The King's Gate, the Eagle Tower, and the banded stone that ties this fortress to imperial Rome — the design choices behind the walls.
Caernarfon follows a figure-eight plan, split into two wards by a cross-wall, set on a rocky outcrop where the River Seiont meets the Menai Strait. Unlike most medieval castles, it has no central keep — the defensive strength is built into the polygonal towers and curtain walls themselves, each capable of independent defense.
The castle forms a single defensive scheme with Caernarfon's town walls, which still encircle much of the old town with eight towers and two twin-towered gates.
The main, heavily fortified entrance facing the town was designed with six portcullises and two drawbridges — though it was never fully completed. A worn statue of Edward I stands above the gate. It was built as much for ceremony as defense, intended as the formal entrance befitting a royal residence.
The largest and most distinctive of the towers, the polygonal Eagle Tower carries three turrets, each originally topped with a carved stone eagle. Tradition holds it housed the king's representative in Wales. It offers the castle's best views over the Menai Strait toward Anglesey.
Bands of darker grey-purple stone alternate with lighter sandstone along the full length of the walls — a deliberate design choice, not a construction shortcut. The pattern echoes the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, linking Edward I's new fortress to imperial Roman power.
The eagle statues carry the same symbolism, and the whole design draws on the Welsh myth of Macsen Wledig, who dreamed of a great fort at a river mouth — "the fairest that man ever saw."
The secondary, more modest entrance on the upper ward, originally reached by a ramp now lost to time.
Part of the lower ward's defenses, housing the castle's water supply and additional living quarters.
Used for administration and storage, reflecting the castle's role as a working seat of government, not just a fortress.
Much of the planned interior, including a grand Great Hall on the upper ward, was never built. Building work wound down around 1330 after roughly £25,000 had already been spent — you can still see where some interior walls simply stop.
To see these features in person, several Caernarfon Castle tours include a guide who walks the King's Gate and climbs the Eagle Tower with you, pointing out details easy to miss alone. For the building's full story, see the history of Caernarfon Castle.
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