Beaumaris Castle

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Beaumaris Castle and moat
Beaumaris Castle and moat

Beaumaris Castle, located in Beaumaris, Anglesey, was built as part of King Edward I's campaign to conquer North Wales. It was designed by James of St. George and was begun in 1295, but never completed. Beaumaris has been designated as a World Heritage site, and is regarded by some to be the most architecturally perfect castle in Britain.

Beaumaris castle was positioned to face Garth Celyn on the opposite shore of the Menai Strait and was intended, along with Conwy Castle and Caernarfon castle at either end of the Menai Straits, to overshadow the Welsh Royal home and centre of resistance to the English forces.

[edit] Construction

Beaumaris Castle (beau mareys - fair marsh) was the last of Edward I's fortresses in North Wales. Work started in 1295 and continued for 35 years, with over 3,500 workmen employed at the peak of construction. Finances and material ran out when King Edward turned his attentions towards Scotland, and the castle was not completed, although an impressive £15,000 was expended on its construction.

During the course of construction Edward I of England ordered that the inhabitants of nearby Llanfaes be evicted from their homes and relocated to the far side of the island at Newborough.

The King's architect, Master James of St. George, brought all his experience to bear in designing Beaumaris — its defences and lines of supply are superbly planned. It was constructed according to a concentric plan — the inner ward is completely surrounded by the outer ward. The castle has a tidal dock allowing it to be supplied directly by sea and is surrounded by a water-filled moat. The defences include numerous ingeniously sited arrow slits, and the entrances are protected by murder holes from which substances such as hot oil could be poured over enemy forces. Attackers of Beaumaris Castle would have met 14 separate obstacles and four lines of fortification resulting from the 'walls within walls' design.

The inner ward of Beaumaris
The inner ward of Beaumaris

The plan of the castle is nearly square, sharing much in common with Caerphilly and Harlech. The inner ward is rectangular with a round tower at each corner. On the north and south sides are massive gatehouses following the typical pattern of two D-shaped towers flanking the gate passage, while two more D-shaped towers defend the east and west walls. The great hall and other domestic buildings would have been constructed within this inner ward.

Surrounding the inner bailey (in accordance with the concentric ideal) is an outer wall defended by towers and its own two gatehouses. These are not aligned with the inner gatehouses and would have denied attackers the advantage of a straight path through the gates. The dock wall extends from the south wall near the gatehouse so also serves as a defensive firing platform. Unlike the simple outer walls at Caerphilly and Harlech, the walls here are very thick and have internal passages to allow defenders access to protected arrow slits.

The plan was nearly perfect, but the castle was never completed. The Welsh conquest was practically complete at the time of construction, and the immense cost of completing such a massive fortress would have drained funds needed for the Scottish campaigns. Neither the towers of the inner ward nor the great gatehouses were built to full height and many buildings of the inner ward were left unfinished when large scale work ceased in 1298. Small-scale work was carried out in the early 14th century. However, the outer walls were crenelated, and unlike many other castles Beaumaris did not suffer slighting during the Civil War — the extant castle is very well-preserved.

[edit] Visiting

The castle is run and managed by Cadw, (the Welsh Assembly Government's agency for historic monuments), which provides visitors with a guidebook, an exhibition, gifts and souvenirs, good disabled access and picnic facilities in the castle grounds. Ducks and swans swim on the castle moat. Admission prices in 2005 were: £3 (adults), £2.50 (concessions), free (under 5s), £8.50 family (2 adults and up to 3 children), in 2007: £3.50 (adults).

[edit] External links

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