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Two visits 6 weeks apart, both on miserable heavily overcast days to either the pinnacle of Edward I's campaigns to sudue the unruly Welsh or the ultimate symbol of Plantagenet oppression of the indigenous population, depending on your viewpoint. The dull lighting at least gave a good excuse to experiment with split toning and gradient mapping in editing.
Caernarfon lies on the original Roman fortification of Segontium and the Norman motte and bailey castle. The castle dates from the completion of Edward I's conquest of Wales in 1283 and, with Beaumaris to the north and Harlech to the south, completes his control of the Menai Strait, thereby isolating territories claimed by the Princes of Gwynnedd. Between 1284 and 1330 £20,000 to £25,000 has beeen spent on the Castle and town walls.