Beaumaris Town Walls

Beaumaris town walls were a fifteenth-century defensive structure built around the town of Beaumaris in Wales. The town itself was founded by Edward I in 1296 after his invasion of North Wales. Though a castle guarded the town, no protective wall existed at first. Townspeople requested a wall in 1315, but none was built. After Owain Glyndŵr captured the town in 1403, the English decided to construct a wall to prevent further attacks. The new defences included ditches, an earth bank and a stone wall with three gates and several towers by 1414. Some residents had to move as their houses stood in the wall’s path. Storm damage in 1460 led to repairs between 1536 and 1540. The walls remained in use until the late 17th century, when many stones were removed to build houses and the local gaol. Today only fragments remain, protected as a scheduled monument and a grade I listed building. Foundations survive near the castle’s ‘Gate next the Sea’. One nearby property’s side wall may be part of the old curtain wall. Much of the original stone was reused over the centuries. The remains offer a quiet reminder of the town’s medieval defences.