Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon Castle was begun in 1283 as the centrepiece of Edward I's ring of fortresses in North Wales, built beside an earlier Norman castle and close to a former Roman fort. Its distinctive polygonal towers and bands of coloured stone were deliberately grand, evoking imperial power. The castle and town walls form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in the 20th century Caernarfon hosted the investitures of the Prince of Wales in 1911 and 1969.

The great towers and long wall-passages have drawn their share of ghost lore. Local tradition and some visitors describe footsteps, a sense of presence and figures seen briefly in the shadowed stairways and along the battlements. These accounts are impressions reported by individuals rather than events supported by records.

Because Caernarfon's building and later history are so thoroughly recorded, it is an ideal place to weigh documented fact against reported experience. You can move through precisely dated spaces and consider how much of any uneasy feeling is architecture, acoustics and anticipation.

Caernarfon Castle is managed by Cadw and open to the public for a paid admission, with reduced hours during the winter season. It also houses a regimental museum within its towers.

The spiral stairs and high walkways are steep and can be slippery; visitors are asked to take care, keep to marked routes and treat this World Heritage monument with respect.