Over the centuries Caernarfon Castle, built by Edward I of England from 1283 as he battled the Welsh princes, has come to be been seen as a symbol of imperial military might and economic power.
But a £5m conservation and development project completed on Thursday seeks to give a fresh perspective, focusing not on Edward but on the ordinary people who built and helped run the north Wales fortress – and suggesting that the belligerent king’s empire-building ambition has, ultimately, been defeated.
The redevelopment of the castle’s principal gatehouse, which has been three years in the making, features impressive new features including a viewing platform created in the battlements that opens up spectacular vistas of town, sea and mountains.
A lift has been added into the gatehouse – believed to be a UK first for such a site – so that people using wheelchairs or with mobility issues can reach the soaring platform.
But it may be the new multimedia interpretation featuring “the hands that built the castle” and a no-nonsense approach to Edward that attract most comment.
Jane Richardson, the chair of Cadw, the Welsh government’s historic environment service, said: “People know the castles as Edward I extending the arm of power, but there’s so much more to them than that. What we’re trying to do is tell more of the stories of Wales and the people of Wales.”
The new interpretation aims to bring to life the people who built and worked at the castle – the stonemasons, weavers and bursar. It is thought Welsh and English craftspeople and labourers would have worked together on the project to create one of the greatest medieval buildings in the world.
Edward himself appears as an imagined shattered statue with the words of the 16th-century Welsh poet Dafydd Trefor gouged into his cheek: “Where is Edward? … He himself is silent, away in his grave.”
An interpretation panel explains: “Edward has never been popular in Wales. He ran roughshod over Welsh laws and traditions to justify what he thought was his right to rule.”
It asks: “What remains of his imperial ambition here at Caernarfon apart from stones and mortar? The Welsh national flag now flies over the turrets and Wales once again has its own parliament, the Senedd in Cardiff.”
Richardson said: “The poem we use questions the real power of Edward. It doesn’t come down on either side. We wouldn’t stray into political territory. It’s up to the visitor to decide what Edward’s legacy is here.”
Caernarfon is a stronghold for the Welsh language and there is a strong nationalist movement in the area. King Charles III’s decision to bestow the title of Prince of Wales on his son proved controversial here with Plaid Cymru-controlled Gwynedd council calling for the title to be banned.
As Cadw developed its castle redevelopment scheme, it was careful to involve the community.
Richardson said: “We wanted this to be a story the people of Caernarfon felt proud of, that felt real and relevant to their community. When we developed the concept we wanted to make sure it resonated.
“We brought a pool of people together that included everyone from Wales’s academics and historians of the period through to sixth formers from the secondary school. They helped us refine it. The young people really got it and engaged with it and understood what it meant for their heritage.
“There is that sense of Wales wanting to be able to tell its own stories. Edward I is one of the stories but not the dominant one for the people who live here. That rebalancing is important.”
The fortress-palace on the banks of the River Seiont is grouped with Edward I’s other castles at Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech as a world heritage site.
Edward and his military architect Master James of St George erected the castle, town walls and a quay at the same time. The project took 47 years and cost £25,000.
During the 21st century revamp, which is a year late and £1m over-budget because of Covid and the soaring cost of construction, shards of 1st century Roman pottery, animal bones and tile were found, suggesting that the site was of huge strategic significance long before the castle was built.
Dawn Bowden, the deputy minister for arts and sport at the Welsh government, said: “Enhancement projects like this one ensures that everybody can access Welsh history and learn more about the nation’s heritage. Cadw’s new interpretation will further support this, inviting visitors to discover the lesser-known stories of the castle’s history.”
