RHUDDLAN CASTLE | The INTIMIDATING CASTLE

Hey everyone and welcome back to the channel. This week we are still venturing around North Wales near Denbighshire. Our explore takes us to Rudland Castle, a late 13th century stone concentric fortress founded by King Edward I. The huge twin-towered gatehouse ruins are quite intimidating, but once inside what's more impressive is the powerful diamond-shaped inner and the views from the battlements. Not only has this particular stronghold made history, but it was also a castle that was worth moving a river for. So join us here at Rudland Castle. The history surrounding Rudland has not always been dominated by conflict and violence between the Welsh and the English, but much of what is now visible in the town would seem to argue the contrary, and of course nothing suggests this then with greater fierceness than the massive intimidating remains of the Edwardian castle that we are really excited to see today. The English Anglo-Norman presence of Rudland had been considerable for many years, even before the building of the castle began in September of 1277. The Saxons had built a burgh in 921 as a defensive position against the Vikings who were operating from Ireland and the Wirral. However, it was not until the end of the war with Clwelyn ap Gruffydd in 1277 that the mighty castle and the ruins that still dominate the town were begun. The scale of the works would have been astonishing and formed part of Edward's ambitious plan to surround the troublesome kings of Gwened by building a series of state-of-the-art fortifications around them, known as the Iron Ring. This work has since been called the most extensive and far-reaching feat of engineering in Europe at that time. The castle really does owe its existence to two of the most experienced engineers in Europe. It was thanks to Master Bertram who actually began the building work, but after six months the responsibility and the ownership for the building works were taken over by loyal Master James of St George, whose work we have also seen in our previous videos at Denby and Flint. Begun in 1277, it was the first of a revolutionary concentric, or walls-within-walls castles design by Master Architect James of St George. It must have been such a grand undertaking and the exact figures of the people working on the castle are now unknown. They would have more than likely been similar to the figures working on Flint Castle, which numbered in the thousands and from a variety of places within England. The castle was Edward's Welsh headquarters in peace and war. Some defeated Welsh princes would pass through the gates and in 1284 he drew up the Statute of Rutland, which would finally confirm the crown supremacy in Wales. Both King Edward and Master James would go on to build greater and more demanding castles at Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris, but none would be more important to Wales's future than here at Rutland Castle. Ever conscious of his castles being accessible to ships, Edward realised that this perfect strategic inland location didn't allow for vital supplies to reach him as it stood. But not letting a little thing like nature get in his way, he recruited a mass of diggers, or ditchers, to straighten and deepen a two-mile stretch of the river. The contemporary records tell us that in the summer of 1277 there were around 968 men working away, armed with only picks and shovels, working to change the course of the Clwyd. The result meant that Edward's cargo ships bringing in the materials, the food and weapons and luxuries, could sail from the mouth of the river at high tide and offload in a specially constructed sloping dock alongside the southern castle walls. Inside the castle and its inner ward you will be surprised at the prettiness of the site, but just take yourself back to the middle ages and imagine what it might have looked like. Later from Brecon you'll be able to see and make out the shape of the castle, but it was constructed in a diamond shape with twin-towered gatehouses at the eastern and western angles. It was quite an impressive feature, and when walking inside them you can just see how large and tall they all are, and the thickness of the walls is quite intimidating. There are also single towers projecting from the northern and southern angles. All of the towers, which would raise a stage higher than the curtain wall, were exactly similar in plan, all with four rooms in each, although the southern tower also had a basement. All of the rooms in the towers would have been used to accommodate officials and members of the royal households, and it's with no doubt that at least one of the gatehouses would contain the residents of the constable and head of the garrison. What is really interesting is the layout of the inner ward buildings. All four curtain walls are almost all intact and still survive to the full height of the wall walks, with only the battlemented parapets missing. Originally each curtain wall had a small narrow turret or a