Caernarfon is a royal town, community, and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a
population of 9,615. It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the
Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is 8.6
miles to the north-east, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and
south-east. Carnarvon and Caernarvon are Anglicised spellings that were
superseded in 1926 and 1974, respectively.
Abundant natural resources in and around the Menai Straits enabled human
habitation in the area during prehistory. The Ordovices, a Celtic
tribe, lived in the region during classical antiquity. The Roman fort
Segontium was established around AD 80 to subjugate the Ordovices during the
Roman conquest of Britain. The Romans occupied the region until their
departure in the 5th century, after which Caernarfon became part of the
Kingdom of Gwynedd. In the late 11th century, William the Conqueror ordered
the construction of a motte at Caernarfon as part of an attempt at
conquering the region. He was unsuccessful, and Wales remained
independent until around 1283. In the 13th century, Llywelyn ap
Gruffudd, ruler of Gwynedd, refused to pay homage to Edward I, prompting the
English conquest of Gwynedd. This was followed by the construction of
Caernarfon Castle, one of the largest and most imposing fortifications built
by the English in Wales. In 1284, the English-style county of Caernarfonshire
was established by the Statute of Rhuddlan; the same year, Caernarfon was
made a borough, a county and market town, and the seat of English government
in North Wales. The ascent of the Tudor dynasty to the
throne of England eased hostilities between the English and resulted in
Caernarfon Castle falling into a state of disrepair. The city has flourished,
leading to its status as a major tourist centre and seat of Gwynedd Council, with
a thriving harbour and marina. Caernarfon has expanded beyond its
medieval walls and experienced heavy suburbanisation. Its population includes
the largest percentage of Welsh-speaking citizens anywhere in Wales. The status
of Royal Borough was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1963 and emended to
Royal Town in 1974. The castle and town walls are part of a World Heritage Site
described as the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd.
History The present city of Caernarfon grew up
around and owes its name to its Norman and Edwardian fortifications. The
earlier British and Roman settlement at Segontium was named for the nearby River
Seiont. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain around AD 410, the settlement
continued to be known as Cair Segeint and as Cair Custoient, of the History of
the Britons, cited by Bishop Ussher in Newman's life of St German both of which
names appear among the 28 cities of Britain in the History of the Britons
traditionally ascribed to Nennius. The work states that the inscribed tomb of
"Constantius the Emperor" was still present in the 9th century. The medieval
romance about Maximus and Elen, Macsen's Dream, calls her home Caer Aber Sein and
other pre-conquest poets such as Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd also used the name Caer
Gystennin. The Norman motte was erected apart from
the existing settlement and came to be known as y gaer yn Arfon, "the fortress
in Arfon". A 1221 charter by Llywelyn the Great to the canons of Penmon priory
on Anglesey mentions Kaerinarfon; the Brut mentions both Kaerenarvon and
Caerenarvon. In 1283, King Edward I completed his conquest of Wales which he
secured by a chain of castles and walled towns. The construction of a new stone
Caernarfon Castle seems to have started as soon as the campaign had finished.
Edward's architect, James of St. George, may well have modelled the castle on the
walls of Constantinople, possibly being aware of the town's legendary
associations. Edward's fourth son, Edward of Caernarfon, later King Edward
II, was born at the castle in April 1284 and made Prince of Wales in 1301. A
story recorded in the 16th century suggests that the new prince was offered
to the native Welsh on the premise "that [he] was borne in Wales and could speake
never a word of English", however there is no contemporary evidence to support
this. Caernarfon was constituted a borough in
1284 by charter of Edward I. The charter, which was confirmed on a number
of occasions, appointed the mayor of the borough Constable of the Castle ex
officio. The former municipal borough was designated a royal borough in 1963.
The borough was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974, and the
status of "royal town" was granted to the community which succeeded it.
Caernarfon was the county town of the historic county of Caernarfonshire.
In 1911, David Lloyd George, then Member of Parliament for Caernarfon boroughs,
which included various towns from Llŷn to Conwy, agreed to the British Royal
family's idea of holding the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon
Castle. The ceremony took place on 13 July, with the royal family paying a
rare visit to Wales, and the future King Edward VIII was duly invested.
In 1955 Caernarfon was in the running for the title of Capital of Wales on
historical grounds but the town's campaign was heavily defeated in a
ballot of Welsh local authorities, with 11 votes compared to Cardiff's 136.
Cardiff therefore became the Welsh capital.
On 1 July 1969 the investiture ceremony for Charles, Prince of Wales was again
held at Caernarfon Castle. The ceremony itself went ahead without incident
despite terrorist threats and protests, which culminated in the death of two
members of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, who were killed
when their bomb – intended for the railway line at Abergele in order to
stop the British Royal Train – exploded prematurely. The bomb campaign was
organised by the leader of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, John Jenkins. He was
later arrested after a tip-off and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.
