Wales - Conwy Castle

A view of the castle's massive defensive wall and its original gateway (right).

The outer ward of Conway Castle.

Conwy Castle defended the river and the town's harbour.

Conwy Castle (Medieval English: Conway Castle; Welsh: Castell Conwy) is a castle in Conwy, on the north coast of Wales. It was built between 1283 and 1289 [1] during King Edward I's second campaign in North Wales.

The 19th-century steel-box railway bridge was built with stone battlements to help it blend in with the adjacent medieval castle.

Conwy replaced Deganwy Castle, an earlier stronghold built by Henry III that had been destroyed by Llywelyn the Last in 1263.

A stepped ramp, at this point, led up to the castle's original gateway which had a portcullis and drawbridge.

The towers of the inner ward. These had additional turrets to improve defense of the Royal Apartments.

The outer ward which housed the Great Hall and the garrison's living quarters.

The North Wales Coast Line runs beneath the castle's southern walls.

The external walls of the outer ward. The remains of a privy, now fenced for safety, are next to the central tower

 

An external view of one of the inner ward's towers with its additional archers' turrets.

 

The castle, which was sited on a rocky promontory, for maximum defence and visible statement.

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