Caernarfon Castle

Simply put - one of the most impressive castles in all of Britain

Architecturally one of the most impressive of all of the castles in Wales, Caernarfon was intended as a royal seat of power - and as a symbol of English dominance over the subdued Welsh. King Edward I began construction of the castle in June 1283, soon after the final defeat of Llywelyn the Last, and also built a town here, destroying the original Welsh settlement beforehand. The castle's symbolic status was emphasized when Edward made sure that his son, the first English Prince of Wales, was born here in 1284. Whilst the castle seldom if ever fulfilled the elevated role planned for it (as an adult, Prince Edward - later Edward II - never returned to its walls), it continued to be maintained and garrisoned, and successfully withstood sieges by the forces of Owain Glyndwr in 1403 and 1404. During the Civil War, Caernarfon finally surrendered to Parliamentary forces in 1646. In 1969, this World Heritage Site gained worldwide fame as the setting for the investiture of HRH Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.

1 April to 31 May 2006: 9.30am - 5.00pm daily
1 June to 30 September: 9.30am - 6.00pm daily
1 to 31 October: 9.30am - 5.00pm daily
1 November to 31 March 9.30am - 4.00pm Monday to Saturday
2007: 11.00am - 4.00pm Sunday