Beaumaris Castle and moat. (Photo by Mick Knapton licensed under GFDL)

Beaumaris Castle, located in Beaumaris, Anglesey, was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer North Wales. Begun in 1295, it was designed by James of St. George. Beaumaris is now regarded as the most architecturally perfect castle in Britain, and has been designated as a World Heritage site. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Beaumaris is a town in east Anglesey, Wales. ... Anglesey (Welsh: , pronounced (IPA)), is an island and county at the northwestern extremity of Wales. ... Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), popularly known as Longshanks[1] and Hammer of the Scots,[2] achieved fame as the monarch who conquered Wales and who kept Scotland under English domination during his lifetime. ... Approximate extent of North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales. ... Events Mongol leader Ghazan Khan is converted to Islam, ending a line of Tantric Buddhist leaders. ... James of St George (circa 1230 - 1309) was an architect from Savoy responsible for designing many of Edward Is castles, including Conwy Castle (begun 1283), Harlech Castle (begun 1283) and Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey (begun 1295). ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Beaumaris castle faced Garth Celyn on the opposite shore of the Menai Strait, and was deliberately positioned, together with Conwy castle and Caernarfon castle at either end of the Menai Strait, to overshadow the Welsh royal home and centre of resistance to the English forces. Garth Celyn, Aber Garth Celyn, now Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd, the home in the thirteenth century of Llywelyn Fawr, Dafydd ap Llywelyn and LLywelyn ap Gruffudd, Tywysog Cymru Aber Garth Celyn, now known as Abergwyngregyn or Aber, is a settlement of great antiquity and on the north coast of Gwynedd. ... The ward of Caernarfon Castle, showing (from left to right) the Black Tower, the Chamberlains Tower, and the Eagle Tower. ...

Construction

Beaumaris (beau mareys - fair marsh) Castle was the last of Edward I's fortresses in North Wales. However, the fortress was never fully completed as finances and material ran out, as Edward turned his attentions towards Scotland before it reached its full height. This article is about the country. ...

During the course of construction, Edward ordered that the all the inhabitants of nearby Llanfaes be evicted from their homes, and relocated on the far side of the island at Newborough. All pleas against this action were dismissed.

The King's architect, Master James of St George, brought all his experience to bear when constructing Beaumaris: its defences and lines of supply are superbly thought out. It was designed using a concentric plan, with its inner ward completely surrounded by an outer ward. The castle has a tidal dock which allowed it to be supplied directly from the sea, and it is surrounded by a water-filled moat. The defences also include numerous ingeniously sited arrow slits, and the entrances are protected by murder holes from which substances such as hot oil could be poured over enemy forces. Any attack on Beaumaris Castle would have to overcome 14 separate obstacles and four lines of fortifications made possible by the 'walls within walls' design. Krak des Chevaliers: a concentric castle A concentric castle (or multiple castle) is a castle within a castle, with two or more concentric rings of curtain walls and no central keep. ... It has been suggested that Earth tides be merged into this article or section. ... A dock is an area of water between two piers or alongside a pier, forming a chamber used for building or repairing one ship. ... Sea as seen from jetty in Frankston, Australia Look up maritime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Impact of a drop of water. ... The moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England Moats (also known as a Fosse) were deep and wide water-filled trenches, excavated to provide a barrier against attack upon castle ramparts or other fortifications. ... An arrow slit is a thin vertical window in a fortification through which an archer can shoot arrows while remaining largely free from personal danger. ... A murder-hole is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders can fire, throw or pour dangerous or noxious substances at attackers. ... Natural olive oil Synthetic motor oil Oil, in a general sense, is a chemical compound that is not miscible with water, and is in a liquid state at ambient temperatures. ...

The inner ward of Beaumaris. (Photo by Mick Knapton licensed under GFDL)

The plan of the castle is basically square, and shares much in common with Caerphilly and Harlech. The inner ward is rectangular, with a round tower at each corner. On the north and south side are two massive gatehouses following the typical pattern of two D-shaped towers flanking the gate passage, while two more D-shaped towers defend the east and west walls. The great hall and other domestic buildings were to be constructed within this inner ward. Image File history File links Beaumaris_Castle_5. ... Image File history File links Beaumaris_Castle_5. ... for a more detailed article on Caerphilly Castle see Caerphilly Caerphilly Castle is a Norman castle that dominates the centre of the town of Caerphilly in south Wales. ... The main gatehouse of Harlech Castle. ...

Surrounding the inner bailey, in accordance with the concentric ideal, is an outer wall defended by many towers and its own two gatehouses. These were positioned out-of-line with the inner gatehouses so that attackers would not have a straight path through the gates. The dock wall extends from the south wall near the gatehouse, and also serves as a firing platform to defend that gateway. Unlike the simple outer walls at Caerphilly and Harlech, the walls here are very thick and have passages in them that allow defenders access to protected arrow slits.

