Wales has so many impressive castles it can be easy to take it for granted what an engineering feat some of them are. Rhuddlan Castle in Denbighshire was built under the orders of King Edward I in the 13th century, who went to extreme lengths to build the mighty structure.
After invading Wales in 1277, Edward I used castles and forts across the country to control and oppress the local Welsh population. He usually liked his castles to be near the coast for easier access to supplies from nearby ports but as Rhuddlan Castle is several miles inland it posed a challenge.
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North Wales Live reported that Edward planned to use the nearby River Clwyd to ferry supplies and troops in the event of a siege. However, the plan was threatened when the river wasn't where they expected it to be. With a patch of high ground already allocated as the best spot for the castle, the King decided the only option was to shift the river itself. This effort, which also involved dredging the river to allow ships to reach the castle, permanently diverted the waterways course - moving it closer to the castle site.
According to Cadw, more than seven centuries later "Rhuddlan still looks like a castle that was worth moving a river for". It was the first of the revolutionary concentric, or ‘walls within walls’, castles designed by master architect James of St George. Most impressive was the inner diamond-shaped stronghold with its twin-towered gatehouses. This sat inside a ring of lower turreted walls. Further beyond was a deep dry moat linked to the River Clwyd.
This "bristling statement" of Edwardian intent guarded a new town surrounded by ditched defences. You can still clearly make out the medieval grid layout of the streets in modern-day Rhuddlan. The castle was completed in 1282 at a cost of £9,613 and the same year withstood an attack from Welsh soldiers.
Two years later, Edward I proclaimed his new Statute of Wales at Rhuddlan, placing Wales under direct control of the English crown. Parliament was held in Rhuddlan and the castle became his headquarters. More than a century later in 1400, Owain Glyndŵr arrived in the town, and the castle was eventually destroyed by Parliamentarians to prevent further military use. Today, the castle is a Cadw heritage site which is managed by the Welsh Government.
You can visit the magnificent castle at Rhuddlan for free all year round. You can find out more about the history of Rhuddlan Castle and visitor information here.
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