Gwynedd Archaeological
Trust Regional Historic Environment Record
Caernarfon Castle, Caernarfon
Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 3095 Trust : Gwynedd Community : Caernarfon Unitary authority : Gwynedd NGR : SH4783562668 Site Type (preferred type first) : MEDIEVAL CASTLE Status : Scheduled Monument , World Heritage Site , Listed Building I, Cared for by the State
Summary : Caernarfon is the greatest and best known of all the North Welsh castles of Edward I, designed to be a stronghold, a royal palace and an administrative centre all in one.
The site was already occupied by a motte and bailey castle, probably built by Hugh of Avranches around 1090. The new Caernarfon Castle, begun in 1283, was built around it and this is reflected in the shape and height of the upper ward. Before the castle could be completed, the town walls were breached during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294. Work continued immediately afterwards and the castle, although never entirely finished, was completed in 1327. Although Edward II was born at Caernarfon, and it remained the official capital of north Wales, it was never used as a base for a ruling Prince of Wales and its political importance diminished. It remained garrisoned, however, and withstood two sieges during the Glyndwr rebellion. It was again held by the Royalists during the Civil War, this time withstanding three separate sieges.
The castle itself is divided into an upper and a lower ward, defended by a single curtain wall with two main gatehouses, the King's Gate and the Queen's Gate. Octagonal towers protect all angles of the curtain wall. The site is long and narrow with only the Great Hall and kitchens being built against the inner face of the wall. Accommodation was provided within the gatehouses and towers. In addition to the wall-walk, the walls also contain two levels of wall passages with, at the north east end, an arrangement of triple arrowslits.
Restoration and repair work on the castle have continued since the 1840's before it came into the care of the Ministry of Works in 1908. It has since been the scene of the Investitures of Prince Edward of Wales and of Princess Elizabeth.
Description : Caernarfon Castle was built in the late C13th, the greatest of the castles erected in Wales by Edward I under the general superintendence of Master James of St. George. Like Conwy, it has only a single ring of defences but its towers, curtains and gateways are so well designed and constructed that its architectural appearance is outstanding among the castle of Wales. Internally, its plan remains incomplete. While the initial conception must, as at Conwy, have been due chiefly to Master James of St. George, here the later stages of its execution were directed by the Master Mason Walter of Hereford and his successor and former, Henry of Ellerton. (RCAHMW, 1960)
Caernarvon castle. Published survey 25" revised. <2>
Edwardian castle, built following conquest of Wales 1283 on site of earlier motte and bailey. World Heritage Site. (Berks, Davidson & Roberts, 2005)
Caernarfon castle is an imperious and grand fortress built following the English conquest of Gwynedd in the late thirteenth century. Its banded stone towers famously reference the great walls of Constantinople. This is a play on the visionary 'Dream of Mascen Wledig', a poem celebrating Wales' legendary imperial past. The castle was in decay by the sixteenth century and was abandoned following the Civil War. It was restored and refurbished from the mid nineteenth century.
The castle, together with the walled borough (Cn 034), was begun in 1283 and was still incomplete by about 1330 when major work ended. It consists of seven great polygonal towers, two turrets and two great twin towered gates, all joined by massive curtain walls tracing a rough figure of eight. Galleries thread their way through the walls and across the towers. The higher upper ward and Queen's Gate are thought to occupy the earthworks of an earlier castle. At the other end of the castle is the mighty Eagle Tower, crowned by three tall turrets topped by sculptured figures. The grand apartments planned for the castle interior, including a great hall, may never have been built.
Although the castle presents a great display of military might from outside the medieval borough the approach to the great King's Gate follows an indirect line along narrow streets. From this direction the castle appears only in fragments.
From the nineteenth century the castle was extensively restored and the walls and towers renewed. In this way the medieval fortress has become an archetypal castle, a setting for investitures and other grand occasions. (Cooke, 2013)
Notes on Medieval coin hoard discovered by workmen in 1911 in a well on the east side of the castle. Deposited with the National Museum Wales in 1968. (Roberts, 1912) (Boon, 1986)
An interesting similarity is found in St. Briavels Castle,formerly a royal castle and the administrative centre for the Forest of Dean, where a sub-rectangular ward is fronted by an Edwardian gatehouse built c. 1292. It closely resembles the gatehouses of some of the great castles of Edward I in north Wales. Two large D-shaped towers flank a strongly defended gate-passage, with accommodation for the constable on the two floors above. It was a 'keep-gatehouse', capable of being sealed off and defended independently of the rest of the castle (Knight, 2002).
Comments, plans and illustration regarding preservation of Caernarfon Castle (Aven,t 2007). Detailed description of Caernarfon Castle, including a statue of Edward I (Fenton, 1810). Two Rolls from 1306 and ~1317, relating to Caernarfon Castle (Hartshorne, 1855). Description of the new gates of Caernarfon Castle (The Editor, 1858). An account of Cambrian Archaeological Association excursion to the castle in August 1937 with detailed, illustrated description and interpretation. (Lloyd Jones 1937). A detailed description of the excavation and preservation work undertaken at the castle between 1871 and 1874. (Turner 1874).
A short article citing evidence to refute the popular, contemporary opinion that Edward II was born in the Eagle Tower at Caernarfon Castle. (Babington 1875).
The building was intended from its inception to be the headquarters of English administration in the Principality, a palace as much as a castle. Construction was in progress, with pauses, from 1283 to 1323, but the sequence of the work within these limits has been a matter of dispute. It is believed that the whole of the great southern facade, from the north-east tower to the Eagle Tower, was largely completed before 1290, leaving the north front, the King's Gate, and the top storey and turrets of the Eagle Tower to be built after 1295. There is reason to believe that Edward of Caernarvon, the first English prince of Wales, was born in the timber-framed apartments which are known to have been erected for the accommodation of the king and queen when they were at Caernarvon in 1283 and 1284. The traditional birthplace in the Eagle Tower is unlikely to have been built as early as April, 1284. (Taylor,1952).
The report discusses the recently opened exhibitions at Caernarvon Castle: The history of the Castle and its weapons, The regimental museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and momentos of the intestiture (Arch Cam, 1980).
© Cadw/ICOMOS UK)
