Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey (Wales)

Begun in 1295, this unfinished castle is the last and largest of King Edward I's Welsh fortifications.

Summary 13th century buildings (or older) Gift shop Information provided Car parking for a charge (nearby)

Introduction

Begun in 1295, this unfinished castle is the last and largest of King Edward I's Welsh fortifications. Designed by the king's mason-architect, Master James of St George, it is a perfect example of a concentrically planned castle. Formidable defences survive, surrounded by a partly restored moat.

History to the present day

Beaumaris Castle was the last castle built by King Edward I as part of his ‘iron ring’ of castles to control the Welsh in the north. It was planned in 1283, but construction was delayed until other castles were completed. However, after a Welsh rebellion in 1294, building began the following year.

As with most of Edward’s castles, a new town for English settlers was built alongside, surrounded by a wall with towers and fortified gateways (though nothing remains of them now). The site of the new town lay close to the existing Welsh town of Llanfaes, a prosperous trading port on an important route to Ireland. In order for the English town to be successful, the inhabitants of the Welsh town were moved twelve miles away, to Newborough.

Beaumaris was planned and built under the direction of Master James of St George, the king’s architect. It was to be a concentric castle, symmetrical in shape with an outer curtain wall, surrounded by a moat, enclosing an even higher inner curtain wall. It would have a defended dock to ensure that the castle could be supplied by sea.

In 1403, the castle was besieged and taken by Owain Glyn Dwr, Prince of Wales and heroic leader of Welsh opposition to English rule. However, two years later the rebels were thrown out and the castle was retaken. Over the next hundred years it was not kept in good repair, and in 1538 a survey described the castle as ‘ruinous and decaying’.

In the English Civil War the castle was in a key position to help King Charles I, as the dock could be used for bringing in troops and supplies from his supporters in Ireland. Thomas, Viscount Bulkeley, spent £3,000 to repair it for the king. After the Civil War the castle was partly taken down.

A Royal Eisteddfod was held at the castle in August 1832, attended by the Duchess of Kent and her daughter Victoria, later Queen Victoria.

In 1925 the owner, Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley, placed the castle in the guardianship of the State. The ruins were cleared and made safe. In 1987 Beaumaris, along with Harlech Castle, and the castles and walls of Conwy and Caernarfon, were inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey, Wales, , United Kingdom

Opening times:

01.11.09 - 31.03.10: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 16.00, Sunday 11.00 - 16.00

01.04.10 - 30.06.10: Monday - Sunday 09.30 - 17.00

01.07.10 - 31.08.10: Monday - Sunday 09.30 - 18.00

01.09.10 - 31.10.10: Monday - Sunday 09.30 - 17.00

01.11.10 - 28.02.11: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 16.00, Sunday 11.00 - 16.00

01.03.11 - 31.03.11: Monday - Sunday 09.30 - 17.00

Admission prices:

Adult - £3.60, Concession - £3.20, Family - £10.40

Entry is free for Welsh residents aged 60 and over or 16 and under who have a valid pass.

 

 

All photographs courtesy of CADW photographic library.