Conwy
Dominated by its fabulous 13th Century castle , Conwy is one of the best examples of a medieval walled town in Britain and as a UNESCO world heritage site, the town and the castle are one of Wales’ cultural treasures.
Conwy was one of the key links in the chain of castles built along the northern coastline, by the English King Edward I to subjugate the Welsh princes of Snowdonia . This was one of the most ambitious military projects of the Middle Ages and Edward spent over twice his annual income on the enterprise. These formidable castles were the most diligently planned medieval fortifications in Europe making Wales’ castles the zenith of castle planning, the best in the world.
The northern entrance to the town is particular stunning, facing point blank down the castle’s awesome towers and fortifications as you pass over the bridge along Conwy Bay. The suspension rail bridge, a great feat of Victorian engineering mixed with sympathetically designed Gothic turrets was built by Thomas Telford in 1826, the same year as his other master work the Menai Straits Bridge to the Isle of Anglesey .
Other than this Victorian structure Conwy is dominated by its medieval architecture. The town’s fine walls run for 1,300m flanked by 21 towers at 50m intervals and curtain the town on its land facing sides, while the bay is left open but protected. Today Conwy is entered via the narrow roads through its castle gates and the bay is a marina of small fishing and pleasure boats. The town maintains its original medieval layout of narrow cobbled streets spanning out from the town’s focal point, Lancaster Square. In the centre of the square is a statue, not to the English king that built Conwy but to the Welsh prince Llyweln the Great who fought with him, a clear point for Welsh cultural resistance.
There is an everyday workman like feel to Conwy, while the mountains of Snowdonia loom in the near distance. It’s no wonder the bustling town with its historic walls and dramatic mountain backdrop drew artists and poets like Turner and Wordsworth and today it still draws large numbers of visitors.
