been destroyed and dogs have suffered injuries from discarded bottles left by the drinkers.

But police and Flintshire Council has decided enough is enough and is introducing tough new measures to stamp out the anti-social behaviour. The authority is to make Wepre Park and Ewloe Castle a no-alcohol zone, giving police officers the power to seize and confiscate booze from drinkers and ban any open containers in the park. The council's move has been prompted by North Wales Police following talks with local residents who are fed-up with their area being spoilt by louts.

It is also hoped the move will sweeten the blow of approving controversial plans for a £250,000 skatepark in Wepre Park. The plans were given the green light by Flintshire Council last week, leaving residents fuming who believe it will be a serious hazard to children and an anti-social menace. But the council says the alcohol ban will discourage nuisance behaviour.

Flintshire's legal and democratic services officer Barry Davies said: "There have been instances of people under the influence of alcohol in the park, being abusive to staff and visitors. There have been parties held by large numbers of young people in the park during which large amounts of alcohol are consumed. Fires have been lit which have caused damage. There is a great deal of litter caused by empty bottles and cans have been found in the Children's Play Area and on a weekly basis dog walkers complain of cuts sustained by their dogs caused by broken glass."

Ewloe Castle is maintained by the Welsh Assembly's historical watchdog Cadw. Cadw confirmed it was content for the council to proceed with a designation and stated it was endorsed and supported all action by the council to reduce vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

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From the BBC website, 18th November 2009

13th Century castle is to be sold

A 13th Century ruined castle is to be sold, with a starting price of £80,000. Ewloe Castle, built by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, is to to be auctioned with four other lots which are expected to fetch more than £500,000 in total. Although privately owned, the castle is under the custodianship of Welsh historic monuments agency Cadw, and its character "must be preserved".

The auction will be held at the Beaufort Park Hotel in New Brighton, Flintshire, on 8 December. Estimates as to the castle's origins vary, but it is thought to have been built around 1257, as a hunting lodge for the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It stands close to the site where 200 Welshmen, led by the king of north Wales Owain Gwynedd, ambushed - and nearly killed - King Henry II in 1157.

Agents Strutt and Parker are offering the site for sale, which includes 16 acres of pasture and 8.5 acres of woodland.
The agents expect the lot to fetch "in excess of £80,000". The castle is now a ruin, and Flintshire Council said there were strict guidelines in place to restrict development and preserve the building's character.

Andy Roberts, head of planning policy said: "Given the rural location of the castle away from any settlement, the land which it occupies and surrounds it is designated open countryside in planning terms, with much of it also being green barrier which adds to the protection of its open character from development. The site of the castle and some of the land around it also has environmental designations which provide added constraints on development, and of course it is a scheduled ancient monument, whose character and setting must be preserved and protected."

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesperson said: "Ewloe Castle and its immediate area is in the guardianship of Cadw on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government and is protected as a scheduled ancient monument. Because the castle is in the guardianship of Cadw, this means that the public would still be able to access the castle. Public access to the castle is via a public footpath."




From the Flintshire Chronicle, 19th November 2009

Ewloe Castle in Flintshire is up for auction

Ewloe Castle is to be sold in an auction next month. The lot includes land surrounding the castle in Ewloe and Gwernaffield, and is expected to raise a total of around £500,000. The auction will take place in Beaufort Park Hotel, New Brighton, Mold, on December 8, beginning at 7pm. The site is being advertised to potential buyers as ‘a number of varying sized parcels of land and a range of traditional buildings in close proximity of Mold and Ewloe, of interest to farmers and those seeking pony paddocks.’

Jonathan Major, of Strutt and Parker estate agents, said: “Undoubtedly this site has history, and has attracted a good amount of interest from farmers.”

A Cadw spokesman said: “Ewloe Castle and its immediate area is in the guardianship of Cadw on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government and is protected as a scheduled ancient monument. Because the castle is in the guardianship of Cadw, this means the public would still be able to access the castle via a public footpath. The castle is an excellent example of a castle of Welsh construction, which contains important architectural details. It played a significant role in medieval struggles for supremacy between Wales and England.”

