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Beaumaris Castle, Wales

Beaumaris Castle at Beaumaris, Anglesey was built as part of Edward I's campaign to subdue north Wales. It was built right at the end of this effort, following the Welsh revolt of 1294 - 95. This rebellion started on the island of Anglesey, when the town's people of Llanfaes lynched their English sheriff. Edward I responded by demolishing Llanfaes and replacing it with a massive castle, the last of his Welsh campaign. All building materials had to come in by ship, which made Beaumaris a particularly expensive project. The outer perimeter ran for a quarter of a mile, and a dock was created as part of the castle design, allowing re supply in times of siege. Building work began in 1295 and continued for 35 years before Edward I, turning his interests towards conquering Scotland, shut off the supply of money. What was left, an unfinished castle by master builder James of St George, is a remarkable symmetrical structure, often described as beautiful. ( Have a look at the satellite view via the map link below to get an idea of Beaumaris's symmetry.) It might seem strange to describe a massive weapon of war as beautiful, but beauty and peace are feelings which naturally come to mind when visiting Beaumaris. And this feeling has a lot to say about the history of castles in general.

 

The earliest castles seen in Britain consisted of concentric banks built in rings around hill tops, often topped with a wooden palisade. This design was also used as the basic design for religious sites, where rings of banks or ditches would often be topped with symbolic palisades of wooden or stone uprights. The thing about Beaumaris is the way the ancient concentric design was followed so faithfully, with a water filled ditch surrounding outer curtain walls, surrounding a huge inner ring of walls. Many archeologists have debated the role of iron age castles, whether they were actually involved in fighting, or whether their real role was more varied. Perhaps it is instructive to look at Beaumaris, which like so many castles was rarely used in war. Beaumaris was only used in war during the English Civil War. The rest of the time it has stood as a huge and enigmatic symbol. It is easy to see that castles are not simply fortifications, and never have been. Architecturally castles have close similarities to churches, and have always had a role symbolising the provision of security in its widest sense. We still respond to that symbolism today, which is why a great deal of money is spent maintaining castles like Beaumaris, a place where nothing much happened, where little history was made, and which survives as a very old building site. Castles don't have to have battles fought around them to be valuable or significant, because war has only ever been part of their job.

Directions: Cross the Menai bridge to Anglesey, and then take the A545 to Beaumaris. Click here for an interactive map centred on Beaumaris Castle.

Address: Beaumaris Castle, Beaumaris, LL58 8AP.

Opening Times: Open daily, except for 24th - 26th December.

April to June 9.30am - 5pm,

July to August 9.30am - 6pm,

September to October 9.30am - 5pm,

November to February 10am - 4pm, with 11am opening in Sunday,

March 9.30am - 5pm.

Access: Much of the castle is not accessible to those with mobility problems, but disabled visitors and one companion are admitted free.

Contact:

telephone: 01248 810361

web site: http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/beaumaris-castle/?lang=en