Conwy Castle (Castell Conwy)

Conwy Castle

History of Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle sometimes referred to as Conway Castle is situated in Conwy on the Northern coast of Wales in United Kingdom. This medieval citadel of Conwy Castle was build between 1283 and 1289 by Edward I upon his conquest of the region. Located in North Wales also known as Gwynedd region by the native population this was one of largest castles build to defend newly acquired territories. Along with city of Conwy fortifications here were build on impressive scale. The walls of the Conwy and its castle are over 1.2 km (0.75 miles) long and 15 feet thick with several stories do ease mobility of troops in case of the siege. Additionally 21 towers 70 feet high and 3 gateways were erected to defend against hostile Welsh resistance. The castle itself was build on a rocky outcrop minimizing the chance of enemy mining overlooking the estuary an important strategic location. The engineering genius of James of St. George who designed this and many other castles in the regions knew little restrictions with over 15,000 pound sterling spend on its construction. A huge sum by the standards of the time. By the time of the English Civil war the castle was already dilapidated, but it took three months of siege for Parliamentary forces to finally capture the stronghold. The final blow to the castle was dealt in 1685 than Charles II granted the castle to the earl of Conwy. Without use for the military citadel earl stripped it of its iron, timber and lead which he sold. However the castle still remain one of the best preserved in the region. Its picturesque walls and towers along with those of the city itself is a must see during trips around Wales.

Superficially Conwy Castle resembles a concentric castle, but it is linear. Like the castle of Caernarfon , it is built on a rock, to reduce the possibility of undermining. It also takes advantage of other geographical features. It was built to protect the entrance of the Conwy River.

The castle is divided into an outer and inner courtyard, separated by a thick wall, and at each end, one of the eight accompanying towers. The towers are about 21 m high and 9 m in diameter, with walls 4.5 m thick.

In the thirteenth century the nearby Bodysgallesn Hall was built as a watchtower of Conwy Castle to monitor the most difficult attacks to control from Conwy coming from the north. Some of the stones that were used in the construction of Conwy Castle are related to a quarry on the Bodysgallesn property.

The castle was built as part of a larger project that corresponded to create a walled city in Conwy. In the following centuries, the castle played an important role in several wars: the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn, resisted in the winter of 1294 - 1295 , served as a temporary shelter for Richard II in 1399 and was in the hands, for several months, from the loyal forces of Owain Glyndŵr in 1401 .

After the outbreak of the English Revolution in 1642 , the castle was taken by the loyal forces of Carlos I , until 1646 when he surrendered to the roundheads troops . As a sequel, the castle was partially deliberately demolished by the roundheads in order to prevent it from being used in any revolt and, finally, it was completely destroyed in 1665 by withdrawing and selling its remains.

Conwy Castle became an attractive destination for painters of the late centuries XVIII and XIX . The number of visitors grew by carrying out a restoration in the second half of the nineteenth century .

The Unesco has exposed its own consideration for classifying the castle as Heritage in 1986 .