This small, salty town is famous for its striking castle – the place where the Prince of Wales is “invested” (given his title). Seeing the Jubilee this week adds special significance to this site – as Prince Charles is next in line and likely to succeed the queen upon her passing.
Like Conwy, it has an Edward I garrison town marching out from the castle: it still follows the original medieval grid plan laid within its well-preserved ramparts.
Caernarfon is mostly a 19th-century town. In those days, the most important thing in town wasn’t the castle or the adjacent walled town, but the seafront that sprawled below the castle (now a parking lot). This was once a booming slate port, shipping tidy bundles of the rock from North Wales mining towns to roofs all over Europe.
The statue of local boy David Lloyd George looks over the town square. A member of Parliament from 1890 to 1945, he was the most important politician Wales ever sent to London, and ultimately became Britain’s prime minister during the last years of World War I. Young Lloyd George began his career as a noisy nonconformist Liberal advocating Welsh rights. He ended up an eloquent spokesperson for the nation of Great Britain, convincing his slate-mining constituents that only as part of the Union would their industry boom.
Caernarfon bustles with shops, cafes, and people. It’s fun to explore – but compared to Conwy, it’s noticeably scruffier (it experienced a heavy economic decline following the collapse of the mining industry.)
Locals, who seem self-conscious about their rival town, told Rick Steves, “we’re poor cousins to Conwy.” But recent years have brought new initiatives and fresh investments to the town, such as the Welsh Highland Railway station and the Galeri Creative Enterprise Centre, which serves as a culturual hub for art exhibits, movies, and festivals. The newest rejuventation project is Cei Llechi (“Slate Quay”), a set of refurbished buildings on the harborfront, hosting a number of artisian workshops.
Caernarfon Castle – Edward I built this mighty castle 700 years ago to establish English rule over North Wales. Rather than being purely defensive, it also had elements of a palace – where Edward and his family could stay on visit to Wales. Modeled after the striped, angular walls of ancient Constantipole, the castle, though impressive, was never finished and never really used. From the inner courtyard, you can see the notched walls ready for more walls – which were never built.
The Castle’s fame derives from its physical grandeur and its association with the Prince of Wales. Edward got the angry Welsh to agree that if he presented them with “a prince, born in Wales, spoke not a word of English,” they would submit to the Crown. In time, Edward had a son born in Wales (here in Caernarfon), who spoke not a word of English, Welsh, or any other language – as an infant. In modern times, as another political maneuver, the Prince of Wales has been “invested” (given) his title here. This “tradition” actually dates only from the 20th century, and only two of the 21 Princes of Wales (Prince Charles, the current prince and King Edward VIII) have taken part.
Inside the castle, most of the exhibits are in the towers. Most of the towers have an exhibit. Some better than others. In the Eagle Tower, you can see a model of the original castle and a video from the investiture of Prince Charles in 1969. I’ve included the video that I took (of that video) in the next attachment.
The Chamberlain’s Tower and Queen’s Tower house the mildly interesting Museum of the Royal Welsh Musiliers – a miitary branch made up entirely of Welshmen. I found it interesting to see a relative hanging in a picture on the wall – I’ll have to go look him up on ancestry.com
I’ll finish up with some pictures from inside the museum. What an interesting town and castle!
