Caernarfon Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caernarfon Castle |
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| Castell Caernarfon | |
| Caernarfon, Gwynedd in Wales | |
The castle from across the River Seiont
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 Caernarfon Castle
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| Coordinates | 53°08′21″N 4°16′37″W / 53.1393°N 4.2769°W |
| Type | Castle |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Part of | Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, iii, iv |
| Inscription | 1986 (10th Session) |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name | Caernarfon Castle |
| Designated | 31 March 1983 |
| Reference no. | 3814 |
Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon) is an amazing medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It was first a simple motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 1000s. King Edward I of England started building the huge stone castle you see today in 1283.
This castle and the town around it became a very important place for ruling north Wales. That's why its defenses were built so grand! The castle even connects to Caernarfon's Roman past. A Roman fort called Segontium is nearby. The castle's walls look a bit like the famous Walls of Constantinople.
While the castle was being built, strong town walls were also added. The whole project cost a lot of money, about £20,000 to £25,000, and finished in 1330. From the outside, the castle looks mostly complete. But many parts inside were never finished. Also, the original inner buildings are gone.
In 1294, the town and castle were attacked and taken by Madog ap Llywelyn during his rebellion against the English. But the English took it back the next year. The castle was also attacked during the Glyndŵr Rising (1400–1415), but it was not captured.
When the Tudor dynasty came to power in England in 1485, the fighting between the Welsh and English lessened. Castles became less important. So, Caernarfon Castle slowly fell apart.
Even though it was in bad shape, Caernarfon Castle was held by the King's supporters (called Royalists) during the English Civil War. It was attacked three times by the Parliament's forces (called Parliamentarians). This was the last time the castle was used in a war.
The castle was left alone until the 1800s when the government paid for repairs. Caernarfon Castle has been used for special ceremonies where the Prince of Wales is officially given his title. This happened in 1911 and again in 1969. Today, Cadw, the Welsh Government's history service, looks after the castle. It is also part of a World Heritage Site called "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd".
Contents
Why Was Caernarfon Castle Built?
The first defenses at Caernarfon were built by the Romans. Their fort, named Segontium, is just outside the modern town. The fort was likely built there because it was a safe spot. It could also get supplies easily by the River Seiont.
Caernarfon gets its name from these Roman forts. In Welsh, the place was called y gaer yn Arfon. This means 'the stronghold in the land over against Môn'. Môn is the Welsh name for Anglesey. We don't know much about what happened to Segontium after the Romans left Britain around 400 AD.
The First Castle at Caernarfon
After the Normans took over England, William the Conqueror looked towards Wales. In 1086, a Norman leader named Robert of Rhuddlan was in charge of northern Wales. He was killed by the Welsh in 1088.
His cousin, Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester, took back control. He built three castles, including one at Caernarfon. This early castle was on a piece of land surrounded by the River Seiont and the Menai Strait. It was a motte and bailey castle. This means it had a mound (motte) and a courtyard (bailey) protected by a wooden fence (palisade) and earth walls.
The mound of this first castle was later used in the Edwardian castle. But we don't know exactly where the original courtyard was. The Welsh took back Gwynedd in 1115. Caernarfon Castle then belonged to the Welsh princes. Important Welsh leaders like Llywelyn the Great and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd sometimes stayed there.
King Edward I's Grand Castle
War started again between England and Wales in 1282. The Welsh leader, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, died later that year. His brother Dafydd ap Gruffydd kept fighting, but King Edward I won in 1283. Edward marched through northern Wales, taking castles and building new ones like Conwy.
The war ended in May 1283 when Dolbadarn Castle, Dafydd ap Gruffudd's last castle, was captured. Soon after, Edward began building castles at Harlech and Caernarfon. These castles were the most impressive of their time in Wales. Their construction helped England control Wales.
The main builder and designer of the castle was probably James of Saint George. He was a very skilled architect and military engineer. He helped build many of Edward's castles in Wales. A old story says that during the castle's building, the body of a Roman emperor, Magnus Maximus, was found. Edward I ordered it to be reburied in a local church.
