Caernarfon Castle
Edward I built Caernarfon Castle to look like Constantinople, and 700 years later it staged the investiture of a Prince of Wales twice in the 20th century.
Published
Quick Facts
- Location
- Caernarfon, on the Menai Strait, Gwynedd, north-west Wales
- Built
- Begun in 1283 under Edward I; main building work continued into the 1330s
- Architect
- Master James of St George, Edward's chief castle designer
- Towers
- Nine main towers and two principal gatehouses, including the Eagle Tower and Queen's Tower
- Walls
- Banded, multi-coloured stonework and polygonal towers, unlike the round towers of most castles
- Famous events
- Investitures of the Prince of Wales in 1911 and 1969
- Status
- Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd' (1986)
- Siege history
- Taken by Madog ap Llywelyn's rebels in 1294; besieged during the Glyndŵr uprising and the Civil War
The castle that wanted to be Rome
Most castles are built to be grim. Caernarfon was built to be dazzling too. Its walls are banded with layers of different coloured stone, and its towers are many-sided rather than round. Historians have long linked the look to the great walls of Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and to the Roman legacy of the site itself. The message was deliberate: this was not just a fortress, but the seat of a new power in Wales.
Edward I's grand statement
Edward I began work in 1283, following the defeat and death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282. Llywelyn's brother Dafydd succeeded him as Prince of Wales and continued resistance until 1283. The king was building a ring of castles across north Wales, and Caernarfon was to be the grandest, serving as both a military stronghold and an administrative capital. The man behind the designs was Master James of St George, a Savoyard mason-architect who also worked on Harlech, Conwy and Beaumaris. The castle and the walled town beside it were planned together, so the English settlers inside the town walls were protected by the same defences. The Eagle Tower, at the western end, is the showpiece, topped with turrets that carry stone figures which are often described as eagles.
Myths about a prince's birthplace
A popular story says Edward I presented his newborn son, born at Caernarfon in 1284, to the Welsh as a prince who spoke no English. It is a wonderful tale, but it appeared long after the events and is generally treated as legend. The prince, the future Edward II, was indeed given the title Prince of Wales in 1301. The idea that he was born in the unfinished castle is a long-standing tradition, and the small chamber in the Eagle Tower is often pointed out as the supposed place. The myth mattered because it shaped how later generations saw the castle: as the birthplace of the English heir to Wales.
Sieges and unfinished business
The castle was barely started when it was attacked. In 1294, during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn, rebels stormed Caernarfon, damaged the town walls and the unfinished castle, and burned parts of it. Edward then pushed on with rebuilding and extension. It was also besieged during the Glyndŵr rising in the early 1400s, and held out. During the English Civil War, the castle was held by Royalists and endured three sieges before surrendering to Parliamentary forces in 1646. Interestingly, parts of the castle were never completed. Work dragged on for decades, and some of the planned interiors were never finished.
Investitures and a modern revival
In 1911, David Lloyd George, then Constable of the castle, helped stage the investiture of the future Edward VIII as Prince of Wales there. The ceremony was a pageant, with a Welsh-flavoured ritual created for the occasion. In 1969 the castle hosted the investiture of Prince Charles. Millions watched on television, and security was tight amid protests by Welsh nationalists. Those two ceremonies turned a medieval stronghold into a ceremonial stage, and they are a big reason it is so well known today.
What to look for when you visit
Walk the wall-walks and climb the towers to see the Menai Strait and the town laid out below. Look for the banded stonework on the walls, and the polygonal towers. See the King's Gate, one of the most elaborate gatehouses of its age, with defences including portcullises and murder holes. The statue set above the entrance is thought to be Edward II. Inside, exhibitions cover the history of the castle, including the Royal Welch Fusiliers museum. Finally, wander around the old town to see its medieval walls from street level.
Notable people
- Edward I
- Edward II
- Master James of St George
- Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
- Madog ap Llywelyn
- Owain Glyndŵr
- David Lloyd George
- Prince Charles
Test yourself
Play the UK quizMore to see nearby
.jpg){kind=link}
The Menai Suspension Bridge
Published
Telford's Menai Bridge was the world's longest suspension span in 1826, and its deck was once hung so loosely that wind made it ripple like a ribbon.
.jpg){kind=link}
Portmeirion
Published
A pastel Italianate village on a Welsh estuary was built by a man who never claimed it was Italian, and it later became the home of The Prisoner.
Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
Published
Wales's highest peak has a café at the top, a railway that lost a passenger on opening day, and a giant said to be buried under its summit.