 Rhuddlan Castle
Lying alongside a deep canal, near to the coast of North Wales, the remains
of Rhuddlan Castle date from the first Norman building in c1073. However,
Rhuddlan was recognised as a place of strategic importance long before
that time, and historical records show that at the end of the 8th
century the River Clywd - together with the marshes of its estuary -
formed a natural defence barrier. There may well have been some kind
of early stronghold sited here before the Norman invasion.
Only the remains of the earthen mound (motte), and the outline of the outer bailey
in the adjoining fields have survived from the first castle built by Robert
of Rhuddlan. History of Rhuddlan Castle is vague over the following 200 years,
except that it changed hands several times, and that many of the buildings
occupying the bailey were still timber-framed. In 1277 Edward I commissioned
the erection of a new stone castle at Rhuddlan following his victory over
the Welsh, and what the visitor sees today is mainly the work of the 'master
of the king's work in Wales', James St George. Having established his
headquarters at Rhuddlan Castle, Edward was responsible for the canalization
of the River Clwyd, which was a tremendous undertaking on his part, and
gave the town security and prosperity. Its use continued until the coming
of the railways. Edward I also applied to Rome to have Rhuddlan become
a cathedral city, but this wish was not granted.
Built on a concentric plan, the outer ward consisted of two rings of curtain walls, with two twin-towered
Gatehouses - one to the east and one to the west - and a circular tower
to the north and south of the castle. The west Gatehouse is one of the
best surviving features of Rhuddlan Castle, the towers lacking only their battlemented
parapets, but internally the East Gatehouse gives a better indication
at ground level of the room layout. The inner ward is a diamond-shaped
enclosure, within which the main apartments were to be found but nothing
now remains of these buildings.
There were originally four entrances to Rhuddlan Castle: at the Town Gate there was a
turning-bridge which afforded early protection; the Friary Gate was entered
via a causeway across the moat; the Dock Gate leading from the lowest
section of the moat into the outer ward; and Gillot's Tower (traditionally
named after the mason who built it), whose entrance was at third floor
level, accessed by steps from the wall walk.
Although a sturdy and formidable fortress, which survived well against a major Welsh
uprising, Rhuddlan Castle was eventually defeated in the Civil War of 1646, and
soon after wantonly destroyed. For the next 300 years, what remained after
local quarrying of the stone, was left to decay. Conservation work began
in 1947, and general maintenance has been carried out ever since to try
and preserve these beautiful sandstone ruins. |
