Castles · North Wales
Conwy town walls
Conwy's town walls are a medieval defensive structure around the town of Conwy in Wales. The walls were constructed between 1283 and 1287 after the foundation of Conwy by Edward I, and were designed t
Wici Rhuthun 1 — CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Conwy's town walls are a medieval defensive structure around the town of Conwy in Wales. The walls were constructed between 1283 and 1287 after the foundation of Conwy by Edward I, and were designed to form an integrated system of defence alongside Conwy Castle. The walls are 1.3 km (0.81 mi) long and include 21 towers and three gatehouses. The project was completed using large quantities of labourers brought in from England; the cost of building the castle and walls together came to around £15,000, a huge sum for the period. The walls were slightly damaged during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr in 1401, but political changes in the 16th century reduced the need to maintain such defences around the town. The fortifications were treated sympathetically during the development of the road and railway systems in Conwy during the 19th century and survived largely intact into the modern period. Today the walls form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site administered by Cadw. Historians Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham describe the defences as "one of the most impressive walled circuits" in Europe.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Conwy's town walls are a medieval defensive structure around the town of Conwy in Wales. The walls were constructed between 1283 and 1287 after the foundation of Conwy by Edward I, and were designed to form an integrated system of defence alongside Conwy Castle. The walls are 1.3 km (0.81 mi) long and include 21 towers and three gatehouses. The project was completed using large quantities of labourers brought in from England; the cost of building the castle and walls together came to around £15,000, a huge sum for the period. The walls were slightly damaged during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr in 1401, but political changes in the 16th century reduced the need to maintain such defences around the town. The fortifications were treated sympathetically during the development of the road and railway systems in Conwy during the 19th century and survived largely intact into the modern period. Today the walls form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site administered by Cadw. Historians Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham describe the defences as "one of the most impressive walled circuits" in Europe.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
The Conwy town walls today present a largely unbroken, 1.3 km long triangular circuit around the town, enclosing 10 ha, and – thanks in part to Conwy remaining a relatively small town – are unusually well preserved. They are mostly built from the same local sandstone and limestone used at the castle, but with additional rhyolite stone used along the upper parts of the eastern walls. When first built, the historical record shows that the walls were "daubed" – it is unclear precisely what this involved, but it implies the walls were not simply bare stone, and were possibly whitewashed. The 21 surviving towers are mostly "gap-backed", lacking walls on the inside of the towers, and originally…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 53.2803, -3.8388
- District
- Conwy
- Parish
- Conwy
- Postcode
- LL32 8RD
- Parliamentary constituency
- Bangor Aberconwy
Sources
- wikipedia: Conwy town walls (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Conwy town walls?
- Conwy town walls is in North Wales, United Kingdom (postcode LL32 8RD), in the parish of Conwy.
- Does Conwy town walls charge admission?
- Conwy town walls typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Conwy town walls?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode LL32 8RD. It sits within the Bangor Aberconwy parliamentary constituency.