The history of Caernarfon as an example where the rise and fall of different
civilizations can be seen from one hilltop, are discussed in John Michael
Greer's book The Long Descent. He writes of Caernarfon:
Geography Caernarfon is situated on the southern
bank of the Menai Strait facing the Isle of Anglesey. It is situated 8.6 miles
south-west of Bangor, 19.4 miles north of Porthmadog and approximately 8.0
miles west of Llanberis and Snowdonia National Park. The mouth of the River
Seiont is in the town, creating a natural harbour where it flows into the
Menai Strait. Caernarfon Castle stands at the mouth of the river. The A487
passes directly through Caernarfon, with Bangor to the north and Porthmadog to
the south. Llanberis at the foot of Snowdon can be reached via the A4086,
which heads east out of the town to Capel Curig. Heading north out of the
town is the Lôn Las Menai cycle path to nearby Y Felinheli. Heading south out of
the town is the Lôn Eifion cycle path, which leads to Bryncir, near Criccieth.
The route provides views into the Snowdonia mountains, down along the Llŷn
Peninsula and across to the Isle of Anglesey. The restoration of the Welsh
Highland Railway or Rheilffordd Eryri, a narrow gauge heritage railway, was
completed in 2011 and runs from Caernarfon to Porthmadog where it
connects with the Festiniog Railway. Economy
Caernarfon's historical prominence and landmarks have made it a major tourist
centre. As a result, many of the local businesses cater for the tourist trade.
Caernarfon is home to numerous guest houses, inns and pubs, hotels,
restaurants and shops. The majority of shops in the town are located either in
the centre of town around Pool Street and Castle Square, or on Doc Fictoria. A
number of shops are also located within the Town Walls.
The majority of the retail and residential section of Doc Fictoria was
opened in 2008. The retail and residential section of Doc Fictoria is
built directly beside a Blue Flag beach marina. It contains numerous homes, bars
and bistros, cafés and restaurants, an award- winning arts centre, a maritime
museum and a range of shops and stores. Pool Street and Castle Square contain a
number of large, national retail shops and smaller independent stores. Pool
Street is a pedestrianised street and, as such, serves as the town's main
shopping street. Castle Square, commonly referred to as the 'Maes' by both Welsh
and English speakers, is the market square of the town. A market is held
every Saturday throughout the year and also on Mondays in the Summer. The
square was revamped at a cost of £2.4 million in 2009. However, since its
revamp the square has caused controversy due to traffic and parking difficulties.
During the revamp, it was decided to remove barriers between traffic and
pedestrians creating a 'shared space', to try and force road users to be more
considerate of pedestrians and other vehicles. This is the first use of this
kind of arrangement in Wales, but it has been described by councillor Bob
Anderson as being 'too ambiguous' for road users. Another controversy caused
by the revamp of the Maes was that a historic feature of the town was taken
down, namely a very old oak tree, situated outside the HSBC bank. When the
Maes was re-opened in July 2009 by the local politician and Heritage Minister
of Wales, Alun Ffred Jones AM, he said, "the use of beautiful local slate is
very prominent in the new Maes." There are many old public houses serving
the town, including The Four Alls, The Anglesey Arms Hotel, The Castle Hotel,
The Crown, Morgan Lloyd, Pen Deitch and The Twthill Vaults. The oldest public
house in Caernarfon is the Black Boy Inn, which remained in the same family
for over 40 years until sold in 2003 to a local independent family business. The
pub has stood inside Caernarfon's Town Walls since the 16th century, and many
ghosts have been sighted within the building.
In and around the Town Walls are numerous restaurants, public houses and
inns, and guest houses and hostels. Local government
Gwynedd Council's head offices are situated in the town. The local court
serves the town and the rest of north-west Wales, and in 2009 moved to a
multi-million pound court complex on Llanberis Road. The Caernarfon UK
Parliament constituency was a former electoral area centred on Caernarfon.
Caernarfon is now part of the Arfon constituency for both the UK Parliament
and the National Assembly for Wales. The town is twinned with Landerneau in
Brittany. Demography
The population of Caernarfon Community Parish in 2001 was 9,611. Caernarfon
residents are known colloquially as "Cofis". The word "Cofi" is also used
locally in Caernarfon to describe the local Welsh dialect, notable for a
number of words not in use elsewhere. Within Wales, Gwynedd has the highest
proportion of speakers of the Welsh language. The greatest concentration of
Welsh speakers in Gwynedd is found in and around Caernarfon. According to the
2001 Census, 86.1% of the population could speak Welsh; the largest majority
of Welsh speakers was found in the 10-14 age group, where 97.7% could speak it
fluently. The town is nowadays a rallying-point for the Welsh nationalist
cause. Landmarks
= Caernarfon Castle= The present castle building was
constructed between 1283 and 1330 by order of King Edward I. The banded
stonework and polygonal towers are thought to have been in imitation of the
Walls of Constantinople. The impressive curtain wall with nine towers and two
gatehouses survive largely intact. Caernarfon Castle is now under the care
of Cadw and is open to the public. The castle includes the regimental museum of
the Royal Welch Fusiliers. = Caernarfon town walls=
The medieval town walls, including eight towers and two twin-towered gateways
form a complete circuit of 730 metres around the old town and were built
between 1283 and 1285. The walls are in the care of Cadw but only a small
section is accessible to the public. The town walls and castle at Caernarfon were
declared part of a World Heritage Site in 1986. According to UNESCO, the castle
and walls together with other royal castles in Gwynedd "are the finest
examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in
Europe". = Church of St Peblig=
Dedicated to Saint Peblig, the son of Saint Elen and Macsen Wledig, the church
is built on an important early Christian site, itself built on a Roman Mithraeum
or temple of Mithras, close to the Segontium Roman Fort. A Roman altar was
found in one of the walls during 19th century restoration work. The present
church dates mainly from the 14th century and is a Grade I listed
building. = Statue of David Lloyd George=
The statue in Castle Square was sculpted by W. Goscombe John and was erected in
1921 when Lloyd George was Prime Minister. David Lloyd George was the
Member of Parliament for the area from 1890 to 1945.