Building the Stone Fortress
Building the new stone castle was part of a big plan for Caernarfon. New town walls were added, connected to the castle. A new dock was also built. The first records of building at Caernarfon are from June 24, 1283. A ditch was dug to separate the castle site from the town.
A temporary fence was put up to protect the site while the main defenses were built. Wood was brought from places as far away as Liverpool. Stone was dug from nearby areas, including Anglesey. Hundreds of workers dug the moat and the foundations for the castle. As the building grew, it took over parts of the town. Houses were removed to make space. The people living there were not paid for their homes until three years later.
While the stone walls were being built, wooden apartments were made for King Edward I and his queen, Eleanor of Castile. They visited Caernarfon in July 1283 and stayed for over a month.
Building continued through the winter of 1283–84. The Statute of Rhuddlan, made on March 3, 1284, made Caernarfon a special town (a borough). It became the main center for ruling Gwynedd.
A famous story says that Edward II was born at Caernarfon on April 25, 1284. He was made Prince of Wales in 1301. Since then, the eldest son of the King or Queen has usually held this title. A legend says the king promised the Welsh a prince "born in Wales, who did not speak a word of English." Then he showed them his baby son. But this story might not be true, as it only appeared much later.
By 1285, Caernarfon's town walls were mostly finished. Work on the castle continued. By 1292, about £12,000 had been spent on the castle and town walls. The southern part of the castle was built first. The plan was to build the northern part last.
Rebellion and Rebuilding
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In 1294, Wales rebelled under Madog ap Llywelyn. Caernarfon was a target because it was a symbol of English power. Madog's forces captured the town in September. They badly damaged the town walls. The castle was only protected by a ditch and a temporary fence. It was quickly taken, and anything that could burn was set on fire.
In the summer of 1295, the English came to take back Caernarfon. By November, they started rebuilding the town. Fixing the town walls was very important. They spent £1,195 to finish the walls quickly. Then, they focused on finishing the castle work that had stopped in 1292.
After the rebellion, Edward started building Beaumaris Castle. Walter of Hereford took over as the main builder for Caernarfon. By 1301, another £4,500 had been spent. The focus was on the northern wall and towers. Building continued steadily until 1330.
From 1284 to 1330, between £20,000 and £25,000 was spent on Caernarfon's castle and town walls. This was a huge amount of money! Even so, much of what was planned for the castle was never built. The backs of the King's Gate and Queen's Gate were left unfinished. Foundations inside the castle show where buildings would have stood.
Caernarfon Castle's Later Years
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For about 200 years after Wales was conquered, the castle always had soldiers living in it. Caernarfon was like the capital of north Wales. But Welsh people were often not allowed to have the most important jobs.
Tensions between the Welsh and English grew in the early 1400s. This led to the Glyndŵr Rising (1400–1415). Caernarfon was one of the main targets for Owain Glyndŵr's army. The town and castle were attacked in 1401. A battle was fought nearby in November of that year. Caernarfon was attacked again in 1403 and 1404 by Welsh and French forces.
When the Tudor dynasty came to the English throne in 1485, things changed. The Tudors were of Welsh origin. Their rule helped ease the bad feelings between the Welsh and English. Because of this, castles like Caernarfon became less important. They were not looked after. By 1538, many castles in Wales were "very ruined and far in decay."
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At Caernarfon, the town and castle walls stayed in good shape. But parts that needed care, like roofs, fell apart. By 1620, only the Eagle Tower and the King's Gate still had roofs. The buildings inside the castle had been stripped of anything valuable, like glass and iron.
Even though the inner buildings were ruined, the castle's defenses were still strong. During the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, the King's supporters used it. Caernarfon Castle was attacked three times during the war. The castle's commander, John Byron, 1st Baron Byron, gave up Caernarfon to the Parliament's forces in 1646. This was the last time Caernarfon Castle saw fighting.
