Phil's been making castles from his native Wales again. This time, we start with Dolbadarn_Castle in Northern Wales, in the Llanberis Pass overlooking Llyn Peris. It was built by Llewelyn the Great sometime between 1220 and 1240, but fell to Edward I in 1284. Edward apparently took some of its timbers to use in building a new castle at Caernarfon. It was later used as a manor house before falling into disuse. Nowadays only the round keep is standing, with the remains of the walls no more than a few feet high.
The smaller of the two new castles is Dolwydellan, also North Wales but this time in Conwy. Built between 1210 and 1240 by Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (all of our Welsh castles seem to be associated with a different Llewelyn, sometimes two!), it also fell to Edward I, this time in 1283. With its military significance gone, it was in ruins by the mid-19th Century. Like Dolbadarn, only the keep remains intact, with the west tower mostly gone and the walls almost down to ground level, but Phil has recreated it in its full glory.
SSS-8235 – Dolwydellan Castle – £2.00 GBP
SSS-8236 – Dolbadarn Castle – £3.00 GBP