The ruins of Cardigan Castle dominate the skyline above Cardigan, Wales.

Once full of medieval splendor, the castle is now in a deplorable state: its walls are propped up by scaffolding and the gardens are overgrown.

Cardigan Castle History

Although the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt at various times throughout the centuries, the present mix of Medieval, Georgian, and 20th-century architecture is enchanting.

But it is not only the building that gives Cardigan Castle its historical significance. It is also the people who lived, fought, and died within its walls that make the building of great importance.

One such figure was Lord Rhys, one of Wales’ most prominent rulers, who battled against the Normans in the 12th century, eventually capturing the castle from the overlords and re-constructing it using stone.

So delighted was the Lord Rhys with the Cardigan Castle, that he put on a festival to show it off. This was to be the precursor to Wales’ National Eisteddfod, the arts festival that attracts over 160,000 visitors during its ten days and is the largest of its kind in Europe.

Three centuries on from Lord Rhys, Henry VII stayed at Cardigan on his way to battle at Bosworth and later gave the castle to Catherine of Aragon when she married his son, Arthur.

In the 19th century, a new building was added to the property. The Georgian Castle Green House was incorporated into part of the remaining, ruinous structure and has been used as a private residence for much of its life.

Barbara Wood bought the house in the 1940s. After a series of battles between Ms. Wood and the local council in the 80s and 90s, it was repurchased into public hands.

Cardigan Castle Location

Address: 13 Strand, Cardigan, Ceredigion SA43 1EX
Approximate Geographic Coordinates: 52.081608,-4.660129
Get help with directions:

Cardigan Castle Map

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Caerphilly Castle History

Caerphilly Castle in Glamorgan, South Wales, is arguably the most impressive non-royal castle in Wales and stands in comparison with even the mightiest of the castles built by Edward I after 1276.

It was built in 1268 by Red Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, in an effort to assert his claim to the disputed territory of upland Glamorgan.

A quick tour of Caerphilly reveals how much had changed since the 12th century, when keeps or great towers were fashionable. When castles were laid out from scratch in the 13th century, master masons and their patrons preferred an ‘enclosure’ model, which allowed them greater freedom to experiment with new designs.

The hall, the chapel, the kitchens, and the stables were now arranged around a courtyard, and all this was surrounded, or ‘enclosed’, by a circuit of high walls. A very early example of this type of castle was built at Framlingham in Suffolk in 1190.

Enclosed and safe
The walls of an enclosure castle were punctuated with solid towers. These stood taller than the walls themselves in order to allow flanking fire in all directions against attackers. Throughout the 13th century, there was a distinct preference for round towers rather than square ones.

It seems clear that 13th-century masons and military experts thought that this made the towers stronger. For example, the 13th-century masons who repaired the shattered 12th-century keep of Rochester Castle clearly weren’t in the least bit interested in making it look pretty again – they simply wanted it to be stronger, so they replaced the collapsed square tower with a round one.

Another very important development in the 13th century was the gatehouse, which grew in size until it started to resemble a keep. From the start of the century, the gatehouse was formed by building two round towers on either side of the entrance. A larger gatehouse meant there was room for accommodation above the entrance, which was often used by the constable of the castle.

Caerphilly Castle also exemplifies the idea of ‘concentricity’, or having several lines of defense around the castle. The center of the castle is protected by two complete loops of walls, one inside the other. The most striking element of Caerphilly’s defenses, however, are the great artificial lakes that surround it. The deep water of the moat made undermining impossible, and the wide expanses of water on either side of the castle denied would-be attackers a place to put their trebuchets (catapults).

Flashpoint
As well as being a fascinating castle in its own right, Caerphilly was one of the main flashpoints for the war which led to the conquest of Wales. It’s building from 1268 was seen as a provocation against Welsh leader Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and a challenge to his newly acquired title as Prince of Wales.

Llywelyn twice attacked the castle while it was being built, but failed to gain possession in 1272. Instead, he tried complaining to Edward I, and miscalculated badly by trying to force the king into action. Edward’s devastating response was to invade and conquer Wales. With the threat from Llywelyn removed, Caerphilly Castle was used less as a fortress and more as a center for control and administration of the de Clare estates in the Glamorgan uplands.

The Red Earl died in 1295 and the estates passed to his son, also called Gilbert. Gilbert was killed at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, ending the de Clare male line.

In 1317, the de Clare inheritance was partitioned between Earl Gilbert’s three younger sisters. Eleanor de Clare, the eldest, was married to Hugh Despenser the younger. A favorite of Edward II, he held the court position of chamberlain.

