Castles in England and Wales

Discover how Welsh castles became pivotal in medieval warfare and politics. From Norman motte-and-bailey forts to Edward I’s formidable Iron Ring—including Conwy, Caernarfon, and Harlech—these stone strongholds controlled routes, enabled conquest, and symbolised power, shaping Wales’s turbulent history against English domination.

England's most famous castles fill every guidebook, but the country's most compelling stories belong to the fortresses that tourists overlook. These five reveal the full drama of medieval England: a soldier's brick stronghold, a mortar-blasted ruin, a queen's rallying point, a French-inspired tower, and a well hiding long-lost royal gold.