Fortress · Wales · Still standing

Q634054

Conwy Castle is a late 13th-century royal fortress built on a rocky promontory beside the tidal River Conwy, together with the adjoining medieval town walls. The complex dominates the quay and surrounding market town and was designed as a fortified stronghold with multiple towers, curtain walls and inner wards.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1283

Its prime

1289

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1289

What Q634054 looked like in its prime.

Perched on a rocky promontory above a tidal estuary, the fortress is formed of long grey-stone curtain walls punctuated by numerous cylindrical towers and substantial gate passages with crenellated parapets and narrow arrow slits. The stone is weathered ashlar; the castle fills the headland from quay to hill and overlooks low-tide mudflats and small craft. The inner ward contained timber service buildings and yards clustered against the inner face of the stone walls, while the town walls continue away from the castle enclosing the market streets.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1289.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Q634054 — including 5 interiors: main gate through the curtain wall, inner ward courtyard and service yards, wall-walk along the curtain and battlements and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Approach from the quay and estuaryMain gate through the curtain wallInner ward courtyard and service yardsWall-walk along the curtain and battlementsTop of a cylindrical corner towerApsidal tower at the southern end of the east wallQuay and small harbour below the castleView from the opposite riverbank

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