When in Wales: Visiting a Welsh Prince's English Castle

Yes, I am officially the world’s worst blogger.  Instead of pretending I am actually going to start writing more often, I hope you can enjoy these posts as they do come along.  This week though, I want to share a somewhat recent trip I took with IFSA-Butler to Northern Wales.   Although this was a rather full weekend, my visit to Caernarfon Castle was a particular highlight for me because if you give me an old building and a good story about it I will be a happy person.

The bus came to a stop on the slate paved 

street just steps from a massive stone wall that

Caernarfon Castle built in 1303 by King Edward I.

rose high over the tops of any other building in the town.  Although conscious of the fact I was in the twenty-first century, the stone walls in front of me were drenched in the medieval past of this seaside town.  Caernarfon (kyre-nar-von), though now a world Heritage Site and relic of the past, still has a significant presence that emanates a history of what once was.

My geek senses were on 100 as I stepped foot into the courtyard of this massive palace.  The classic stonewalls of Shakespeare sets and English folklore stretched high into the air around me, and three huge turrets reached toward the sky on every side.  Despite the fact stones protruded yet from unfinished walls because the palace was never finished, it was easy to imagine how a little plaster and lush fabrics that would have once decorated this castle made it unlike any other. 

Although few rival its size and elegance, Caernarfon is much like most of the castles in Wales in that it was built by English conquerors.  Caernarfon though was unique in that King Edward I made it a seat of power.  The site itself is steeped in legend as Edward I choose to build on the site supposedly chosen by a Roman Emperor who searched the globe for this dream location.  As he began construction of this castle in the early eleventh century, Edward I added further legend though surrounding the birth of his son.  After killing off the last two dynastic Welsh Prince’s, the King promised to give the Welsh people his son as the new Prince of Wales in order to appease them. Legend says he promised the Welsh people “A prince born of Wales who could never speak a word of English.” Edward of Caernarfon was born in the palace in 1284, while it was still under construction, and was crowned Prince of Wales in 1301, a tradition that has continued in the English royal family since this time.

Window view from Eagle Tower.

The room in which Edward II was likely born is now covered with swept wooden boards part way up Eagle Tower, the highest turret in the palace.  Like much of the castle this room could only be reached up a precariously small spiral staircase and over a large threshold stone that thankfully once in the room kept me from falling out.  The view from this room through windows deepest into the curtain walls was amazing, and ultimately enjoyed by the Prime Minister who would have kept residence there once the palace was closer to completion in 1330.  Although a political stunt in many ways, the birth of Edward II at Caernarfon made the castle significant enough to be preserved to this day and was most recently renovated when Prince Charles was invested there in 1969 (see pictures here).

Wandering around a place centuries older than the United States itself is truly remarkable, and at times quite creepy.  However, if you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend taking some time to explore as though it were the first time anyone has seen the castle.  I found the most beautiful view outside of the tour by climbing up staircase after staircase until I could climb no more, and reached the highest point possible on Eagle Tower.  Wales in general was a beautiful place to visit, and I encourage you to visit my IFSA-Butler Bog to read more about the natural beauty of Llanberis where I stayed.

~ Wonder at Wales ~

Although Edward I promised the Welsh people a Prince who would never speak a word of English, this really was not a difficult promise to keep in the time so it is a little surprising to me there was not more hostility toward the royal family.  Edward II would have most likely only spoken Normand French, which was still the language of nobility in this time.