Beaumaris

#93 Beaumaris Castle
Isle of Anglesey, Wales
1295-1330
This is NOT an official Lego site

Of all the castles built by Master James of St. George for King Edward I, his castle seated on the 'fair marsh' [Beau Mareys in Norman-French] near the shore of the Isle of Anglesey just off the north coast of Wales is the largest (more than twice as large as Harlech) and most symmetrical (due to the pliablility of the marshland). So why after more than 30 years of construction (long after Master James death in 1308) was this most perfect of concentric castles never completed? Much of the answer lies in the timing of its construction. Edward's north Wales protective screen of castles already included Flint, Rhuddlan, Conwy, Harlech and Aberystwyth, with construction on Caernarfon well under way - when a vigorous Welsh rebellion in the fall of 1294 took Edward by surprise. The large number of English casualties and the severe damage to Caernarfon Castle were savagely revenged by the king, but the hanging of his close friend, Roger de Pulesdon, Sheriff of Anglesey, resulted in the rapid commencement of the design and construction of Beaumaris Castle on Anglesey Isle.

The construction proceeded rapidly from 1295 through 1298, then virtually ceased as the King concentrated on Scotland. As fears of a Scottish-Welsh coalition grew, construction resumed from 1306 through 1330, but a survey in 1343 found Beaumaris still very much incomplete with an estimate of at least £684 (a very large sum) necessary to complete the south gatehouse and effect other repairs. The castle was captured by the Welsh in the revolt of 1403, but regained by the Crown two years later. The castle deteriorated until it was reported in 1534 "there was scarcely a single chamber in Beaumaris Castle where a man could lie dry." In 1609 the castle was described as "utterlie decayed" and the stones of the courtyard buildings may have been used to build the 1829 Beaumaris Gaol. Since 1925 the castle has been in the care of the state, with much of the moat redug, ivy removed, etc.

This castle model is going to take a few weeks to build - probably well into October!? [Turned out to be November!]


Phase 1: SSE View. The castle is laid out to fit my building table. The 1993 Lego plan is only for purposes of the layout.	Phase 2: SSW View. The outer curtain wall and towers can be indentified, with the flat marsh- land just above moat level.	Phase 3: SSE View. Towers are rising, the Gunner's Walk is done and the Sea Gate is well along.	Phase 4: SSW View The outer curtain wall and towers are complete, so construction of the inner ward can proceed.


Phase 4: NNE View. The never finished Llanfaes Gate is as it might have looked, if funds were available.	Phase 4: SSE View of the dock, Sea Gate and Gunner's Walk.	Phase 5: The residential range and north gatehouse are well along...	Phase 6: The next pictures you'll be seeing will be in the Photos section below. Note the single Chapel turret.


Beaumaris is finally done! Here's a general view from the southwest, where the town is located.	Here's the view from the southeast, featuring the gunner's walk and the barbican in front of the south gatehouse.	The northeast general view features the never completed Iuntil now) Llanfaes Gate	The view from the northwest shows best the impressive outer curtain wall and some of the 16 towers.


This view from the north is to show off the front and back of the great gatehouses.	Here's a detail of the "Gate Next the Sea", the castle dock and the Gunner's Walk with its mill!	This detail of the South Gatehouse shows the small barbican that protects the entrance.	Here is the Chapel Tower on the east side of the castle. Note the lighted windows (on-off slider on lower right).


The Great Hall is on the northeast inner curtain, with the stairs (right) also leading to the Chapel.	Across the inner ward is the range of buildings that houses the stables and kitchen, among other things.	Here's a detail of the outer curtain battlements.	Here is a detail of the outer curtain wall with 3-level tower, steps to the wallwalk & latrine on the wallwalk (upper left).


The most observant among you may have noticed the "button" on each Gatehouse...	It allows the tower wall to be opened, revealing the toggle which controls the working portcullis!	Here's a picture I took during construction showing the gear mechanism needed to make the portcullis' move slowly.	In this closeup the portcullis is down. My portcullis' are constructed from 1/8" wood for hobby projects.	Here is the portcullis partially raised. I didn't go too high so it was still visible.

Build Your Own The plans below are NOT of the model above. I love this castle (who wouldn't!) and did the design first [on the left] in the late 1980s, when my skills were less well honed and my dreams smaller. It was just 0.38 scale - far smaller than the 1.0 scale [1 Lego peg =1 foot] that would suit a self-respecting Lego minifigure knight or lady. The plan on the right from November 1993 brought the size up to 154 x 192 bricks (0.42) - still woefully small. The final model above is 176 x 266 (0.52). It was expanded from the 1993 plan to fill my building table - as large as I can make it - so there is no exact plan!

1980s Lego Plan	1993 Lego Plan

Cross-section looking toward the North Gatehouse	1993 Sea Gate with shipping dock (note: sea level is NOT really higher than the marsh/moat!)


South Gatehouse passage looking back toward the Barbican.	The Gunner's Walk with the roofless Mill Tower.	The Outer Bailey with archers' slits, tower doors and overhanging and stepped wall walks.


General Plan of Beaumaris Castle	Drawing of Beaumaris as she would have looked if completed	Cutaway of South Gatehouse Barbican