After the war, in 1660, there was an order to take down the castle and town walls. But this work was stopped early and might not have even started.
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The castle was ignored until the late 1800s. From the 1870s, the government started paying for repairs. A man named Llewellyn Turner oversaw the work. He often rebuilt parts of the castle, which was sometimes controversial. Steps, battlements, and roofs were fixed. Buildings that blocked the view of the castle were removed, even though locals protested.
Since 1908, the castle has been protected because of its history. In 1911, Caernarfon was used for the special ceremony where Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) became Prince of Wales. This happened because David Lloyd George, a Welshman, insisted on it. In 1969, the same ceremony was held for Charles, Prince of Wales.
Caernarfon Castle has always belonged to the King or Queen. Today, it is looked after by Cadw (which means "to keep" in English). This is the Welsh Government's service for historic places. In 1986, Caernarfon became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means it's important to the whole world and should be protected. The castle also has the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum.
Caernarfon Castle is now a very popular place for tourists. Over 205,000 people visited in 2018. A big project finished in 2023. It cost £5 million and opened up new parts of the castle. It also made the battlements wheelchair accessible.
What Does Caernarfon Castle Look Like?
The castle's designer, Master James of Saint George, wanted it to look very impressive. It was a symbol of England's new rule in Wales. Caernarfon was the center of government for north Wales, so it had to look strong.
The castle's shape was mostly decided by the land itself. It's a narrow shape, a bit like a figure eight. It was planned to have two main areas, called "wards." The eastern ward was meant for royal living spaces, but these were never finished.
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The castle walls have many towers with many sides (polygonal). These towers allowed defenders to fire along the walls. The tops of the walls and towers had battlements. The southern wall had special firing galleries. Galleries were planned for the northern wall too, but they were never built. All these features made Caernarfon Castle "one of the most formidable concentrations of fire-power" in the Middle Ages.
Most of the northern towers had four floors, including a basement. The Eagle Tower, at the western corner, was the grandest. It has three small towers on top, which once had statues of eagles. This tower had fancy rooms. It was probably built for Sir Otton de Grandson, the first ruler of Wales. A water gate in the basement allowed visitors to enter from the River Seiont. Water for the castle came from a well in the Well Tower.
Caernarfon looks different from other castles built by Edward. It uses striped colored stone in its walls. Its towers are many-sided, not round. Historians have discussed why it looks this way. Some believe the design was inspired by the Walls of Constantinople. This would show Edward I's power, linking him to the great Roman Empire. It might also be linked to a Welsh legend about Magnus Maximus, a Roman emperor.
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There were two main entrances. The King's Gate led from the town. The Queen's Gate allowed direct access to the castle without going through the town. Both were typical castle entrances, with a passage between two towers. If the King's Gate had been finished, visitors would have crossed two drawbridges, gone through five doors, and under six portcullises. They would also have to make a sharp turn. This path was watched by many arrow loops and murder holes. A statue of Edward II was placed above the King's Gate.
The Queen's Gate is unusual because its entrance is above ground. This was because it was built on the older castle's mound, which raised the ground level inside. Outside, a stone ramp would have led up to it, but this ramp is now gone.
While the outer walls and towers are mostly still standing, only the foundations remain of the buildings inside the castle. The royal living areas were in the upper ward. The lower ward had buildings like the kitchens. The kitchens were just west of the King's Gate. They were not built very strongly. The castle's other main building was the Great Hall. This was a large building, about 30.5 meters long. Even though only the foundations remain, it would have been very impressive. It was used for royal parties. If Caernarfon had been fully completed, it could have held hundreds of people.
Constables of Caernarfon Castle
The Constable of Caernarfon Castle was like the mayor of the town before 1835.
- 1890–1908: John Henry Puleston
- 1908–1945: David Lloyd George
- 1945–1963: Hon. William Ormsby-Gore
- 1963–2017: The Earl of Snowdon
- 2018–present: Edmund Seymour Bailey
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Caernarfon para niños
