Caernarfon town walls

Caernarfon town walls
Caernarfon, North Wales
Caernarfon town walls along Greengate Street
Caernarfon town walls
Coordinates	53°08′17″N 4°15′59″W / 53.1381°N 4.2663°W / 53.1381; -4.2663
Grid reference	grid reference SH485625
Type	Town wall
Site information
Controlled by	Cadw
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Intact
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd
Criteria	Cultural: i, iii, iv
Reference	374
Inscription	1986 (10th Session)
Scheduled monument
Official name	Caernarfon Town Wall[1]
Reference no.	CN034[1]

Caernarfon's town walls are a medieval defensive structure around the town of Caernarfon in North Wales. The walls were constructed between 1283 and 1292 after the foundation of Caernarfon by Edward I, alongside the adjacent castle. The walls are 734 m (2,408 ft) long and include eight towers and two medieval gatehouses. The project was completed using large numbers of labourers brought in from England; the cost of building the walls came to around £3,500, a large sum for the period. The walls were significantly damaged during the rebellion of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294, and had to be repaired at considerable expense. Political changes in the 16th century reduced the need to maintain such defences around the town. Today the walls form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site administered by Cadw. Archaeologists Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham describe the defences as "a remarkably intact walled circuit".^[2]