0:00:02 > 0:00:06I'm 100ft up the Eagle Tower at Caernarfon Castle.
0:00:06 > 0:00:12700 years ago, Welsh rebels tried to invade the castle by scaling these magnificent walls.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Believe me, they didn't get very far.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18This is Climbing Great Buildings,
0:00:18 > 0:00:24and throughout the series I'll be scaling our most iconic structures, from the Normans to the present day.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27I'll be revealing the buildings' secrets, and telling the story
0:00:27 > 0:00:32of how British architecture and construction developed over 1000 years.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Caernarfon Castle, in the north-western corner of Wales,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46is a magnificent example of medieval castle-building.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Work began here over 700 years ago, in 1283.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55It's just one of many in an iron ring of castles
0:00:55 > 0:00:58that King Edward I of England built
0:00:58 > 0:01:01to stamp his authority on the rebellious Welsh people.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06I'm going to climb this monster, not only to reveal the secrets of its construction,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09but to find out about its advances in medieval technology,
0:01:09 > 0:01:14so we can understand what it took to defend, and attack, this place.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18'But I won't be going it alone. I'll be aided by Lucy Creamer,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22'one of Britain's best climbers, and her team of riggers,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26'along with fearless cameraman Ian Burton.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31'My climbing skills will be tested as I scramble up these walls,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35'to discover the brilliance behind the layout of this structure.'
0:01:35 > 0:01:39- I'm grabbing hold of anything I can reach!- Anything that's available!
0:01:42 > 0:01:46'I'll do whatever it takes to get closer to the secrets of its construction.'
0:01:46 > 0:01:49That was a mixture of scary and fun.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54'And I'll be attacking the King's Gate, a defensive barrier
0:01:54 > 0:02:00'that was so ingenious and brutal it struck fear into the hearts of its enemies, as well as mine.'
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Yes. so one bacon sandwich down today, and...I may see it again. Who knows?
0:02:06 > 0:02:09'I'm going to begin my climb on the south wall of the castle.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13'It's a sheer cliff of masonry, as daunting an obstacle today
0:02:13 > 0:02:18'as it would have been during the reign of Edward I, over 700 years ago.'
0:02:18 > 0:02:22The Welsh were a fearsome opposition, so Edward knew he had to build castles
0:02:22 > 0:02:26which were bigger, stronger, more technologically advanced than ever before.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Caernarfon is built off solid bedrock.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34There's no better place to understand exactly how it met Edward's needs
0:02:34 > 0:02:36than to look at the walls.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38HE GROANS Start of the day, just getting into it!
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Edward chose to flex his muscles by having this stuff quarried.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48It's local, sturdy limestone.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Taken out of the ground at Anglesey,
0:02:51 > 0:02:56brought over the water in boats by the tens of thousands of tonnes.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01These curtain walls, they're unique in Britain at the time,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05because they contain passages that run between the towers.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08They allow guards to keep a constant lookout.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10And they offer valuable protection to archers.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15Between the outer wall and the inner wall, it's over six metres thick.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Building Caernarfon Castle was a massively ambitious thing to do.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25It's not just a matter of manpower, it's about getting the right balance
0:03:25 > 0:03:30of specialist engineering and construction skills on site.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Edward scoured 32 English counties for the best masons and master masons,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38quarrymen, joiners, carpenters, barrowmen,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and brought 2000 of them here to work on his new castle.
0:03:47 > 0:03:53Carrying on the work that never ends, renovating these castle walls, is the current Banker Mason.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56How do you rate the work of medieval masons?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Fantastic.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01You look at these buildings and you think to yourself,
0:04:01 > 0:04:06wow, it's unbelievable what they did with simple, basic tools.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09How many feet of this kind of carving do you reckon you do a day?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11One, maybe two maximum.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- One or two feet?- Yes.- Times...
0:04:14 > 0:04:18- Yeah, I get the picture. It's a big job.- Yep, it is a big job.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23'Those highly-skilled workers were well paid for their talents, as original payrolls show.'
0:04:23 > 0:04:26These tell you all about the people that worked on Caernarfon Castle,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and how much they were paid per week.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31And some of the little jobs that they did.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Let's get to know them, shall we? Who are these people?
0:04:33 > 0:04:37These are the top masons, and these are getting paid the most amount of money.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41You can see here, the master mason is there being paid
0:04:41 > 0:04:4414 shillings for the week, which is a nice healthy sum.
0:04:44 > 0:04:4714 shillings a week? That's a lot of money then.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51- These must be the equivalent of City bankers' wages?- Pretty much, yes.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- Craft-based fat cats! - Something like that, yes.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57But I think he was very skilled, so it was worthwhile.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00The next rank down, these are the layers and the setters.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06So these are still masons, they're still quite skilled, but they're not quite there at the top ranks yet.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09They're being paid two shillings one pence for a week,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13and the bottom one here is being paid 23 pence and half a pence.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15So, just under two shillings.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- It's an enormous range, isn't it? It shows the career ladder.- Yes.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23- Simply in masonry, and how elevated that status was.- Yes. - Once you got to the top.- Absolutely.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Are there any surnames which tell us where these guys came from?
