Touring Caernarfon Castle in Wales

Caernarfon castle was originally built during the thirteenth century in Wales by Edward I and was intended to be a palace and fortress for the royal family to live in. It took twenty-six years to complete the building of the castle but it was built in installments rather than all in one time period. Completed in 1327 after it was first started in 1283, the palace itself is one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Caernarfon, the town where the castle is built, is in Gwynedd, the northwest part of Wales at the base of the Llyn peninsula. Intended to act as a garrison from invaders, it became the center of administration for Wales after it was built.

The inspiration for such a grand castle came from Edward’s plan for a Welsh version of the Roman fort called Segontium, located near the region. It was from this old fort that he decided to model the different colors of stone that were used in the Roman fort, and duplicate the look for his own castle. The shape of the castle itself is unique as well – instead of being a solid square or rectangular shape, it bears an hourglass shape in its layout. This is due to the placement of the Chamberlain Tower and the King’s gate being placed closest to each other, with the rest of the castle forming an upper ward and a lower ward.

Limestone and sandstone were used in the masonry of the castle. The towers were impressive, with the biggest one being the Eagle Tower, situated at the end of the lower ward. This tower has a cluster of three turrets. Other towers of the castle are named: Well, Cistern, and Granary. The outside design of the towers are octagonal in shape while the interior of each one has either six, eight, or ten sides to form the actual room.

Caernarfon still plays a role in Welsh royalty. In 1969, Prince Charles was invested at the castle. The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum is located in the castle and contains military memorabilia of this old British army corps. The castle can be explored by visitors, from the bottom of the ground to the towers and the spiral staircases. The wall built to defend the town still stands on each side of the castle. Two chapels were also included in the building of the castle. A wall separates the lower ward from the upper ward in the castle, separating the manicured grounds.

Image Credit: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.