This is a 360 degree video of the Caernarfon town walls! You can use your mouse/finger to move around the video as you watch it.

After King Edward conquered Wales in 1282, he wanted to control the country and its people more than just militarily and politically. He also wanted to control it socially and economically.

To do that, first he built his iron ring of castles, of which Caernarfon Castle was meant to be the central jewel, and then he established walled towns, populated by English settlers, through which all commerce in the country had to take place. In order to build the towns, the native Welsh were evicted, and because Welsh people were not allowed inside the walls, the language of commerce and government was English or French, not Welsh.

The Caernarfon town walls were built in stone, starting in about 1283. They were completed by 1292, using primarily laborers from England and at a cost of about 3500 pounds. They stand almost to their full circuit to this day. Visible still are eight towers and five gateways, and while none of the battlements are open to the public, they are accessible from the back gardens of many residents. According to CADW, the Welsh government’s heritage organization, the East Gate was the main landward entrance. It is located directly opposite the West or Water Gate, which in the 13th century could only be approached from the sea.

The walls were breached by Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294 during his attempt to evict the English from north Wales. The castle was retaken by King Edward the following year and refurbished at a cost of over 1000 pounds. The settlement itself was not as successful as in Conwy, for example, with only 59 burgases paying taxes to the king. Still, the town continued to be controlled by the English throughout the medieval period and it wasn’t until 1507 that the Welsh were finally allowed to live inside the walls.