Beaumaris Castle f.28

Work began on Beaumaris Castle in 1295 when Edward I commissioned James of St George, the master castle architect, to create the perfect fortress to defend Royal authority in the region. Two thousand men dug the encircling moat and hundreds of masons and craftsmen worked to raise the six towers and two gatehouses of the inner ward. Surrounding this no less than 16 towered defences made up the outer ward. The design of the castle made it theoretically impregnable. However, as Edward's military needs changed, money was re-directed from completing Beaumaris to other building projects. As a result, the fortifications were never completed and the castle was abandoned, seeing action only in the Civil War more that 300 years later.