Beaumaris Town Walls

In the community of Beaumaris. In the historic county of Anglesey (Modern authority of Anglesey, preserved county of Gwynedd).

The now vanished town walls can be traced from existing fragments. Starting from the Green, the wall runs along the promanade and then turns at an angle formed by Margaret st and Steeple Lane and follows on to the castle. Construction began in the early C15, with repairs carried out by the crown until 1540, although it appears that the walls were never completed. It seems probable that the wall never joined the castle walls at either end. By 1669 much of the Northern section of the wall had disappeared, although repairs were carried out on the wall into the early C18.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SH60487628

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's National Monument Record (Coflein) number is 302768
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 577 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Books
  • Lilley, K, Lloyd, C. and Trick, S., 2005, Mapping Medieval Townscapes: a digital atlas of the new towns of Edward I available at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?atlas_ahrb_2005
    Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p27, 30, 88, 98, 99, 101-2, 273
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p6
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences', in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p78-80 [plan]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p3
    Barley M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p61
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works vol2: the Middle Ages (London) p406
    RCAHMW, 1925, An inventory of the historical monuments in Anglesey (HMSO) pcxlviii-ix, 4
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47799#s7
• Journal Articles
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Jones, G.P. and Knoop, D., 1935, 'The Repair of Beaumaris Town Walls 1536-8' Transactions of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society p59-79