Medieval Tour Itinerary

Sarah Allen

Canterbury Cathedral

This would be my first stop because it represented the

Church, which was central to Medieval times as well as

because it is still in full use today.

The Cathedral at Canterbury was established when St. Augustine of Hippo became Archbishop. It has been significantly built up since then, especially by the Saxons. In 1077, it was completely rebuilt by Archbishop Lanfranc.

Chirk Castle

Chirk is another castle that still functions today. There would be lots

of people there to guide my exploration of the castle and its

grounds, preparing me for when I have to do it on my own.

The land this castle sits on was granted to Roger Mortimer by Edward I in 1282. It has been almost constantly lived in since then. The architecture used to build the castle is like that of other, more royal castles, suggesting royal assistance in building it.

Beaumaris Castle

Beaumaris is similar in design to Chirk, so it would be a logical next step in my journy across

Europe. It is also the only castle on the itinerary which employs an

actual moat, which is exciting.

This was the last and largest of the castles build by Edward I in Wales. It was built, in pre-cannon times, to withstand virtually any attack. Despite, and perhaps because of, its fortification, the castle saw little action outside of the 17th century Civil War.

Chepstow Castle

Chepstow was a very important castle because of the many battles it sat

through and the politics carried out within its walls. Though much of its

magnificence now lies in rubble, exploring these ruins would be

fascinating.

This castle was carefully set upon a cliff to observe on of the river crossings from southern England into Wales. It may well have been the first stone castle of its century and was a center of military and administrative power throughout the Middle Ages.

Ewloe Castle

Little more than rubble remains of Ewloe, making it a good site to save for

last, when I will have the most experience under my belt. After having observed four other structures, I will be

better-prepared to see this one.

This castle features a curtain that suggests that the outer section of the wall was built after the original structure. Though there are few contemporary references to it, we can infer from this that the castle was at one point attacked by a formidable foe.