For the former electoral area, see Caernarfon (UK Parliament constituency).
For other uses, see Carnarvon (disambiguation).
Human settlement in Wales
Caernarfon
Royal Town of Caernarfon Caernarfon Royal Town
Caernarfon Castle and dock
Caernarfon
Location within Gwynedd
Population
9,852 (2011)[1]
Demonym
Cofi
OS grid reference
SH485625
• Cardiff
171 mi (275 km)
Community
Caernarfon
Principal area
Gwynedd
Preserved county
Gwynedd
Country
Wales
Sovereign state
United Kingdom
Post town
CAERNARFON
Postcode district
LL54, LL55
Dialling code
01286
Police
North Wales
Fire
North Wales
Ambulance
Welsh
UK Parliament
Arfon
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Arfon
List of places
UK
Wales
Gwynedd
53°08′N4°16′W / 53.14°N 4.27°W / 53.14; -4.27
Caernarfon (/kərˈnɑːrvən,kɑːr-/;[2][3]Welsh:[kaɨrˈnarvɔn]ⓘ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro).[4][5] It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the island of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is 8.6 miles (13.8 km) to the north-east, while Snowdonia (Eryri) fringes Caernarfon to the east and south-east.
Abundant natural resources in and around the Menai Strait enabled human habitation in prehistoric Britain. The Ordovices, a Celtic tribe, lived in the region during the period known as Roman Britain. The Roman fort Segontium was established around AD 80 to subjugate the Ordovices during the Roman conquest of Britain. The Romans occupied the region until the end of Roman rule in Britain in 382, after which Caernarfon became part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. In the late 11th century, William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a motte-and-bailey castle at Caernarfon as part of the Norman invasion of Wales. He was unsuccessful, and Wales remained independent until around 1283.
In the 13th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, ruler of Gwynedd, refused to pay homage to Edward I of England, prompting the English conquest of Gwynedd. This was followed by the construction of Caernarfon Castle, one of the largest and most imposing fortifications built by the English in Wales. In 1284, the English-style county of Caernarfonshire was established by the Statute of Rhuddlan; the same year, Caernarfon was made a borough, a county and market town, and the seat of English government in north Wales.[6]
The ascent of the House of Tudor to the throne of England eased hostilities with the English and resulted in Caernarfon Castle falling into a state of disrepair. The town has flourished,[when?] leading to its status as a major tourist centre and seat of Gwynedd Council, with a thriving harbour and marina. Caernarfon has expanded beyond its medieval walls and experienced heavy suburbanisation. The community of Caernarfon's population includes the highest percentage of Welsh-speaking citizens anywhere in Wales.[7] The status of Royal Borough was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1963 and amended to Royal Town in 1974.[8] The castle and town walls are part of a World Heritage Site described as the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd.
^"Town population 2011". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
^"caernarvon". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
^"Caernarfon". Oxford Leaners Dictionaries. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
^"Cyngor Tref Frenhinol Caernarfon Royal Town Council". www.cyngortrefcaernarfon.llyw.cymru. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^"Welcome for Queen in royal town". 27 April 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^Gareth Edwards. "Caernarfon Tourist Information". Visitcaernarfon.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
^"2011 Census results by Community". Welsh Language Commissioner. Welsh Language Commissioner. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017.
^"BBC News – How does a town get a 'royal' title?". Bbc.co.uk. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
Caernarfon (/kərˈnɑːrvən, kɑːr-/; Welsh: [kaɨrˈnarvɔn] ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro)...
Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon; Welsh pronunciation: [kastɛɬ kaɨrˈnarvɔn]) is a medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The first...
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The...
Caernarfon Bay (occasionally Caernarvon Bay) is an inlet of the Irish Sea defined by the Llŷn peninsula and Anglesey. The gentle coastline surrounding...
Carnarvon and Caernarvon are forms of the name Caernarfon which are no longer used for the town in north Wales, but remain in use in other contexts. The...
Caernarfon Rugby Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Caernarfon) is a rugby union team from the town of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, North Wales. They currently...
Caernarfon Barracks is a military installation in Caernarfon, Wales. The building was commissioned by John Lloyd, County Surveyor of Caernarfonshire, as...
Caernarfon Airport (Welsh: Maes Awyr Caernarfon) (ICAO: EGCK), is a general aviation airport located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) southwest of Caernarfon...
The Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, in Llanberis Road, Caernarfon, Wales. Until the early...
to the south by Cardigan Bay and Merionethshire, and to the west by Caernarfon Bay and the Menai Strait, which had separated it from Anglesey. The county...
awaiting tlc. Another De Winton is on display in the entrance to the WHR Caernarfon Station. The original source of information for this table was the: "Rheilffordd...
English language titles include: Abergele Visitor Bangor and Anglesey Mail Caernarfon Herald Denbighshire Visitor Flintshire Chronicle Holyhead and Anglesey...
the castles of Beaumaris and Harlech and the castles and town walls of Caernarfon and Conwy. UNESCO considers the sites to be the "finest examples of late...
The Caernarfon Deanery is a Roman Catholic deanery in the Diocese of Wrexham that covers several churches in Caernarfon and the surrounding area in Gwynedd...
of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon. The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes...
the Welsh Church; in English she is sometimes known as Saint Helen of Caernarfon to distinguish her from Saint Helena ("Helen of Constantinople"). Elen...
a series of castles: Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Harlech and Conwy. His son, the future Edward II, was born at Caernarfon in 1284. He became the first English...
conquest of Wales, in 1301, Edward I of England invested his son Edward of Caernarfon with the title, thereby beginning the tradition of giving the title to...
in Savoy on his return from the crusade. These included the Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech castles, intended to act both as fortresses and royal...
more closely with Wales. Proposals, such as appointing her Constable of Caernarfon Castle or a patron of Urdd Gobaith Cymru (the Welsh League of Youth),...
Caernarfon Airworld Aviation Museum is an air museum located on the former Royal Air Force station at Llandwrog, near Caernarfon in North Wales. The airfield...
Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales. It is situated between Caernarfon Bay in the south-west and Conwy Bay in the north-east, which are both...
1969, when he was crowned by his mother in a televised ceremony held at Caernarfon Castle; the investiture was controversial in Wales owing to growing Welsh...
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