box matriculation near its centre that would project outwards on corbels to be able to give added protection against assault. An example of this type of defence is similar to that at Caerphilly Castle, where you are able to walk inside and see. This would have been a place for defenders to drop missiles and hot oil down on the attackers below. Normally these defences are on the outer curtain wall, but in Rudland they are inside, adding an extra layer of protection. Although yes, the inner ward looks bare today, it would have originally been full of timber buildings, providing more additional accommodation as well as the service buildings, for places like a great hall for the king and queen, and service rooms like kitchens and stores for the castle. Edward's army killing machine was only put to the test once, when Clewelyn and David Apgrothod attacked the castle in the spring of 1282 with troops and trebuchets. The attack failed, but at what cost in lives is unknown. Clewelyn's death in December of 1282 made the castle largely obsolete and it played little part in later wars. In 1645 the parliamentarian attackers refused to assault the castle and instead chose to starve it out. The castle even has its own medieval ghosts that still lurk the battlements and drift through the inner ward. This is the tale of Arilda, the once beautiful daughter of the king of North Wales and the unwilling bride of an arranged political marriage between North and South. She prayed and prayed that anybody listening would try and help her get out of the marriage-to-be, and it seemed that her prayers were indeed listened to. On the of the wedding she and her betrothed were led to the chapel for the ceremony. Nobles and dignitaries from North and South attended in their finest attire, with weapons left behind as a token of respect for the hallowed ground. With murmurs of enthusiasm and anticipation, the guests were filled with hope that this union would bring peace into Wales. Right before the vows were to be exchanged, the doors flung open and a knight raced in on his horse. All that could be seen first was his helm, which was decorated in a plume of crimson, and his armour was the very finest that anybody had ever seen. The knight pushed aside the prince, approached and took Arilda in his arms. She was overjoyed, but that happiness was to be short-lived. After releasing Arilda from embrace, the knight swung his sword and cut off the head of the young prince. The head and its body slumped to the floor, when the knight then drove his sword through the heart of Arilda's father. You can only imagine the horror and the panic inside the chapel. The wedding guests would flee scared and freaked, trying to escape from the bloodshed. The bride-to-be was frozen inside as she watched this terrible scene uncover. She was purely traumatised by the blood that had been shed, and the lives that were lost, but Arilda could do nothing against her saviour, who dragged her screaming and terrified out of the chapel. This was the last moment the fair maid was seen alive. Many tales believe that as the knight fled with Arilda, the potion and the magic of his spell faded, and he revealed himself as the devilish demon with scaly skin and black eyes like hot coals. Some say that the princess died of fright the moment that she saw his devilish form, and others believe that she was drowned in the river Clwyd. To this day, this folklore story is told and her spirit is said to be glimpsed in the castle, her soul unable to find peace, and she's been seen running through the inner ward with her sobs echoing around on the ragged ramparts. There are also accounts of the sound of footsteps, of marching soldiers on the site, and with all of its history, there is certainly an atmosphere of eeriness at Rudland which you just cannot escape. The ruins are mostly intact, and this is with no thanks to Cromwell, who ordered it to be partially demolished. There are a few towers to pick and climb, now on modern stairways, which really are worth it for the views across. What sets this site apart from the others in terms of amenities is the small shop, with some of the most helpful and welcoming staff members. The whole site is cared for and run by Caddo, who do a fantastic job. There is also a fairly big car park with easy access to the castle, and some wheelchair accessible paths and routes, which again the staff are more than happy to tell people about. All in all, a visit here is a wonderful stop-off whilst you're exploring Rudland itself, or the seaside town of Rill or Prestatyn nearby. So that's it for this week, and we really hope that you've enjoyed our visit to Rudland Castle. If you did, please be sure to hit that subscribe button, click the like button, and even turn on the notification bell, so you'll never miss another video. We have a big thank you, and a welcome to our newest channel member, Curvaction. Thank you so much for your support, and welcome to the pinned family. 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