Castles in Conwy  Castles in Wales  Castles in England  Castles in Scotland

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History

Work started in 1283 and was completed in 1287.  The castle was designed by Master James of St George and consisted of eight massive round towers and two barbicans linked by thick walls.  It was not a concentric castle but its massive walls, 15 feet thick in places, followed the oblong contour of rock on which it stands.   Its east barbican and tower built out into the estuary dominate the shoreline. Within the two wards are ruins of what would have been the Great Hall and other domestic buildings.  At the same time the town's defences were also built with 1,400 yards of stone walls, three gates and 22 towers. With the castle it formed a formidable defensive unit. 

In 1294 a Welsh rebellion led by Prince Madog damaged a number of Edward I's castles.  Edward marched to Wales to suppress the rebellion and set up his headquarters at Conwy.  Soon after he was inside the castle the river flooded and he was trapped with his men for several days.  Supplies of food and water became dangerously low before the water receded.   In 1399 when Richard II visited Conwy he received Henry Percy's promise of save conduct to meet Bolingbroke.   However, Richard was ambushed on the road, imprisoned and died within the year.  

From this period the castle slowly deteriorated.  During the Civil War John Williams, Archbishop of York, an ardent Royalist repaired the castle but in 1646 it was taken with little difficulty by the Parliamentarians under Major-General Mytton.   After the Restoration a demolition contractor working for the 3rd Earl of Conwy shipped all moveables to Ireland. 

Thus the castle became the ruin seen today.   In the later part of the 20th century the castle came under the care of the government who carried out much useful restoration.