Castles in Wales

Caernarfon Castle, Edward I’s masterpiece of conquest, towers above the River Seiont, its banded walls and polygonal towers echoing Constantinople’s imperial grandeur. Built to crush Welsh resistance, it served as military bastion, seat of English law, and stage for royal pageantry—proclaiming unassailable dominion over Gwynedd for over seven centuries.

Rhuddlan Castle, begun in 1277 by Edward I, was the first of his Iron Ring fortresses. Its diamond plan, round towers, and river dock secured the Clwyd valley, symbolising English conquest. Today its haunting ruins stand as testament to ruthless ambition and the enduring imprint of medieval power on Welsh soil.