Wales is a beautiful country.
It is a land of lush green valleys and spectacular mountains. It is also the “Land of Castles”. There are more castles per square mile in Wales than anywhere else in the world. Most are in wonderful locations overlooking fantastic countryside.For at least two thousand years, from the Iron Age to the late Middle Ages, Welsh territory was fiercely disputed. The early invaders sought out mineral resources. The later invaders sought to consolidate the English rule.
Wales must have resembled the modern day Afghanastan, a mountainous territory, full of lawless tribes, bickering amongst themselves, holed up in the hills but able to unite against a common enemy. The secret to holding such a territory is to fortify. Garisons of occupation were established throughout the land. There are so many castles in Wales that it is impossible to do them justice. Many are in a wonderfully romantic state of ruin. I have read that the guide books list 40 major sites, whereas over 400 are known. I have chosen to list just my five top favourites.
Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle was built between 1283 and 1289 as part of Edward I’s second Welsh campaign. It was part of his iron ring of castles to subjugate Snowdonia. The hills of Snowdonia can be seen it the background. These castles were carefully placed so that they could be supplied by sea. Harlech Castle is spectacularly sited on top of cliffs. In Edward’s day these cliffs directly faced the sea. Part of the joy of this castle is that the sea has since retreated and it is possible to look out from the battlements across a coastal plain.From the land side the castle is very isolated. The supply chain back to the English town of Shrewsbury is long and tenuous. This isolation enabled the castle to gain a reputation as the “Home of Lost Causes”. In 1468 it was the last Lancastrian fortress to surrender, after a seven year siege, the longest in British history. The siege is supposed to have inspired the famous song “Men of Harlech”. In the English Civil War the castle was the last royal fortress to surrender to Parliamentary forces in March 1647.
Caernarvon Castle
Caernarvon Castle was the greatest castle in the Iron ring set up by Edward I to control Snowdonia. Edward I was a keen crusader and instructed that the walls be built to resemble those of Constantinople. Work on this castle began in 1283. It reached the current form in about 1323. The castle was never fully completed. There are joints in the walls which were designed to accommodate further extensions.The castle was always intended to be the seat of Royal government in North Wales. The tradition of investing the first son of the British monarch Prince of Wales began here in 1301 when Edward I bequeathed the title on his son Edward. The tradition was revived in 1911 for the investiture of the then Prince of Wales, who went on to become Edward VIII (the king who abdicated). The investiture was repeated for the current Prince of Wales in 1969.
Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly Castle is in south Wales. Unlike the northern Iron ring, this was not a royal castle. It was built betwen 1268 and 1271 by the de Clare family to check the westward ambitions of Llewyln, the last independent prince of Wales. Edward I defeated Llewyln fifteen years later in the north. The power and influence of the de Clare’s is obvious. This is the largest castle in Wales and the second largest in Britain. Only Windsor Castle is larger. Folowing the defeat of Llewyll the castle cease dot have a major military role, although ti was breifly captured by Owen Glendour in 1403.I find Caerphilly Castle fascinating because of the unusual defences. The local stream was dammed to produce a very wide moat. This keeps the castle out of range of seige engines and catapults. An attacking force needs to capture the fortified wall that extends over the dam then drain the moat before commencing the main assault.
Carreg Cennen
I chose this castle for two reasons. The setting is spectacular. The castle perches on a limestone precipice. It also shows the other side. This castle was built by a Welsh lord. Compared to the carefully designed English castles this little more than a ramshackle, fortified township. Ruined houses huddle behind the outer walls. The fortified towns of the Welsh lords are less widely knwon than the royal castles. This is a shame because they are found in such evocative locations.
Castle Coch
My final choice is Castle Coch. This castle sits on a ridge near Cardiff. It is a fairy tale castle which reconsts the atmosphere of a thirteenth centurty castle. It was built by the faboulously wealthy Marquis of Bute as part of the Victorian gothic movement..
