WHEN ENGLISH KINGS WEREN’T MOUNTING a Crusade or at war with France, they kept themselves in shape by battling the Scots or the Welsh. Decades before he dealt with Scots William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, Edward I, who succeeded his father Henry III, went a couple of rounds with the Welsh.
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Harlech Castle
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Unfinished Beaumaris Castle
Eventually victorious, Edward began a program of colonizing Wales by evicting Welsh peasants replacing them with English settlers. To ensure the security of his new territories Edward planned to surround Wales with a “ring of stone,” 17 stone castles were constructed in strategic locations. It sounds impressive until you realize that Wales has 427 castles, the most per square mile in the world
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Conwy Castle dominates the Conwy River
Four of Edward’s remaining castles are now World Heritage sites. Three of them are within striking distance of our place in Llandudno Junction. We had visited Caernarfon Castle in 2012 and added three others this week. With so many castles to choose from only the wonderful Conwy Castle seemed worth the £9 admission fee even with our 80p senior discount—Beaumaris Castle was never completed and Harlech is undergoing some repairs.
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Medieval Conwy
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Built in 1588
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Welsh Tulips
Edward really went overboard on Conwy. Conwy Castle and its eight towers dominate an important crossing point on the Conwy River. The castle is connected to the city walls that encircle the medieval town. But Edward wasn’t finished—he replaced the Welsh residents with English settlers loyal to him.
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St. Mary's Church, Conwy
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Stained Glass and Choir, St. Mary's Church
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St. Mary's Church, Conwy
Back among the 16th Century buildings of Conwy, we “discovered” the 13th Century St. Mary’s Church hidden behind a narrow gate. Originally a Cistercian monastery, St. Mary’s has been the spiritual heart of Conwy for 850 years. While the stained glass windows are not original, the 15th Century rood screen is said to be among the best in Europe. But it was the initials carved into a pew in 1666 that caught my eye. Boys will—and always have been—boys.