Jul 18 2007
Welsh Castles
Aberystwyth Castle
Aberystwyth Castle is located in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. The castle, now in ruins, is mere yards away from the sea. Though Aberystwyth was begun in 1277, the area has hosted other castles before it, the earliest being a fortress dating to the Iron Age.
Aberystwyth was built as a diamond-shaped concentric fortress, with gatehouses at each point. Its walls-within-walls defenses allowed its guards to fire down from different heights, helping to avoid friendly fire. Beyond its guardtowers, the castle had two gatehouses, a barbican and a tall tower in the castle’s inner ward. Today the castle rubble only hints at its past, its imposing structure destroyed by warring and its proximity to the sea. Historical accounts suggest that the castle had already begun to decay by 1343 due to wind and water erosion.
It is open to the public, and includes a park built in recent years by local town leaders.
Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle (formerly anglicised as Conway Castle) is a castle in Conwy, on the north coast of Wales. It was built between 1283 and 1289 as part of King Edward I’s second campaign in north Wales. Like many of the castles in the area, it was designed by James of St. George. The castle is divided into two wards, with the outer ward and inner ward surrounded by four towers each, with turrets. An estimated £20,000 was spent building the castle and the town’s defenses, the largest sum Edward spent on any of his Welsh castles between 1277 and 1304.
Conwy superficially resembles a concentric castle, but more accurately it is linear. Like Caernarfon Castle, it is built on a rock outcrop, to reduce the possibility of undermining. It also takes advantage of other geographical features. It was built to guard the entrance to the River Conwy.
The castle is divided into an inner and an outer ward, separated by a thick wall, and at each end, one of eight flanking towers. The towers are over 70ft high and 30ft in diameter, with walls 15ft thick, and consist of several storeys.
Nearby Bodysgallen Hall was built in the 13th century as a watchtower for Conwy Castle to lookout for attack from a northerly exposure not easily watched from Conwy itself. Some of the stone used in construction of Conwy Castle has been linked to a quarry at the Bodysgallen property (C.M. Hogan, History of Bodysgallen Hall, July, 2004, Aberdeen Municipal Library Archives, Aberdeen, Scotland).
The castle was not besieged until the Civil War, and only used sporadically over the 14th century. In 1609 it was largely dilapadated, and its slighting in the Civil War left it an empty shell. In 1665 the timber, iron and lead was removed from the castle by William Milward on behalf of the third Lord Conway.
The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and part of the World Heritage Site “Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd”.
Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle, located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a concentric castle, constructed atop a cliff close to the Irish Sea. Architecturally, it is particularly notable for its massive gatehouse.
Built by King Edward I during his conquest of Wales, the castle was subject to several assaults and sieges during its period of active use as a fortification. The seven-year siege of the castle has been memorialised in the famous song, “Men of Harlech.”
Powis Castle
Powis Castle is a medieval castle located near the town of Welshpool, in Powys, traditional county of Montgomeryshire, mid Wales. It is the residence of the Earl of Powis and is known for its extensive, attractive gardens.
The property is under the care of the National Trust, who operate it under the name “Powis Castle & Garden”.