Caernarfon Castle Facts for Kids

Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon), often anglicized as Carnarvon Castle, is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing 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. It is a World Heritage Site.

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Map of Caernarfon in 1610 by John Speed. The castle was at the south end of the settlement.
Plan of Caernarfon Castle: A – Site of Water Gate; B – Eagle Tower; C – Queen's Tower; D – Well Tower; E – Lower Ward; F – Great Hall; G – Kitchens; H – Chamberlain Tower; I – King's Gate; J – Upper Ward; K – Black Tower; L – Granary Tower; M – North-East Tower; N – Cistern Tower; O – Queen's Gate. Blue shows the area built between 1283–92, red that between 1295–1323
Caernarfon Castle from the west. The town's walls, which were mostly complete by 1285, join with the castle and continue off to the left of the photo.
A painting of Caernarfon by J. M. W. Turner in 1830–1835
A painting of Caenarfon castle from the 18th century by Joseph Farrington
The King's Gate was one of the few areas of the castle which still had a roof by 1620.
Demolition work in 1959 to clear modern buildings around the Eagle Tower
The ward of Caernarfon Castle, showing (from left to right) the Black Tower, the Chamberlain's Tower, and the Eagle Tower. By the 17th century, the castle's domestic buildings had been stripped of valuable materials such as iron and lead.
The unfinished rear of the King's Gate, the main entrance to the castle from the town.
The Queen's Gate
Aerial view of Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon Castle facts for kids

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