Rhuddlan Castle - Castell Rhuddlan

North Wales

21 Jan

Quick Info

Region: Gwynedd
Built: 1277
In the Care of: CADW
Free Parking: Onsite parking available
Wheelchair Accessible: See CADWs Access Guide
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Admission: Paid Admission
Postcode: LL18 5AD

Opening/Closing Times

10am - 5pm
Closes: November - March

“The castle was partially destroyed by the Parliamentarians in order to ensure that the castle was never used again. It has remained in ruin ever since.”

— Castle Crawl Cymru

History

Rhuddlan Castle was built by King Edward I as one of the seven castles that composed his Ring of Iron. It was at Rhuddlan Castle, following the death of Llewelyn Fawr that Edward I declared the Statue of Rhuddlan. It created new shires and established a system of governance that lasted until Henry VIII’s Act of Union 1536.

The Castle saw multiple battles in its time, first the uprising of Madog ap Llewelyn in 1297, then the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr in 1400 and lastly the English Civil War, when it was garrisoned by English Royalists - who kept the castle for King Charles I but it was taken by the parliamentarians in 1646. The castle was afterwards partially destroyed by the Parliamentarians in order to ensure that the castle was never used again. It has remained in ruin ever since.

What Can You See?

Rhuddlan castle is substantially in tact. One of the most impressive components of this castle is the diamond-shaped stronghold with its twin-towered gatehouses. This inner stronghold sat in a ring of lower turreted walls. The moat that surrounds the castle is filled using the river Clwyd which was manually moved by hundreds of men under the orders of Edward I. The movement of the river was ordered by Edward I so that the castle would benefit from the transport of goods via the river in times of siege.

There is a lot of the original architecture still available to see. Here is a floorplan of the castle:

1: Town Gate, 2: West Gatehouse, 3: East Gatehouse, 4: North Tower, 5:South Tower, 6: Gillot’s Tower, 7: Dock Gate, 8: Friary Gate Turret, 9. Site of Causeway, 10: River Gate, 11: Well