I first visited Caernarfon Castle when I was a small child, and I was definitely in awe of this magnificent beast of a building. I am happy to say that that feeling did not change when I visited again as an adult. A big contender for the most beautiful castle in the United Kingdom, Caernarfon Castle is the largest castle built by Edward I and it certainly imposes itself upon the town. Built upon the foundations of an earlier motte-and-bailey castle not far from an old Roman fort and situated by the River Seiont, it is particularly striking due to its polygonal towers. The most impressive of...

I first visited Caernarfon Castle when I was a small child, and I was definitely in awe of this magnificent beast of a building. I am happy to say that that feeling did not change when I visited again as an adult. A big contender for the most beautiful castle in the United Kingdom, Caernarfon Castle is the largest castle built by Edward I and it certainly imposes itself upon the town. Built upon the foundations of an earlier motte-and-bailey castle not far from an old Roman fort and situated by the River Seiont, it is particularly striking due to its polygonal towers. The most impressive of these towers is the ten-sided Eagle tower, which is an astonishing 10 metres across at its base. The reasoning behind building such a huge stronghold was down to Edward's illusions of grandeur. Roman myth had long surrounded the area; it was told that Magnus Maximus, a Roman Emperor, had dreamed of a long journey across land and sea and eventually he arrived at a magnificent castle made of multi-coloured stone. In order to find out where this castle was, when he awoke he sent out messengers across the world. When they found it, they returned to him in Rome and identified the place as Caernarfon, which Maximus then travelled to. Building a castle on a site of great importance to Roman mythology appealed to Edward greatly. During the construction, Maximus' body was discovered – according to Flores Historiarum – and Edward ordered his body to be reburied in a local church. Whilst other castles in Wales were used as homes across the centuries, Caernarfon has very much been a military castle and was besieged many times, including during the Glyndwr Rising of the early 15th century and the English Civil War. The castle has also been left to fall into states of disrepair and it was not until the 19th century that funds were made available to restore it to the magnificent structure we see today. The castle also boasts not one, but two mighty gatehouses: the King's gate, which faces the town, and the Queen's gate facing the sea. The Queen's gate is – probably quite obviously – the smaller of the two and was intended to be used to unload supplies from ships, but it was never fully completed. The King's gate, on the other hand, is one of the most impressive of its kind. Originally it would have had four doors and five portcullises, and dotted around it are many murder holes to pore boiling substances over invading forces. Two of the castle's towers are home to the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, which covers the 300-year history of Wales' oldest infantry. Other exhibitions can be seen in other towers, such as the throne of Prince Charles the First and an interactive history of the castle. Pretty much everything about Caernarfon Castle is amazing; for me in particular, the sheer scale of the building is enough of a reason to visit. As someone who loves history, I also took a special interest in the interactive history of the castle, located in the Eagle tower, as Caernarfon has a long and interesting history, so there are lots of things to learn. Caernarfon Castle is without a doubt one of the best castles I have ever visited. It is an authentic example of what a stereotypical castle should be: the imposing presence over the town, the fairytale towers and the long history connected to the building and the town itself.