= The Old Market Hall= The Old Market Hall in Hole-in-the-Wall
Street and Crown Street was built in 1832, but the interior and roof were
rebuilt later in that century. It is a Grade II listed building.
= Others= The old court buildings, replaced in
2009 by a new complex designed by HOK on the former Segontium School site in
Llanberis Road, are situated inside the castle walls, next door to the Anglesey
Arms Hotel and to the Gwynedd County Council buildings in Pendeitch. They are
grand buildings, especially the exterior of the former magistrates' court, which
features a gothic architecture style of decoration. The old buildings adjoin
what used to be Caernarfon gaol, which has been closed since about the early
20th century and has now been converted into further council offices.
There is a small hospital in the town, 'Ysbyty Eryri'. The nearest large
regional hospital is Ysbyty Gwynedd, in Bangor.
Previously, Caernarfon had been chosen as the location of a new prison. HMP
Caernarfon would have held up to 800 adult males when constructed, and would
have taken prisoners from all over the North Wales area. However, in September
2009 the UK Government withdrew plans to construct the prison.
Transport Caernarfon was at one time an important
port, exporting slate from the Dyffryn Nantlle quarries.
Caernarvon railway station served the town from 1852 to 1970 and was one of
the last passenger services to be closed under the Beeching Axe; it is now the
site of a Morrisons supermarket. The site served as the terminus of the
Bangor and Carnarvon Railway, and an end-on junction with the Carnarvonshire
Railway and the Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway. All three companies were
operated by and absorbed into the London and North Western Railway by 1871.
The route of the line southwards passed through a tunnel under central
Caernarfon that was converted in 1995 for road traffic. The new Caernarfon
railway station in St. Helen's Road is the northern terminus of the narrow
gauge Rheilffordd Eryri / Welsh Highland Railway.
Bus services in the town are provided by Arriva Buses Wales, GHA Coaches, Express
Motors and Padarn Bus. Caernarfon Airport is 4.5 miles to the
south west, and offers pleasure flights and an aviation museum.
Education There are four primary schools in
Caernarfon, Ysgol yr Hendre being the largest. The others are Ysgol y Gelli,
Ysgol Santes Helen and Ysgol Maesincla. The single secondary school serving
Caernarfon and the surrounding areas – Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen – currently has
between 900 and 1000 pupils from ages 11 to 18.
Ysgol Pendalar, a school for children with special needs, serves all of Arfon.
Coleg Menai is a further education college for adult learners.
Notable people See Category: People from Caernarfon
Sport Caernarfon Town F.C. is a football team
that plays at The Oval, in Division One of the Welsh Alliance League. Caernarfon
Wanderers play in Division Two of the Welsh Alliance.
There is a rugby union club, Clwb Rygbi Caernarfon, which plays in Division One
North of the Swalec League. The club's home ground is Y Morfa.
Culture Caernarfon hosted the National
Eisteddfod in 1862, 1894, 1906, 1921, 1935, 1959 and 1979. Unofficial National
Eisteddfod events were also held there in 1877 and 1880. Caernarfon also hosted
the 30th annual Celtic Media Festival in March 2009.
Cultural destinations include Galeri, Bocs and Oriel Pendeitsh.
Galeri is a creative enterprise centre that houses a gallery, a concert hall,
cinema, a number of companies, and a range of other creative and cultural
spaces. Bocs is a young artists' co-operative
and an arts centre that holds exhibitions and a range of cultural and
creative events. Oriel Pendeitsh is a ground-floor
exhibition space adjoining the Tourist Information Centre opposite Caernarfon
Castle. The gallery has a varied and changing programme of exhibitions
throughout the year. See also
George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon References
Bibliography External links
Official Website Encyclopaedia Britannica Caernarfon
Visit to Caernarfon Doc Fictoria Caernarfon
Bocs Arts Centre