The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd refers to a UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

-designated site of patrimony

National patrimony

The store of wealth or accumulated reserves of a national economy. The term often refers to a nation's non-monetary wealth or reserves, such as its artistic heritage.- China :...

 located in Gwynedd

Gwynedd

Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...

, Wales.

In 1986, four castles related to the reign of King Edward I of England

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

 were proclaimed collectively as a World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

, as outstanding examples of fortifications and military architecture built in the 13th century.

Sites designated were:

1. Beaumaris Castle
   Beaumaris Castle
   Beaumaris Castle, located in the town of the same name on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, was built as part of King Edward I's campaign to conquer the north of Wales. It was designed by James of St. George and was begun in 1295, but never completed...
   
   , Anglesey
2. Caernarfon Castle
   Caernarfon Castle
   Caernarfon Castle is a medieval building in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure...
   
   , Caernarfon
3. Conwy Castle
   Conwy Castle
   Conwy Castle is a castle in Conwy, on the north coast of Wales.It was built between 1283 and 1289 during King Edward I's second campaign in North Wales....
   
   , Conwy
4. Harlech Castle
   Harlech Castle
   Harlech Castle, located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a concentric castle, constructed atop a cliff close to the Irish Sea. Architecturally, it is particularly notable for its massive gatehouse....
   
   , Harlech

Edward I entirely built or rebuilt eight castles in Wales: Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth Castle

Aberystwyth Castle is an Edwardian fortress located in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Mid Wales that was built during the First Welsh War in the late 13th century. It was begun during Edward I's first Welsh campaign at the same time as work started at Flint, Rhuddlan and Builth...

, Beaumaris, Builth, Caernarfon, Conwy, Flint

Flint Castle

Flint Castle located in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales.The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales...

, Harlech, and Rhuddlan

Rhuddlan

Rhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , in north Wales. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl and overlooks the River Clwyd. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996...

. He also repaired the Welsh castles of Castell y Bere

Castell y Bere

Castell y Bere is a native Welsh castle near Llanfihangel-y-pennant in Gwynedd, Wales. Constructed by Llywelyn the Great in the 1220s, the stone castle was intended to maintain his authority over the local people and to defend the south-west part of the princedom of Gwynedd...

, Criccieth

Criccieth Castle

Criccieth Castle is a native Welsh castle situated on the headland between two beaches in Criccieth, Gwynedd, in North Wales, on a rocky peninsula overlooking Tremadog Bay...

, Dolwyddelan

Dolwyddelan Castle

Dolwyddelan Castle was a native Welsh castle located near Dolwyddelan in Conwy County in North Wales. It was built in the 13th century by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd and North Wales.-Construction:...

, and Caergwrle

Caergwrle Castle

Caergwrle Castle, also known as Queen's Hope in scholarly texts, is located in the town of Caergwrle, in Flintshire, Wales. It was the final castle to be built by Welsh rulers before the loss of Welsh independence in 1283....

. Chirk

Chirk Castle

Chirk Castle is a castle located at Chirk, Wrexham, Wales.The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley...

, Denbigh

Denbigh Castle

Denbigh Castle was a fortress built following the 13th-century conquest of Wales by Edward I.The castle, which stands on a rocky promontory above the Welsh market town of Denbigh, Denbighshire, was built upon an earlier Welsh stronghold. It was defended by a unique triple-towered gateway.A planned...

, Hawarden, Holt

Holt Castle

Holt Castle was a medieval castle in the town of Holt, Wrexham Borough, Wales. Work began in the 13th century during the Welsh Wars, the castle was sited on the Welsh-English border by the banks of the River Dee....

, and Ruthin

Ruthin Castle

Ruthin Castle is a medieval castle fortification in Wales, near the town of Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn II, on a red sandstone ridge overlooking the valley....

were lordship castles built for Edward.

Further reading