Death, Betrayal and Tourism at Conwy Castle
The summer of 2019 had been filled with new adventures, including Chloe flying for the first time in her life; enjoying the stunning weather as we walked along the seafront in Southend and spending time with my parents and friends. As we were nearing towards the end of our time in the UK, we were lucky enough to go on a family holiday to Llandudno (pronounced Clan-did-no) in North Wales.
The evening before we left, I had been on a nice walk along the River Thames and into the Broadway (the local high street) when the skies suddenly darkened, and an ominous storm seemed to suddenly roll in. With a slight sense of urgency, I began to make my way back home when all hell broke loose and the sky seemed to menacingly descend upon the world. Huge raindrops fell in rapid succession, with anyone who was unfortunate enough to be outside (myself included) becoming drenched in seconds. The storm’s power reached its true awesomeness when looking out across the river and seeing how the surface was churned up violently by the rain. The storm powered through the night and into the early hours of the morning, up until when we packed up the car and left.
The worst of the storm had passed, and it had begun to subside as we drove north to Chester where we wanted our extended family to meet Chloe. A few hours later we arrived, thankful that Chloe had been very calm and relaxed throughout the entire journey. Chloe enjoyed meeting everyone and playing with the dogs. After spending a bit of time meeting everyone and catching up, we bundled back into the cars and headed over to Wales. The weather had been getting better throughout the journey and seemed to peak as we arrived in Llandudno. We drove up hills and very steep roads to arrive at the wonderful mansionesque home built into the rocky hillside. The home had been built in the 19th century and had a rich history. The building had 3 floors and was Victorian in style. Whilst the home was cosy and wonderful, there was an almost spooky atmosphere to it. However, it was just the result of wild imaginations and hundreds of horror films.
1. This was a great house to stay in, surrounded by rocky walls and had a great view of Llandudno.
Conwy Castle
Llandudno had lots to offer for visiting tourists, including a stunning seafront, a wide variety of shops, restaurants and cafes, an old promenade with amusements and a variety of local sights throughout the town. On the final day of July, we decided to head over to Conwy to visit Conwy Castle. The weather wasn’t exactly in our favour as we arrived. However, while light rain began to fall, we were surprised by the route we had to take to arrive at the castle, including travelling through a large castle arch which extended across the road. The car park was very close to the castle and many people were visiting that day. We put Chloe into the pram and headed up the winding paths to the castle. We were all looking forward to the castle for many reasons.
2. The spectacular view from the house. We had a surprisingly large number of sheep waiting by our cars almost every day.
We entered into the visitor centre and had to leave the pram outside. Thankfully, we had brought our baby sling with us. I put it on, and we strapped Chloe in. It was definitely an interesting sight for many people as we had a few stares and even a conversation with a random woman! We entered around the outside of the walls and were stunned by the immense power and fortitude that the castle seemed to emanate. Its walls seemed impenetrable, a veritable fortress in an otherwise seemingly quiet and peaceful town.
3. It was a tight squeeze, but the bus made it.
Anyway, we walked up the steep path to the castle entrance and were excited by the interiors of the castle. The interior grounds were meticulously clean and exceptionally well-maintained, with numerous buildings and towers remaining intact and were surprisingly well-preserved. To the left and right of the entrance are the North-West and South-West Towers respectively. Passing through the main entrance, you can see the Outer Ward, which occupies a large portion of the castle, with meticulous stone footpaths, surrounded by well-kept grassy areas with some fragmented walls, having fallen victim to the unforgiving expanse of time.
4. The Outer Ward, with wonderful walls and a complimentary grey sky.
The Outer Ward seemed reminiscent of a courtyard and connected the main entrance with the different areas of the castle. Following the path to the right, you enter into a walled section that was once home to the Chapel, Great Hall and, on the floor above, the Prison Tower. Following the path to the left, you would enter the Kitchen Tower. Following the path straight, you would head towards the Inner Ward, preceded by a very deep well. This well is around 28 metres deep and was a storage area for spring water. The water was consumable as it was filtered through rocks from the ground surface above it.
Dotted around the walls were circular towers, some of which needed to be carefully climbed into to appreciate their silence and beauty. We carefully climbed down some slippery steps into one of the circular towers, with silence falling immediately upon our ears. The silence was infrequently penetrated by the sound of occasional drips of water. The walls were wet and had moss growing sporadically. We looked upwards and saw the distant sight of the grey sky hanging overhead, which, in a somewhat contradictory way, only served to enhance our feelings of excitement and wonder at the castle.
5. I imagine this is what it feels like to be a pringle in the bottom of a pringle can.
Heading through the Middle Gate, just past the deep well, you entered into the high-walled section of the Inner Ward, which directly connected to the King’s quarters, including the Great Chamber, Royal Chapel, King’s Tower, King's Kitchen, King's Chamber and Bakehouse and Stockhouse Towers. This section was significantly darker than the Outer Ward due to the height of the walls, crisscrossing upper paths and the sky, which had somehow managed to turn even more grey. Passing into the rooms, you couldn’t help but feel that it was once a place of grandeur. Moving past the Inner Ward, we headed out towards the river and were met with the river Conwy and views of Conwy itself.
