CONWAY (CONWY)

Grid Ref: SH 784 773
Dates: 4 September 2011

Conwy lies on the west bank of the estuary of the River Conwy (Afon Conwy) on the North Wales coast. Conwy castle was built by Edward I between 1283 and 1287 during his campaign to conquer Wales. Edward I lived from June 1239 to July 1307 and was king from 1272 to 1307. The castle was the strongest point in a walled town. It was part of a ring of fortresses round the coast of Wales including Flint, Rudlan, Beaumaris, Caernarfon, and Harlech which could all be supplied by sea. Conwy withstood the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in the winter of 1294–95, acted as a temporary haven for Richard II in 1399 and was held for several months by forces loyal to Owain Glyndŵr in 1401.

Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies. In the aftermath, the castle was deliberately damaged by Parliament to prevent it being used in any further revolt, and was finally completely ruined in 1665 when its remaining iron and lead was stripped and sold off. Conwy Castle became an attractive destination for painters in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Visitor numbers grew and initial restoration work was carried out in the second half of the 19th century. In the 21st century, the ruined castle is managed by Cadw as a tourist attraction.

UNESCO considers Conwy to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe", and it is classed as a World Heritage Site. The rectangular castle is built from local and imported stone and occupies a coastal ridge, originally overlooking an important crossing point over the River Conwy. Divided into an Inner and an Outer Ward, it is defended by eight large towers and two barbicans (fortified gateways) with a postern gate leading down to the river, allowing the castle to be resupplied from the sea. It retains the earliest surviving stone machicolations in Britain. These were openings from the battlements to allow defenders to tip stones or boiling oil onto those attacking the walls. In keeping with other Edwardian castles in North Wales such as Harlech, the architecture of Conwy has close links to that found in the Savoy during the same period, an influence probably derived from the Savoy origins of the main architect, James of Saint George.

The old story that Edward I promised the Welsh people that they would have a prince born in Wales who spoke no English and produced his infant son, is now discounted as myth. The Norman Kings, William I, William II and Henry I, followed by the Plantagenets spoke Norman French. The first monarch after 1066 known to have spoken in English was Henry IV who reigned from 1399-1413.

Sources

Wikipedia article on Conwy Castle