Conwy Castle

History

Edward I commissioned the castle in 1283 as part of his campaign to subdue north Wales, and it was completed within four years, an extraordinarily fast build for the period. Master James of Saint George, the king's chief military architect, directed the works, applying the same design principles he used across Edward's other Welsh castles. The castle later played a role in the 1401 Welsh uprising, when it was briefly seized by supporters of Owain Glyndwr's cousins through a trick involving a carpenter posing as a workman. Richard II sheltered at Conwy Castle in 1399 during the events that led to his deposition, one of the more dramatic royal episodes connected to the site.

Architecture

The castle follows a concentric plan with eight massive round towers along a single high curtain wall, built directly onto a rocky ridge above the river. James of Saint George, master mason to Edward I, is credited with its design, and the same construction campaign raised the linked town walls.