We returned to the Inner Ward and were intrigued by the upper sections of the wall, so we headed up the stairs in one of the towers and made our way onto the upper section. Due to the castle’s high altitude and proximity to the expansive Irish sea, the wind was ferocious and unrelenting. The temperature seemed to drop significantly, and we had to really raise our voices to be heard. However, the views from the walls over the town of Conwy and surrounding other towns across the river were nothing short of stunning. There was a clear contrast between the developed metropolitan areas and the ancient design of the castle. It was two very distant points in time that were seemingly touching each other in ways that only historical monuments can. Whilst powerful people rose, ruled and died throughout the centuries, their monumental legacies can be felt and tangibly touched by people throughout time.
6. Remarkably well-preserved Inner Ward.
History of the Castle
Conwy castle, built between 1283 and 1287, and other nearby castles according to the UNESCO World Heritage Website ‘are the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe, as demonstrated through their completeness, pristine state, evidence for organised domestic space, and extraordinary repertory of their medieval architectural form.' (Center, 2020).[1] The castles were designed under the rule of Kind Edward I, who ruled from 1272 to 1307. Conwy Castle, alongside other castles including Beaumaris, Caernarfon and others, were built from scratch by an organisation known as the King’s Works. The UNESCO site further states the sites were built directly by Edward I’s chief architect, James of St George.
The castle has a rich history, filled with strategic military actions, wars, sieges and plenty of interim years of decay and dilapidation. Prior to its construction, Edward I led a campaign in 1282 to take over the town to quash the growing resentment of English interference into local Welsh affairs. The campaign was slow and painful but saw a major breakthrough in December 1282 when one of the main antagonists, a prince called Llywelyn, was killed during a skirmish (Ashbee, 2007).[2] The construction of the castle was initially a military decision, with planning and initial construction beginning only a few days after Edward’s arrival into the newly captured Aberconwy. As previously mentioned, construction took place between 1283 and 1287, during which the curtain walls and interiors were finished, ready to be occupied. An inordinate sum of money was spent on the construction of the castle but ensured that the castle was able to withstand attacks and serve as a powerful defensive structure over the town of Conwy.
The final years of the 13th century saw Conwy Castle serve as a temporary residence for King Edward I on Christmas, where he was trapped due to sudden flooding. Moving into the 14th century, the castle saw some terrible years, with a 1321 survey noting that the castle was ‘defective in many regards […] [m]ost items were in poor condition: only ten out of thirty crossbows were usable, and all of the twenty-one bows listed were without bowstrings. Most of the stores of grain, wine and the contents of the larder were also rotten.’ (Ashbee, 2007)[3] The following decades saw the castle fall into further ruin, with minimal repair works being carried out, but ultimately showing that the castle was in an uninhabitable condition and essentially was left to rot. Edward, Prince of Wales tried to do some restorative works on the castle, using sandstone to replace some of the rotting timber structures and replacing the falling roofs. The end of the 14th century was almost as dismal as the start, with Richard II seeking refuge from Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV. He inevitably was removed from the castle and died in 1399, after which the newly crowned Henry IV took control of England.
7. ‘It’s not rundown, it’s ... uhhh… rustic!’
Henry the IV saw a disastrous rebellion in the first years of his reign as local Welshmen were disputing the legitimacy of English interference into local affairs and were vying for complete independence from the invasive foreign forces. While the rebellion was eventually ended in a treaty, rebellious acts continued throughout the 15th century up until the War of the Roses, from 1455 to 1485 (Ashbee, 2007).[4] Following this, the castle received substantial reparations under the rule of Henry VIII. Henry VIII, whilst famous for having six wives, all of whom suffered various ill-fates, was also famous for the financial investments into the restoration and fortification of numerous castles across the length and breadth of England and Wales.
The castle was barely inhabited throughout the following century, where it was eventually sold for a measly £100 in 1627 (Ashbee, 2007).[5] The reason for the low price was that the castle was in a horrible condition, with areas of the castle collapsing or outright missing. Some restorations took place, but ultimately were fruitless. The castle was once again besieged during the reign of Charles I in 1645. Following this, the castle was stripped of its lead and ironworks, which were salvaged and repurposed.
The castle sat in relative silence until the 19th century, when the industrial revolution saw a surge in travel between towns and the construction of interconnected railways and bridges. This led to a growth in the number of tourists visiting the town and castle, which raised money to begin restoration works on the castle and saw it pass out of private hands and into the hands of a local company. The castle has since then been restored to a magnificent standard and is visited by upwards of 150,000 people each year.
Back to the Castle
Following our windy walk along the upper section of the castle, we decided to make our way back down to terra firma, reuniting with my parents and then heading back out to the visitor centre to pick up the pram. We then headed to a nearby café where we sat and had some food and talked about the castle and what we would like to do for the rest of our time in Wales.
Whilst Wales has suffered a lot throughout its history, mainly due to the invasive English forces, there is an innate beauty to its landscape. The small, quaint towns and larger metropolitan areas are wondrous to visit and provide a great range of homely services. We really enjoyed our time in Llandudno and are looking forward to going back to Wales in the future.
By Kyle P
[1] Centre, U., 2020. Castles And Town Walls Of King Edward In Gwynedd. [online] Whc.unesco.org. Available at: <https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/374> [Accessed 5 July 2020].
[2] Ashbee, J., 2007. Conwy Castle And Town Walls. Welsh Government. p.7
[3] Ashbee, J., 2007. Conwy Castle And Town Walls. Welsh Government. p.10
Great pictures! I particularly like the closing paragraph. I love the one about the bus squeezing through the tunnel. I miss the goats.
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