The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277-1307 by Christopher Gravett

Author:Christopher Gravett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277–1307
ISBN: 9781782005209
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Caernarfon castle, begun in June 1283, seen from the south across the River Seiont. The Eagle Tower is on the left and the town wall runs off to the extreme left. The polygonal shape and coloured banding based on the walls of ancient Constantinople can be seen.

The massive Eagle Tower at Caernarfon, which is in effect a donjon. Complete with three turrets – more than any other of the mural towers – it may well have been the residence of Otto de Grandson. The two doorways would have led into the Water Gate but the latter was never constructed. Only the beginnings of the arch and the portcullis slot are to be seen.

From the Eagle Tower the curtain wall runs south-east, the first part of the section of walls and towers largely built between 1283 and 1292. The wall here has a second, lower walk, probably intended to be covered like that further east. Foundations of a building set against this wall remain. The Queen’s Tower is the first of the line of mural towers on the south side. It has three stories connected by a spiral stair in the north-west corner, while a mural chamber in the north-east was a chapel on the upper floor and probably also in similar chambers on the lower floors. Wall passages connected to the wall-walks. A single large turret rises from battlement level, with a small hexagonal chamber on the way to the top. This tower was known as the Banner Tower in the 14th century and a hole in a lintel above the steps would have housed the base of a flag staff.

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