The castle ruin explore on our day to the nearby town on Wednesday 8th September 2021.
Wales holiday, playlist linked at bottom.
The last castle built at Aberystwyth was its most imposing, and once ranked among the greatest in Wales. Today, the structure is entirely ruined, a forlorn jumble of towers and foundations most striking for their proximity to the pounding waters of the temperamental sea. For centuries before the castle's construction, the Welsh had proved quarrelsome, wanting their own Prince of Wales and demanding their independence. In the middle of the 13th century, Henry III attempted to appease the Welsh. When he officially named Llywelyn ap Gruffydd as the Prince of Wales, the English king recognized the Welshman's power and charisma. However, the title did not quiet the native Welsh prince, and in the early 1270's, Llywelyn refused to pay homage to the new king, Edward I. By 1276, Edward lost his patience with what he considered as insolence by Llywelyn and his people, and began his first campaign against the Welsh.
In 1277, King Edward I ordered the construction of several formidable castles. They included Flint, Rhuddlan, Builth, and Aberystwyth. All these castles have survived and are accessible to the public. Of these four castles, two led the way into the future of castle construction. Designed as concentric fortresses, Rhuddlan and Aberystwyth Castles were innovative structures composed of rings of defenses, walls-within-walls, which allowed guards to defend their stronghold from several heights without firing upon their own men. Of the two castles, Aberystwyth is the most ruined, but in its heyday, the castle was every bit as intimidating and secure as its cousin in NE Wales.
A walk into the castle ruins is a bit disquieting, especially when you know that a massive monument once stood on the spot. Pieces of masonry seem strewn haphazardly around the grounds. However, several significant pieces of the puzzle have survived, and hint at the wonders that originally dominated the site. When completed, diamond-shaped Aberystwyth Castle contained two twin-towered gatehouses, a barbican, four gateways, and several round towers placed along the curtain walls. Sadly, what has survived are parts of the outer ward's curtain and angle-towers and fragments of the inner ward's east and northwest gateways and angle- towers. The most notable relic is a tall tower in the inner ward.
Photos at 4:48
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Castles playlist.
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That holiday playlist.
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Wales stuff.
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