Please Note that the Castles of Wales website is a personal project and none of the pages here are an "official site" for any castle. I do not maintain contact information for specific castles, information about the availability of castles for event hire or accommodations, or information regarding the lineage of castle owners. For information regarding the opening hours of a particular castle or books about Welsh castles, please contact the Cadw web site. In addition, our Links page is often helpful in answering certain questions. Thank you.

 

Above: Criccieth Castle, Northwest Wales
Photograph copyright © 2009 by Jeffrey L. Thomas

"The Welsh castle at Criccieth is a marvelous sight to behold, sitting as it does so high and majestic atop a rocky promontory which juts dramatically out into Tremadog Bay. Yet, the site has also stirred up controversy over the years. A combination of Welsh and English remains, there has been much speculation as to which areas of the castle belong to which building periods. Was the inner or outer bailey the original stronghold? Did the Welsh or the English build the castle's most recognizable and dominating feature: the massive twin-towered gatehouse? And did the Welsh or the English construct the fascinating Engine Tower, near the gatehouse, to be used as a powerful platform of death? The dilemma is understandable if one considers the actual structural features at the site relative to its history, a history that encompassed a relatively short time frame but included some very formidable personalities."

Lise Hull

elcome! Croeso! My name is Jeffrey L. Thomas and I'm pleased to be your host as we explore some of the most impressive monuments of the Middle Ages, the medieval Castles of Wales. Along the way we hope to educate and enlighten you about not only Welsh castles, but about the unique history of the Welsh people and their centuries-old struggle to preserve their land, their culture, and their ancient language.

Wales is often called the "Land of Castles" and rightly so, as it is home to some of Europe's finest surviving examples of medieval castle construction. Over the years I've visited and explored many of the region's famous and lesser-known castles, from mighty Chepstow in southeast Wales, to picturesque Beaumaris on the Isle of Anglesey, and charming Ewloe in the north.

he Castles of Wales web site, launched in November of 1995, provides visitors with a lot more than simply a few photographs of the most famous Welsh castles. Our pages cover a wide range of topics related to Welsh castles and Welsh medieval history, and many of our essays are written by today's leading experts in their respective fields of study. We provide information on over 400 different Welsh castles, accompanied by high quality photographs, as well as profiles of the men responsible for their construction and an explanation of the turbulent times in which they lived. Although we provide detailed information and photographs for the most famous Welsh castles, the thing that separates the Castles of Wales web site from other sites on the net is the fact that we also provide large, high quality photographs for many of the lesser-known Welsh castles with less impressive remains. In some instances our photographs of these forgotten castles are the only ones available on the Internet or in mainstream publications. We also feature a smaller section on Welsh Abbeys and Other Religious Sites, monuments that, like the Castles of Wales, represent an important component of Welsh medieval heritage and history. If you take the time to explore the site via the main menu below, we believe you will be pleased with both the variety and depth of information provided.

The Castles of Wales survive today in a variety of conditions, ranging from completely ruined to castles that still serve as stately homes for their owners. Many are currently under the care of CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments, an organization whose members are dedicated to preserving the many ancient monuments found throughout the land. So come with us as we travel back in time to discover the Medieval Castles of Wales!

"In a country with relatively few great churches
and abbeys, and even fewer unfortified manor houses,
the Castles of Wales form the most imposing group of
monuments left from the Middle Ages. In terms of
grandeur they are second only to the dramatic landscape."

Adrian Pettifer - Welsh Castles

Below is the site's main menu. Begin your castle search by visiting our main castle index, our larger castle database, or enter your search criteria in the site search engine below. For specific essays and other articles concerning the Castles of Wales check out the Historical Essays and Related Essays sections. For additional source materials visit our reference section.

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Please note that castles listed in our main index accompanied by this icon
feature larger, higher quality digital images.

Main Castle Index	Abbeys & Other Religious Sites in Wales
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Historical Essays	Drawings and Illustrations of Welsh Castles
Related Essays	Welsh Castle Poll
Castle Builders	What's New at the Castles of Wales Website
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A Timeline of Welsh Castles	Principal Contributors
Castle Terminology	Reference Sources
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The Castles of Wales web site was created, designed, researched, written, and is managed and maintained by Jeffrey L. Thomas.

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The Castles of Wales Website is copyrighted © 1996-2010 by Jeffrey L. Thomas