Caernarfon Castle, Caernarfon, United Kingdom

Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd, Wales, is recognised around the world as one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages. It was a motte-and-bailey castle from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began to replace it with the current stone structure. The Edwardian town and castle acted as the administrative centre of north Wales, and as a result the defences were built on a grand scale. There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon's Roman past, and the Roman fort of Segontium is nearby.

While the castle was under construction, town walls were built around Caernarfon. The work cost between £20,000 and £25,000 from the start until the work ended in 1330. Although the castle appears mostly complete from the outside, the interior buildings no longer survive and many of the building plans were never finished. The town and castle were sacked in 1294 when Madog ap Llywelyn led a rebellion against the English. Caernarfon was recaptured the following year. During the Glyndŵr Rising of 1400–1415, the castle was besieged.

When the Tudor dynasty ascended to the English throne in 1485, tensions between the Welsh and English began to diminish and castles were considered less important. As a result, Caernarfon Castle was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. Despite its dilapidated condition, during the English Civil War Caernarfon Castle was held by Royalists, and was besieged three times by Parliamentarian forces. This was the last time the castle was used in war. The castle was neglected until the 19th century when the state funded repairs.

The castle was used for the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1911 and again in 1969. It is part of the World Heritage Site 'Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd'.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Shiji jacob (6 months ago)
Worth visiting this castle if you're around North Wales. The people in the reception were very much welcoming. They warned us to be careful while on the steps as it was a wet day. Spiral stair climbing to reach each towers top was exciting. The scenery from the top was breathtaking. We were blessed with beautiful weather also to enjoy this wonderful scenery.

peter browning-smith (6 months ago)
Beautifully preserved castle grounds with an amazing museum. The views from the top of the tower of the town were spectacular! Was blessed with a beautiful sunset view from the top but would recommend taking care on climbing up an down the stairs throughout the castle as some are very steep an winding.

Allen Wickham (7 months ago)
What a beautiful place! As you walk in through the glass entryway, you’re confronted with a huge grassy area that spans the entire length of the castle, most of which is wheelchair friendly. The walls of the castle are not wheelchair accessible, but the museum is! Also, just a heads up, my wife is a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, and she was able to find the perfect “Lady of Shalott” wall hanging in the gift shop. Very cool!

Michael Stevens (8 months ago)
This is a very well preserved castle and is a brilliant place to visit. There is an open space inside the castle and you are able to up into some of the towers and walkways which is amazing. I use a mobility scooter so was only able to access the grounds inside but was still able to get some brilliant pictures and really get a feel of the history that the castle holds. I have found that in Wales they are very hot on making things as accessible as possible and so sloped paths were built in the grounds to make it possible to see as much as they could make it. As there is only so much that can be done to make a castle accessible I was able to get in free as was my wife who is my carer so well done Wales.

Grant Friday (8 months ago)
A beautiful location and amazing views. Extremely interesting history to read up on, with lots of information within the museum to see. Walking all around the grounds is fascinating seeing all the rooms and what they would have been used for. Word of warning - there are lots of steps if you go from floor to floor, and these are steep and shallow in places. If you want to go up the towers, these are very steep spiral stairs with a rope handrail and they can be tough to climb.

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