Beaumaris Castle; possibly the greatest British Castle if only it had been finished.

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Beaumaris Castle; possibly the greatest British Castle if only it had been finished.

Beaumaris castle is possibly the greatest British Castle if only it had been finished. It is a brilliant example of a concentric castle, ie, a castle with walls within walls , loads of round towers, a moat, barbicans and no keep. It was built by one of the greatest castle builders, Master James of St George, at a time just before cannons put an end to the first phase of castle building. He attempted to create the ultimate castle. Master James was given a clean canvas on which to design and construct there best ever castle. There is good access to both sets of wall walks and so plenty to explore. It is easy to see all the defensive features and how they added to the overall effectiveness of castles. This was Edward I’s last Welsh castle in his iron ring and initially, money was no object.

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Caernarfon Castle: one of the best preserved medieval castles in Britain and a world heritage site.

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Caernarfon Castle: one of the best preserved medieval castles in Britain and a world heritage site.

Caernarfon Castle: one of the best preserved medieval castles in Britain and a world heritage site. The famous diarist, Dr Samuel Johnson described it as, “an edifice of stupendous majesty and strength”. Walking around the outside of the castle, you will see just how big a castle’s wall can be and how it appears, even today, to be totally impregnable. There is not a castle like it in Britain, with twelve, stunning, polygonal towers. It is described by Malcolm Hislop as Edward’s definitive castle and his most ambitious project when considering its sheer size and its elaborate town walls. There are lots of things to explore inside the castle and so many battlements to walk around and spiral staircases to climb. If you have been to other castles built in the 11th and 12th centuries you will notice how much had transformed in castle design of the 13th century. At Caernarfon there are loads of innovations. Caernarfon cost £27 000 to build which was a vast sum in the 13th century and lets you know what to expect. (By comparison, Harlech Castle, built at the same time cost £10 000, still a lot of money but small in comparison) The Treasury less than this in taxation in a whole year!

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Conwy Castle; a stunning castle with a fascinating history.

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Conwy Castle; a stunning castle with a fascinating history.

Conwy is simply, a stunning castle with six massive round towers that dominate the area for miles around. If you are coming by road, your first sight will take your breath away. The Cadw guidebook states, “Conwy is exceptional not only for the grandeur of its high towers and curtain walls but also for its excellent state of preservation. Visitors can ascend one of the towers and then make a complete circuit of the battlements. Built by Edward I and his brilliant assistant, Master James St George, it is one of four castles that make up Edward’s “iron ring” of defence. Conwy, together with Caernarfon, Harlech and Beaumaris are on the World Heritage List, as a historic site of outstanding universal value. If you want to discover medieval castles or wish to inspire a child with medieval history, this is a good one to visit. Even better if, over the course of a few days, you visit all four mentioned above. They are all fairly close to each other. Edward’s aim was to have each one a day’s ride from the next one for mutual aid in case of attack.

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Tower of London for kids - a great place for adults too. Royal Palace, Royal Prison, Execution Central and Murder Mysteries .

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With over 1000 years of history, you’ll find plenty to do in the Tower of London for kids as well as some of the more fascinating stories and murder mysteries English history. The Tower of London is one of England’s iconic buildings and the remnants of just how brutal and bloody the Middle Ages were. Why does it have this reputation?From the barbaric and gruesome William the Conqueror who created it, to kings and queens who were excited there, the Tower of London is a place of gripping and captivating history that the whole family can see close up.

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