The Great Hall and interior of one of the towers. | Croeso i Gastell Conwy! Conwy Castle is a medieval fortress built under King Edward I of England in the late 1200's. In my opinion, this is one of the finest castles in all of the United Kingdom. When complete the total cost of the castle was around £15,000 (about $22,800). The castle has two barbicans (a fortified gateway into a castle), eight massive defensive towers, and thick towering walls that all sit on a strategic rocky outcrop. The shape of the rock dictated the shape of the castle, giving it its elongated shape that would look very intimidating to an attacking force that would have to fight Conwy's heavy defenses. Conwy Castle did see some action during the Welsh Uprisings when the Welsh captured the castle by tricking the English occupiers but soon were forced to flee. It also played a significant role in the English Civil War (1642-1651), when in 1646 the parliamentary army laid siege on the castle for three months before finally capturing it. Unfortunately after the war it was stripped of all sale-able materials (including the roof) leaving an empty shell. The castle quickly turned to a ruined state and has remained that way for many centuries. The rainy climate of the U.K. hasn't really affected the structural integrity at all. The arches that once supported a roof still hold, the ramparts, towers, and other inner walls all stand strong as well. The buildings that were once inside the castle are almost completely gone, though what remains is enough to tell what life was once like inside the castle walls. I recommend looking more into the story of Conwy Castle, and as always, diolch am ymweld! |
For more information visit http://www.conwy-castle.co.uk/History-of-Conwy-Castle.html