Though the plan was nearly perfect, and the castle is well-preserved, it can never be seen in as its architect intended as the building was never completed. The Welsh conquest was basically complete at the time of construction, and the immense cost of building such a massive fortress was seen as unnecessary expense when finances were needed to fund the campaigns against the Scots.. None of the towers of the inner ward, including both great gatehouses, were completed to full height and many buildings of the inner ward were left unfinished. However, the outer walls were crenelated, and the castle did not suffer slighting during the Civil War (like so many others), so the extant castle is still an impressive sight. A slighting is the deliberate destruction of a fortification without opposition from its builders or its last users, respectively. ...

Visiting

The castle is run and managed by Cadw, (the Welsh Assembly Government's agency for historic monuments), which provides visitors with a guidebook, an exhibition, gifts and souvenirs, good disabled access and picnic facilities in the castle grounds. Ducks and swans swim on the castle moat. Admission prices in 2005 were: £3 (adults), £2.50 (concessions), free (under 5s), £8.50 family (2 adults and up to 3 children). Cadw is a semi-autonomous publicly-funded body which with the mission to protect, conserve, and to promote the built heritage of Wales — the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage and Historic Scotland. ... The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) (Welsh: Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru, LlCC) is the executive body of the National Assembly for Wales, consisting of the First Minister and his Cabinet. ... The Taj Mahal, commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a mausoleum for his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum. ... Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience, a temporary presentation of art. ... giFT stands for giFT: Internet File Transfer. ... Look up souvenir in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up disability in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Friends and family gather for a picnic in a public park in Columbus, Ohio, c. ... // Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Oxyurinae Anatinae Merginae Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. ... Genera Cygnus Bechstein 1803 Coscoroba Reichenbach 1853 Swans are large water birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A young woman who is 18 years old. ...

External links

• The Website of Beaumaris Castle
• Official Cadw website
• Beaumaris Castle, World Heritage Site
• http://www.llywelyn.co.uk
• Beaumaris Castle history and photographs

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom (list)

England: Blenheim Palace · Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey & St. Martin's Church · Bath · Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape · Derwent Valley Mills · Durham Castle & Cathedral · Hadrian's Wall · Ironbridge Gorge · Jurassic Coast · Kew Gardens · Liverpool · Maritime Greenwich · Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey &  St. Margaret's · Saltaire · Stonehenge & Avebury · Studley Royal Park · Tower of London A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... The List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom is a list of sites designated by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom. ... Download high resolution version (1752x1196, 311 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Blenheim Palace, The Great Court. ... Canterbury Cathedral from the southwest. ... Medieval Gate Leading to The Ruins of Saint Augustines Abbey. ... The churchyard of St. ... Statistics Population: 84,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: ST745645 Administration District: Bath and North East Somerset Region: South West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Somerset Historic county: Somerset Services Police force: Avon and Somerset Fire and rescue: Avon Ambulance: South Western Post office... The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape is a World Heritage Site in Cornwall and Devon, South West England. ... Masson Mills, Derwent Valley Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. ... Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham in County Durham, England. ... Durham Cathedral silhouetted against the sunset Durham Cathedral from nearby The Rose Window in the Chapel of the Nine Altars. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Ironbridge Gorge looking east towards the Iron Bridge that gave the gorge its name Map sources for Ironbridge Gorge at grid reference SJ672033 The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the river Severn in Shropshire, England. ... Lyme Bay. ... Royal Botanic Gardens redirects here. ... Liverpool, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. ... 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Scotland: Edinburgh Old Town & New Town · Heart of Neolithic Orkney (Maeshowe, Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, Standing Stones of Stenness) · New Lanark · St Kilda Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ... The Edinburgh New Town is a neo-classical masterpiece. ... Maeshowe Maeshowe Entrance Maeshowe (or Maes Howe) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. ... Ring of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar) is a neolithic henge and stone circle in The Mainland Orkney, Scotland, somewhat similar to Stonehenge in England. ... 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Conwy Castle - illustration from Cassells History of England circa 1902 Conwy Castle (often spelled Conway Castle in English usage, although this is now discouraged) was built in Conwy as part of Edward Is second campaign in North Wales. ... The main gatehouse of Harlech Castle. ... Blaenavon (Welsh: Blaenafon) is a town and World Heritage Site in Torfaen, southern Wales, lying at the source of the Llwyd River. ... Northern Ireland: Giant's Causeway Motto:  (Latin for Who will separate us?)[1] Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Ulster Scots, Irish3, Northern Ireland Sign Language, Irish Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of... The Giants Causeway is an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from a volcanic eruption. ... 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