Postcards From The Past: Caernarfon

Used with permission Caernarfon has long been of strategic importance. The Castle, birth place of Edward II, dates from the thirteenth century. It lies on the river guarding the entrance to the Menai Straits that separate Anglesey from the town of Caernarfon and mainland north Wales.

The town was a thriving port, being used for the export of Welsh slate with the area behind the town providing valuable agricultural land.

The landscape remains predominantly agricultural and mixed farming, having been sculpted by glacial activity.

Though no longer an industrial town, it remains a popular centre for tourism close to the highland of Snowdonia and the National Park and bordered by long sandy beaches along its coastline.

The connection across the Menai Straits, now maintained by a modern bridge as well as train and ferry services is still an important link to Anglesey and to Ireland beyond.

Find out more