Conwy Castle, Wales (Travel)

Conwy Castle, Wales – Port of Holyhead

British Isles

Conwy Castle is considered by many to be the most impressive of all Welsh castles. It did not disappoint!

On our 12 day NCL cruise around the British Isles, we made one stop in Wales at the Port of Holyhead (pro. “Holly-head”). It was a dreary, cloudy day but once again, the rain held off and we enjoyed our excursion to another British Isles’ castle, our fourth of five on this trip.

In the Old Town of Conwy, the magnificent Conwy Castle is one of the finest medieval fortifications in the UK. Built by King Edward I in the 1280s, the castle is so extraordinary that it has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Conwy Castle Walls & Towers

Conwy Castle soars to an imposing height! Sitting on a rocky outcrop, the castles boasts 8 massive stone towers along a well-preserved wall – with even more stone towers – which also surrounds the Old Town of Conwy. With its 2 fortified gateways, the castle looks almost impenetrable.

The original medieval Old Town wall connects to, and runs from the castle. Virtually intact all around the town, it averages 30 feet tall and 1400 yards long.

The city wall was built at the same time as the castle. It is the best example in Britain of the defense works introduced by King Edward I.

Conwy Old Town

Stone walls surrounding the Old Town of Conwy are fortified with 3 gateways and 21 towers. The center of the Old Town has retained its ambiance, having escaped the impact of modern development occurring outside the wall. A reconstruction of the the castle and town walls in the 13th century, represented in a model inside the castle, was a good visual aid!

Conway Castle Bridge

As it stands guard over the river, Conwy Castle remains dramatically striking, even in its present ruins. It overlooks a uniquely designed pair of bridges which bring the road and railway into the town. A spacious patio on the castle provides a stunning view of both the bridges and the river.

The Conwy Castle Bridge was designed by a gifted Scottish engineer, Thomas Telford (1757-1834). It is one of his most outstanding works in Wales. Completed in 1826, it was designed in a style that would blend with the castle. Telford incorporated aesthetic as well as practical qualities.

Across the mouth of the Conwy estuary (a partly enclosed coastal body of water in which seawater is mixed with river water), it is next to a railway bridge, the boxy structure on the right of photo. On the left is the modern New Bridge used today.

Conwy Castle provides a wonderful hands-on experience. Stairways provide access from room to room and floor to floor. Visitors are free to climb up the restored spiral stairs which access the towers. Endless opportunities allow the visitor to explore the castle and trace the ingenious servants’ passages between the rooms. In fact, it is possible to walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle.

Art

Art has been incorporated to give a fun ambiance of the castle. ‘The King’s Head’ (Pen y Brenin in Welsh) is my favorite! As seen in upper left side of my photo below, it is a drawing in space meant to capture the essence of the ghostly presence of Edward I in the royal chambers. (Created by Gideon Petersen 2012)

Another fun piece of art is the sculpture of ‘The Guard’ (Y Gwarchodwr, in Welsh). A popular photo stop, it welcomes the visitor soon after entry to the castle. Symbolically constructed from Welsh oak beams and carved with details representing the wooden vaulting, it includes ribbing and flourishes that might have once adorned the rooms of the castle. (Created by by John Merrill 2012. )

History & Architecture

Even in ruins, the Conwy Castle is impressive as I imagine what it was like when it was built! Both the castle and the walls were built in only 4 short years – 1283-1287 – by King Edward I and his architect, Master Mason James of St George.

My imagination ran wild as I envisioned stained glass reflecting colored light through the magnificent Gothic windows of the chapel in the king’s Great Chamber.

Picturesque ivy and other greens wound up the castle walls. They added to the romantic ambiance that old castle ruins bring to mind. Our guide shared that the green “stuff” on the stone walls was actually traces of lime render which tells us a story. This darkly foreboding fortress was originally bright white!

The new image of Conwy Castle filled my mind. It gleamed brightly with its white walls, heraldic banners, painted shutters and shields hanging from the battlements! It truly was a fortress fit for a king, inside and out.

The sequence of the original castle’s construction was interesting. The mighty towers and the curtain wall around the city were created first, before the interior of the castle. The concept was that until the castle was secure, there was no point in luxury! Point well taken!

Inside this bristling outer shell, Master Mason James of St. George built an impressive suite of luxurious royal apartments. The result: Conway Castle contains the most complete set of residential rooms inhabited by medieval monarchy anywhere in England or Wales. We learned that even the Tower of London does not come close!

Wandering from room to room, we let our imaginations run wild as we got a glimpse of the life of the medieval English royal court. I found it interesting when our guide noted that the actual kings and queen were mostly noticeable by their absence. after all he did to design and build it, King Edward I only stayed here once!

The story is that while trapped by a Welsh rebellion in 1294, the king spent a miserable Christmas in Conwy Castle with just one barrel of wine in the castle cellar for comfort. It is speculated that Eleanor of Castile, his queen, may have only seen Conwy and her private, first floor chamber, as a building site. She died in 1290 after years abroad, never actually residing the the castle. .

History provides some interesting tidbits of later life events in the Conwy Castle. In 1301 the future Edward II came to the castle to receive homage as Prince of Wales and stayed for a few months. In 1399, Conwy Castle also hosted tense negotiations between Richard II and his eventual captors. The royal apartments were actually used for their intended purpose only a few times. By the 1600s, the original suite with two entrances – one for the king and one for the queen – had been converted to a single unit. Damage caused in the aftermath of the Civil War soon meant that these royal rooms were never lived in again, a sadly familiar story at medieval sites across Wales.

Visit

The best place to find information on a visit to Conwy and the Conwy Castle is at their website. The old town is picturesque with quaint places to lodge, shop and dine. It is a gateway to the rest of Wales and the British Isles as a whole – and worth the stop! Conwy is reachable by sea (Port of Holyhead), train or air (5 airports with 30-60 miles),

• cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/conwy-castle

We found a tiny cafe with great ambiance and service – and new tastes for us to experience. NEW: the Bara Brith (Scottish tea bread) was unique and delicious. NEW: I loved the refreshing organic elderflower fruit soda served in a festive glass. Skip’s usual, a frothy cappuccino, was the most delicious one he’s ever had!

Sources

• The Conwy Castle Website: cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/conwy-castle
• Local Tour Guide on our NCL booked excursion for Conwy Castle and surrounding area
• Information posted on site at Conwy Castle grounds

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