Anglesey & the North Coast - Wales - page 535

government and a royal palace. Like the other royal strongholds of the time, it was de-
signed and mainly supervised by Master James of St George, from Savoy, but the brief
and scale were extraordinary. Inspired by the dream of Macsen Wledig recounted in the
Mabinogion ( Click here ) , Caernarfon echoes the 5th-century walls of Constantinople,
with colour-banded masonry and polygonal towers, instead of the traditional round towers
and turrets.
Despite its fairy-tale aspect it is thoroughly fortified with a series of murder holes and a
sophisticated arrangement of multiple arrow slits. It repelled Owain Glyndŵr's army in
1404 with a garrison of only 28 men, and resisted three sieges during the English Civil
War before surrender to Cromwell's army in 1646.
A year after construction began, Edward I's second son was born here, becoming heir
to the throne four months later when his elder brother died. To consolidate Edward juni-
or's power he was made Prince of Wales in 1301, thus creating the tradition of English
kings conferring that title on their heirs. As King Edward II he came to a very nasty end,
possibly via a red-hot poker; his much-eroded statue is over the King's Gate. However,
the first investiture that actually took place here (rather than in London) was that of his
namesake, Edward VIII, in 1911 (co-incidentally his reign was also cut short, albeit less
violently).
Caernarfon Castle is a large, relatively intact structure. You can walk on and through
the interconnected walls and towers gathered around the central green, most of which are
well preserved but empty.
Start at the Eagle Tower , the one with the flagpoles to the right of the entrance. On the
turrets you can spot the weathered eagle from which it gets its name, alongside stone-
helmeted figures intended to swell the garrison's numbers (they're easier to spot from the
quay). Inside there are displays on Edward I and the construction of the castle, as well as a
short film, The Eagle & The Dragon , which screens on the half-hour.
There is an exhibition on the Princes of Wales in the North East Tower , including video
footage of the 1969 investiture of Prince Charles in that role. In the Queen's Tower (named
after Edward I's wife Eleanor) is the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers , which is
filled with medals, uniforms, weapons and historical displays.

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