My theme is castles. So it is appropriate to discuss the great castle builder – Edward the First. During his reign he had built or refortified seventeen castles in Wales. The construction of the ring of castles was a massive undertaking and it enabled him to crush any Welsh rebellions.
Many of these great castles remain standing and of them, Conwy, is my favourite. Situated on the coast, it encompasses eight concentric towers and a wall that surrounded the town, and still does. A World Heritage site, it dominates the town and has breathtaking views of the coast.
Edward was helped in his endeavours to leave a lasting impression on Wales by his master mason, James of St George, who was responsible for building twelve of Edward’s castles, plus others in Europe and Scotland. What an achievement for an architect! He was paid well – two shillings a day – and retired to a manor granted by the king.
Turner
Built between 1283 and 1289, Conwy castle cost £15,000 to build – a small fortune. It survived wars, including the English Civil War, but eventually stripped of metalwork, it crumbled and instead became a feasting ground for landscape painters.
Changing times brought rail and road, and Thomas Telford constructed a suspension bridge in 1826, one of the first in the world, right next to the castle. Another great architect.
So, one castle, lots of history, and it rather sums up what I love about castles. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if Telford and James of St George met up and compared notes?
“So, this is another one of your castles?”
“Aye. I’m rather pleased with the double barbican. You’re partial to bridges?”
“Just a few. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve built. Canals too.”
“Your bridge fits in nicely with my castle. I like the added touches, the parapet and portcullis details.”
“That’s the idea.”
“What’s with the cables?”
“They hold it up.”
“Up? Strange notion. How’s it work?”
“Fancy a pint? I can draw you a picture.”
The Quiet Writer 
Beautiful palce. This really looks liek the castel you think excist in fairy tales 🙂
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – Jazz Age Jazz
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It does, many castles look like fairy tales come alive.
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I love your little ficlet 🙂 That bride looks awesome with the castle.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
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The bridge doesn’t look out of place with the castle in the background.
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A delightful bit of dialogue! It sounds like an amazing castle.
‘The Choir’, a short story with 2 neglected words
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Wore my kids out nicely 🙂
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Great pics. Love castles 🙂 Good luck with the rest of the challenge.
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Thank you. More to come.
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Learning such a lot about castles in a highly entertaining way too – enjoyed the chit chat 🙂
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Really glad you’re finding the posts informative. Thank you.
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17 castles!!! Wow, that’s a lot of castles for one lifetime considering how much work goes into one!
Sophie
Sophie’s Thoughts & Fumbles | Wittegen Press | FB3X
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He was very busy, although I suspect he simply worked on the designs and left a lot of men doing the hard work.
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“Feasting ground for landscape painters” 😀 Also, I bet that architect had quite the life story…
I really want to travel to Wales.
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
The Multicolored Diary
MopDog
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I lived in Wales for a while and it’s a beautiful country. Lots of castles!
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I love castles! And, your photos are great. One thing I learned in visiting castles in England is that before there was indoor plumbing, they would poo down a shoot in the outside wall. Oy! That must have been a horrible time in which to live. And, the dungeon was scary – I can see why people would confess to just about anything after visiting one. Thanks for sharing – found you through the A to Z Challenge. http://www.dianeweidenbenner.com
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More to come on plumbing in a later post. Castles were luxurious compared to most humble abodes.
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Although I’m in the UK I’m ashamed to say that I’ve visited very few of our castles. Looking forward to following your posts so I can rectify that, even if not in person (yet!).
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It’s surprising how many there are, especially as not all are open to the public.
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I am learning so much! I really enjoyed how you captured the voices at the end.
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Thank you. I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog challenge.
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