Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, built in 1283 (it took over 1,000 more than four years to construct) by Edward I in order to stamp his authority on the rebellious Welsh.
A brute of a fortress. Caernarfon Castle’s pumped-up appearance is unashamedly muscle-bound and intimidating. Picking a fight with this massive structure would have been a daunting prospect. By throwing his weight around in stone, King Edward I created what is surely one of the most impressive of Wales’s castles. Worthy of World Heritage status no less!
The site of this great castle wasn’t chosen by accident. It had previously been the location of a Norman motte and bailey castle and before that a Roman fort stood nearby. The lure of water and easy access to the sea made the banks of the River Seiont an ideal spot for Edward’s monster in masonry. Polygonal towers were the order of the day, with the Eagle Tower being the most impressive of these. You will also note the colour-coded stones carefully arranged in bands.
Like his Norman ancestors, who were insatiable castle-builders, Edward I knew that if you wanted to subjugate a people then you had to stamp a sign of your rule directly onto their landscape. That’s the thought behind the extraordinary ring of stone castles that were built around Snowdonia in the late 13th century.
Caernarvon is one of the best: virtually the same size as the town that surrounds it, with massive, polygonal towers and a huge curtain wall, half of it facing the land and half overlooking a quiet little fishing harbour. Today the combined effect is stunning, although it must have been pretty loathsome to the Welsh in the middle ages.
Visiting Caernarvon is a brilliant way to get your head around that strange relationship between the kings of England and Princes of Wales. The birth of his son, Edward, the first English Prince of Wales, in the castle in 1284, was a perfect device to stamp English supremacy. In 1969 the current Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Charles’s investiture took place here.
It is connected to the rebellions of Owain Glyndwr, and it’s a short hop from the island of Anglesey, where a certain Tudor family originally lived. One day we may see William, Duke of Cambridge invested as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon, just as his father Prince Charles was in 1969.
Whilst you're visiting this formidable fortress, don't miss the opportunity to see the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, which is housed in two of the castle’s towers.
School Visits
Free WWI and WWII facilitated actvities with Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum. We also provide Medieaval Treasure Chest handling and self-led activity packs on Castles, English and Science, Technology and Mathematics.
Read our guidance for teachers leading School Visits to the Castle HERE.
Did you know? Historians believe that the design of the polygonal Eagle Tower at Caernarfon was influenced by Edward I's beloved Queen, Eleanor of Castile. The symbol of Castile at this time was a polygonal castle.
Did you know? On 25 April 1284 Queen Eleanor gave birth to the future Edward II at Caernarfon Castle; her 16th child (although many did not survive into adulthood). As the castle was still under construction at this point it is likely the royal birth took place in a temporary outbuilding. Edward was the first English prince to be born in Wales, a deliberate ploy by Edward I to win over the Welsh who could now say that they would be ruled over by a king born in Wales; a Welshman. This was the first occasion on which the Prince of Wales would be a title given to the first in line to the throne, a tradition which survives today.
Did you kno? In 1403 a combined force of French and Welsh rebels, led by legendary Prince Owen Glendower, attempted to take the castle using battering rams, belfries and siege engines. The English managed to successfully defend the castle with a force of just 28 men, due to the castles innovative design.