Roger Mortimer de Chirk built the castle as part of Edward I's chain of fortresses across north Wales, and it was completed in 1295. The article names no architect and describes no style or main materials. Mullioned and transomed windows were added in the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle was partly demolished in the English Civil War and then rebuilt. Sir Thomas Myddelton bought it in 1593 for 5,000 pounds.
The parkland was laid out as a deer park in the 14th century. William Emes remodeled the grounds in the 1760s and 1770s, with a ha-ha, and much of the earlier Baroque layout was removed. Offa's Dyke passes within 200 yards of the castle.
The National Trust has owned it since 1981. The castle and gardens are open to the public, and the castle is Grade I listed.
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