I’ve always been fascinated with the medieval period, although now I am aware that before I actually went to study it, I had this romantic view of the Middle Ages that many of us share: magical castles, the Belles Dames, lovelorn knights, valiant kings, you name it. Until I began to read thick history books, I never gave a thought of how the Middle Ages sounded or smelt. As far as smell goes, the Middle Ages often stunk. But this is not a nice thing to contemplate, is it?
So, I’ve been studying Medieval and Early Modern History since 1998, but I haven’t travelled much. The first medieval town I’ve ever visited was Tallinn, and it was in 2002. And it was in the summer of 2002 that I came to England for the first time and went to my first ever castle at Conwy. Five years later, this June I visited Carmarthen Castle and Dinefwr Castle. Like it happens with London that I tend to go there in spring, so it happened that all medieval castles where I went are in Wales.
Carmarthen Castle, which seems to be the oldest of the two, stands rather inconspicuously, providing the background for the Nott Monument. It was mentioned in the sources as early as the 11th c., played an important role in the rivalry between Wales and England in the 12-13th cc., was used as a prison in the 18th and 19th cc., and is now surrounded by the Council offices, houses, shops, and the endless tail of cars on the road reminds you of the fact that time has changed.
There is enough left of the castle to observe some architectural details, in particular, the window frames (left), the stonework and planning (right), but the overall impression will still be diminished. The castle looks delicate in size and not at all awe-inspiring.
The same paradox I noted when I was at Conwy Castle five years ago. I vividly remember a souvenir shop at Conwy, where the visitors to the castle flocked in the endless stream. It was a lovely castle, and for a medievalist it was fairly easy to reconstruct Conwy’s past. And, of course, its stupendous bridge, especially when viewed from the towers, dazzles you with both design and colour. Yet cars, houses and yachts that surround Conwy Castle, steal a lot of its independence. Add to this the car park at the castle, and you will understand why to me Conwy seemed tamed. In this, it was a perfect reminder of the ambiguity of Time, which often erases grand monuments until only a feeble silhouette is left.
This is very true about Carmarthen Castle. Due to the way Carmarthen expanded and to how the castle was used after the Middle Ages had ended, it appears to have been absorbed by the town, its people and its visitors. It has become a part of the town’s ensemble to the extent when one is probably capable of going past it without even noticing it. Yet you can still contemplate, looking from the top of the tower, on how good was the castle’s observation capacity (left).
Links:
Read more about Carmarthen Castle at CastleWales.com.
More photos of Carmarthen Castle in a Flickr’s set.