The Welsh castles of King Edward I

The Wales we know today is a part of the United Kingdom, a (relatively) peaceful union of its constituent countries. You often wouldn’t even notice when you crossed the border between England and Wales.

But, of course, this was not always the case. To trace the story of how Wales came to be a part of England (and subsequently, the UK), we need to go back to Edward I, the King of England from 1272 to 1307.

It was Edward who took control Wales in a series of military expeditions towards the end of the 13th century. What started as a mission to impress his authority on the princes of Wales in 1277 turned into total conquest in 1283.

Now that King Edward had taken Wales, he needed to keep it, and one of his main strategies was to embark on a massive construction project, building a series of fortified castles attached to towns protected with tall stone walls. These castles were bases for the military, and the towns allowed English settlers to establish new communities on the Welsh land.

These days, King Edward is considered to be an influential reformer, even if he isn’t universally praised.

Historians who think he left a positive legacy point to the way he reformed the law, set up an effective system for taxation, and gave legitimacy to parliament.

But those who criticise him often use the examples of his brutality towards the Welsh and the Scottish. And it was this brutal approach to the Welsh that we see in these castles, which were often as much about projecting dominance and humiliating the locals.

Edward built about 17 castles in Wales during his reign but just four of them have been chosen to create a World Heritage Site officially called “Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd”.

These four castles are not just the best preserved, they are also among the most strategic. Each of them is located by the water so that, even in the event of an attack or siege by land, they can be restocked with supplies and soldiers from the water.

The four World Heritage castles of King Edward are Conwy Castle, Caernarfon Castle, Beaumaris Castle, and Harlech Castle. You can visit each of them and I highly recommend doing so when you’re on a trip to North Wales. They’re not just extremely significant, they are really cool to explore!

If you are interested in a tour that will take you to a couple of them (and show you some other top sights in Wales), then have a look at this Snowdonia and Castles tour.

Or there are some other great options here, which will give you a tour of at least one of the castles plus cover some other highlights in the region:

In the meantime, let me tell you a bit more about each of King Edward’s castles that make up the World Heritage Site.

Conwy Castle

Probably the most visited of them all, Conwy Castle was built by Edward I between 1283 and 1289. He chose this spot partly because of its strategic position at the mouth of a river on the north coast. But it was also a symbolic demonstration of power because the site had religious significance to the Welsh.

It’s a magnificent castle and experts consider it to be one of the best medieval fortifications in Britain.

From the outside, you can see that the castle sits on a rocky outcrop, giving it even more height and grandeur. There are two fortified gateways and eight massive towers.

To really appreciate Conwy Castle, you need to go inside. There is an outer ward with a great hall, chambers and a kitchen… and then an inner ward with private chambers and a royal chapel.

While you might say the castle is in ‘ruins’ because most of the rooms don’t have roofs or proper flooring, you certainly still feel like you are walking through a grand royal fortification and you can get a sense of where everything would once have been.

There’s actually quite a bit to explore within Conwy Castle and you can go down into the lower floor and up the towers for spectacular views across the town, the river, and over to the mountains.

Over the centuries, the castle was used by other English and Welsh rulers and played important roles in the wars that raged during the ebb and flow of power in this part of Britain. But it fell into ruin in the 17^th century.

For the next couple of centuries, the Conwy Castle mainly attracted only the attention of artists, who wanted to paint the dramatic ruins. But it was restored in the late 1800s and is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When you visit, you’ll realise there are also lots of other things to do in Conwy – and you can read about them in my article on the town.

Caernarfon Castle

Many people these days might know Caernarfon Castle as the place where the investiture took place of Prince Charles as the current Prince of Wales in 1969. (If that bit of knowledge has been lost in time a bit, it was brought back to the fore by a stunning scene in The Crown television series.)

But, of course, Caernarfon Castle has a much longer history than that – right back to its construction in 1283 and when King Edward I’s son was born here in 1284, becoming the first English Prince of Wales.

The castle an impressive structure from a military standpoint. It’s a large hulking fortification with unusual polygonal towers and has a unique appearance. It’s also great for photography because it is surrounded by water on two sides, although it gets dry during low tide.

Beaumaris Castle

When comparing the four castles of King Edward, there is no dispute that Beaumaris Castle is the one that is the most visually-pleasing. It has classic proportions and perfect symmetry, making it the best technical example of these medieval complexes.

Even from the outside, you can see the Beaumaris Castle has an ingenious ‘wall within a wall’ design that gives it extra protection. With its location on the coast of Anglesey, at the eastern end of the Menai Strait, it was also strategically important.

Harlech Castle

And, finally, there’s Harlech Castle. It was one of the cheapest of King Edward’s castles and was built quite quickly between 1283 and 1295 – but it’s still one of the most impressive!

It has two rings of walls and towers, with an immensely strong east gatehouse. It was impregnable from almost every angle and has a 61 metre long stairway from the castle to the bottom of the cliff, which could be used to bring in supplies from the sea. (The reason it looks like the castle is inland now is because the sea has receded over the past 700 years.)

If you were to pay for admission to each of the castles, it would end up being quite expensive. I would recommend having a look at the ‘Explorer Pass’ details, which you can buy at any of the castles and will give you access to a lot of sites.

Or you will see a lot in a short period of time with a tour of the region – and there are some excellent ones.

If you are interested in a tour that focuses more on the castles, then have a look at this Snowdonia and Castles tour.

Or there are some other great options which will give you a tour of at least one of the World Heritage castles, plus cover some other highlights in the region:

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of Visit Wales but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.