Caernarfon Town Wall

The Caernarfon Town Wall is a long, high-quality rubble-stone defensive structure, largely dating back to the 13th century. It forms an irregular circuit approximately 730 metres in length, and incorporates two gatehouses (listed separately) and eight two-stage round towers, contrasting with the more complex polygonal towers adjacent to Caernarfon Castle. The wall’s masonry quality varies due to repairs and restorations over time.

The towers originally featured open gorges crossed by timber bridges, one of which has been repaired on the north-east side. The upper stages of the towers include arrow loops, and the surviving embattled parapet is similarly defended. The walls have regular brattice slots for defense.

At the south-east end, the wall was demolished across Castle Ditch, beginning again on the north side – at this point, stone steps leading up to the wall walk remain on the inner side, facing Hole-in-the-Wall Street. Here, a postern gate, known as the Greengate, is situated under a two-centred arch with a portcullis slot. An adjacent tower has a shouldered lintel above a fireplace in its upper stage. The wall continues, flanked by two towers and the East Gate to High Street, along a high bank, around to the north side facing Bank Quay. The north-east tower retains its battlements to their full height and includes stone steps on its inner side. A skewed archway provides access to Northgate Street. West of this, a segmental arch spans a double-carriageway entrance to Market Street, with stone steps retained within the adjacent tower. A lower segmental arch leads to Church Street, located immediately east of the church.

The church of St Mary is an integral part of the Town Wall, with its north-west (Bell Tower) housing the vestry and an upper storey which once served as a priest’s dwelling. The north face of the tower has a two-light Tudor window with a hoodmould and sunk spandrels; the west face has a simpler two-light window at its upper stage. A gabled bellcote is situated on the parapet. A blocked former postern gate is incorporated into the church’s return facing the promenade. The next tower, the Bath Tower, includes early 19th-century features relating to the local baths established in 1823. It has a pointed arch doorway on its south side facing the Promenade, with a studded boarded door and a Y-tracery overlight. On the north and south faces, the upper stage has restored three-light mullioned and transomed windows, with iron-frame casements, and a restored embattled parapet. A two-storey projection with a parapet is built behind. At the western end of High Street stands the former gatehouse, known as Porth-yr-Aur, beyond which is a single tower positioned behind the former jail. The tower is enclosed at the rear by a late 19th-century wall with a segmental arch flanked by small-pane windows under lintels. Further south, a segmental arch crosses Castle Ditch; on its south side, the reveal and part of the keyed arch of an earlier gateway are visible. The wall abutting the castle is an addition dating from 1326.