Andy Roberts, head of Flintshire’s planning policy, said: “Given the rural location of the castle away from any settlement, the land which it occupies and surrounds it is designated open countryside in planning terms, with much of it also being green barrier which adds to the protection of its open character from development. The site of the castle and some of the land around it also has environmental designations which provide added constraints on development.”

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A copy of the sales particulars.

Ewloe Castle is included in Lot 5, and is literally ONLY mentioned in passing, with a few notes at the end of the document.

Attached File(s)

•  Ewloe_SalesParticulard.pdf (1020.44K)
  Number of downloads: 150

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From The Leader, 7th December 2009

Internet group fights sale of Ewloe Castle

An internet group bidding to stop the sale of a Flintshire castle has attracted hundreds of members.

“Stop the Sale of Ewloe Castle” was created on the social networking site Facebook after The Leader revealed the castle and surrounding land were up for auction. Five lots of land, including the 13th-century castle, are expected to fetch half a million pounds when they go under the hammer next week. The move has sparked concern among residents who fear the local landmark could end up being out of bounds to the public.

“The castle will remain untouched and in the care of Cadw,” wrote one person in the group. “But if developers get it then I guess it could end up as a castle surrounded by houses.”

Another said: “They can’t sell the castle, it has been the site of many stories. Leave it as it is and let people enjoy going there old and young.”

Cadw, the historic buildings service, insist that the castle itself is protected but concerns are growing over what the surrounding land could be used for.

Local historian Steve Griffiths said: “The forthcoming sale of this picturesque ruin has understandably sent shockwaves reverberating through the community. It is crucial that the historic fortress is allowed to be preserved for the everyday leisure of today’s local community and those generations to follow. The main cause for concern is the subject of access.”

The land, stretching to 105 acres, will be auctioned by Strutt and Parker of Chester at the Beaufort Park Hotel, New Brighton tomorrow.

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From the Flintshire Chronicle, 13th December 2009

Flintshire Memories: Ewloe Castle has sold at auction

The 13th century castle was sold to a local farmer on Tuesday for £122,000, alongside 24 acres of surrounding land. The site was one of five lots for sale, totalling 105 acres of Flintshire Countryside, which all together sold for £838,000.

The auction took place at the Beaufort Park Hotel, near Mold and was attended by more than 100 people, mostly farmers from the local area. The Ewloe Castle land includes 16 acres of farmable land, the rest being woodland and the ruins of the castle. The site of the castle, which was built by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, last Prince of Wales, will remain under the care of CADW - the Welsh heritage agency, and will remain accessible for free through Wepre Park.

Auctioneer Roger Griffiths from J. Bradburne Price and Co, Mold, said: "The fact that so many people attended is a sign of confidence in land as an investment. Land is a stable commodity in unsettled times. We're very pleased with how the sale went."

Jonathan Major, of Strutt and Parker estate agents, added: "Undoubtedly the Ewloe site has history, and attracted a good amount of interest from farmers. The sale of all five lots went very well and undoubtedly they will all be used for farming as the land doesn't have permission for anything else."

A spokesman from Cadw, said: "Ewloe Castle and its immediate area is in the guardianship of Cadw on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government and is protected as a scheduled ancient monument. The castle is an excellent example of Welsh construction, which contains important architectural details. It played a significant role in medieval struggles for supremacy between Wales and England."

The remaining four lots of land include six acres of land at Stamford Way, Ewloe, which sold for £159,000, 32 acres off Pinfold Lane, Ewloe, which sold for £242,000, 37 acres off Magazine Lane, Ewloe, which sold for £275,000 and 5.30 acres off Magazine Lane, Ewloe which sold for £40,000.

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An old postcard of Ewloe Castle, recently added to my collection.

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