Able to pick which part of the de Clare estates he wanted he chose the lordship of Glamorgan and Cardiff, and therefore acquired the castle. Despenser started work on the great hall at Caerphilly Castle. In 1326 the deeply unpopular Edward II was forced to abdicate by his estranged wife and some rebel barons. The king spent some time taking refuge at Caerphilly with his favorite Despenser before both were eventually captured. Despenser was executed.

The Caerphilly Castle today
From this time on the castle’s role as a fortress and as the domestic residence of a lord it declined, with its various owners preferring the more comfortable surroundings of other properties.

Today the Caerphilly Castle is under the care of CADW and is open to the public. Hugh Despenser’s Hall is available to hire for weddings.

Caerphilly Castle Location

Address: Twyn Square, Caerphilly, Caerphilly, Wales CF83 1JL., United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Caerphilly Castle Map

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Caernarfon Castle is the most impressive of a string of majestic castles built by Edward I after his conquest of North Wales in 1283.

An enormous fortress-palace by the sea, it has a good claim to be one of the most important castles in the UK. It is the product not only of Edward’s military genius but also of the king’s ambition to be like the legendary King Arthur the mythical ruler of a united island of Britain.

Caernarfon Castle and Wales’ History

Welsh independence:
One obstacle to Edward’s ambition was the fact that, when he was crowned in 1274, Wales was ruled by an independent prince called Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. In 1277, Edward led a huge army into north Wales and forced the prince into a humiliating surrender, hemming him in with four new English castles at Rhuddlan, Flint, Aberystwyth, and Builth.

When Llywelyn and the Welsh rose up in rebellion against these new English castles in 1282, Edward’s reaction was swift and decisive. He drove enormous armies into Wales and conquered it completely. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was killed in the fighting, leaving the way clear for the king to confiscate North Wales for himself. To secure his hold on his new province, he began to build three mighty new castles – Conwy, Harlech, and Caernarfon.

Edwardian strategy:
Edward chose the sites for these castles with care, selecting positions by the sea so he could keep them supplied during siege, and deliberately (and callously) building on top of centers of Llywelyn’s power, to erase the memory of the Welsh prince and his ancestors.

The new castles rose at astonishing speed. Drawing manpower and materials from all over his empire, Edward ensured that within a decade of the conquest, Conwy and Harlech were completely finished and Caernarfon Castle was already half-built. The specifics of the design, however, the king left to a brilliant master mason, Master James of St George. Master James had built spectacular castles for Edward’s uncle, the Count of Savoy, which the king had seen when he dropped in on the count on his way back from his Crusade.

De luxe fittings:
For Edward’s new castles, Master James spared no expense, producing designs that combined formidable military strength and the greatest possible degree of luxury. At Conwy, Harlech, and Caernarfon we see not only massive gatehouses, mighty towers, and countless crossbow loops (slits in the walls), but also evidence of piped water, glazed windows, and en-suite toilets.

At Caernarfon, Master James really pulled out all the stops, creating not just a fortress and royal residence, but a statement of Edward’s imperial dream. With its polygon-shaped towers and banded masonry, the castle deliberately evokes the walls of Constantinople, the capital of the eastern Roman empire, and therefore proclaims Edward as a conquering Caesar. Other artistic touches, such as the stone eagles on top of the Eagle Tower, continue this imperial theme.

Caernarfon Castle – Symbol of conquest
If these artistic subtleties were lost on the Welsh, the overall message of Caernarfon was clear – you are conquered. It was a message that the Welsh resisted furiously, storming the castle in 1294 and throwing down its half-finished walls.

Although Edward put down the rebellion and building work was resumed, Caernarfon Castle was never finished. When the king died in 1307, his imperial dreams died with him. Within a generation of Edward’s death, building work at Caernarfon ground to a halt forever, and the greatest chapter of English castle-building was closed.

Caernarfon Castle today
The accession to the English throne in 1485 of a king of Welsh lineage, Henry VII, softened the old hostilities between England and Wales. From the 16th century onwards, Caernarfon Castle was increasingly neglected. During the 19th century, a program of repairs was undertaken at government expense.

The Caernarfon Castle is now managed by CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments, and is open to the public. Much of the original castle survives and today it houses a number of historical displays and museums.

Caernarfon Castle Location

Address: Caernarfon Castle, Castle Ditch, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 2AY, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Caernarfon Castle Map

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