Dolwyddelan Castle
Dolwyddelan Castle
Dolwyddelan is as Welsh as the rugged mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) that provide its spectacular backdrop.
One of a group of fortresses built to command the mountain passes, it stands as a lasting memorial to Prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, or Llywelyn the Great. He was the undisputed ruler of Gwynedd from 1201 to his death in 1240.
Edward set his own stamp on Dolwyddelan from the day it fell in 1283. The garrison was hastily equipped with camouflage white tunics – perfect for winter warfare in the mountains. He raised the height of the keep, built a new tower and installed a siege engine complete with stone ‘cannon balls’.
Nothing lasts for ever. By the early 19th century Dolwyddelan was a romantic ruin popular with landscape artists. Then Lord Willoughby de Eresby decided to ‘restore’ the keep with medieval-style battlements.
Photo: Jeff Buck (Wikimedia Commons)
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