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Well, there's Robert de Stoke, John de Cheddar.
0:05:30 > 0:05:36So I think you can get some kind of idea that they are coming from all over the place.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45So, Luce, tell me about this thing. What are you looking for?
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Well, I'm looking for really big hand-holds, and I reckon this would be the one I'd go for.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Just climb up here like that.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54Scaling castles made easy.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Now, what Lucy describes as her favourite hand-hold
0:05:57 > 0:06:02is known to many as an arrow loop, and of course they're standard parts of castle design.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07And the trick is to fire at people without being fired back on in return.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Check that one out, Ian, straight ahead of you.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Now, Caernarfon sees some major innovations in arrow-loop design,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17which makes them more like medieval machine guns.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19I'll show you those later.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24- I'm just grabbing hold of anything I can reach at this point! - Anything that's available!
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- Well done, Jonathan.- Thanks, Luce!
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Good effort.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- Well done, you.- And you.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36You did well, first top-out.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Well, that's invaded that. What are we going to do next?!
0:06:40 > 0:06:42That wasn't so bad, actually.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It was worth it for the view, Luce, wasn't it?
0:06:50 > 0:06:55There are 13 towers at Caernarfon, and I'm about to swing out onto the Queen's Tower to get a closer look
0:06:55 > 0:06:58at its unusual design and decoration.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Here we go.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Cool!
0:07:04 > 0:07:06That was fun!
0:07:07 > 0:07:10'I'm 70ft up, and, despite the guide ropes, the idea of leaping
0:07:10 > 0:07:15'from battlements seems insane, and against all my natural instincts.'
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Whey! That was a good one.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Ooooh!
0:07:21 > 0:07:24How was it?
0:07:24 > 0:07:28That's a mix. That was a mixture of scary and fun.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32That's what it's all about.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37I've got to say, climbing is one thing, because obviously you start from the ground.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40You make your way up gradually and get used to it.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45But swinging up from the top of the wall is contrary to every instinct in my body.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Because you start by looking down!
0:07:48 > 0:07:51That's freaky. But the guys who built the thing in the first place,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54they were working off pretty rudimentary timber scaffolding.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57No safety, no barriers, no health and safety officers.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02- No.- You wonder how many people lost their lives building something like this.- Yeah.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Good for them. Right. On which note...
0:08:07 > 0:08:11'It was tough enough for the masons themselves to get up to this height.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15'But no medieval invader could possibly have gone over or around these walls.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20'Invaders had worked out that, if they couldn't overthrow a castle
0:08:20 > 0:08:24'by going over the walls, they could go under them.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27'A tunnel would be dug beneath the corners of square towers.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32'This would be propped and packed with kindling, and set on fire, collapsing the tower.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39'To remove vulnerable corners, round and polygonal towers were developed, like those at Caernarfon,
0:08:39 > 0:08:44'which had the added bonus that missiles from catapults tended to ricochet off them.'
0:08:45 > 0:08:49We've climbed halfway up the Queen's Tower now.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54And my feet are on the top of three giant bands of coloured stone.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57You can see it's slightly creamier now.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03That stonework isn't just decorative, and these polygonal towers aren't simply defensive.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05They have a much deeper symbolic meaning,
0:09:05 > 0:09:12and the answer to what that is lies 1500 miles away in the ancient Roman city of Constantinople.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18Edward I, who built this castle, saw himself as more than just a king.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23He modelled himself on Constantine, the first Christian emperor of ancient Rome,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and builder of the great city of Constantinople,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Europe's largest and wealthiest city throughout the Middle Ages.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36So, by echoing those coloured bands and towers of Constantinople,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Edward was saying something quite profound.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42He's more than just a king, he's an emperor.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46And this was the latest of his new dominions in an ever-growing empire.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58So, step up and get your Croll higher if it's possible.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59Good.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01There we go.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- Good effort.- Nice.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Yeah, that worked, didn't it?- Yeah.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'It's a great feeling to have made it up this far,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23'but I'm also just glad to have my feet back on solid ground again.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27'All the towers here at Caernarfon performed specific functions.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31'The Well Tower retrieved fresh water from the bedrock.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35'One tower stored and processed grain, another housed the treasury.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40'Others, such as the lookout towers, held more traditional, defensive roles.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46'But the greatest of all has to be the Eagle Tower, which contained the royal apartments,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49'where King Edward intended to stay with Queen Eleanor.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'Everything about it was designed on a regal scale.'
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- Hello, sir.- Hello, Jonathan. Welcome to Caernarfon Castle.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01My name's Tristan, I'm the Head Custodian.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- That's a warmer welcome than I'd have had 700 years ago.- Absolutely.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11What does Caernarfon mean to the Welsh today?
0:11:11 > 0:11:17It's moved from being a symbol of imperialistic oppression, status of the English,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20to being accepted as part of the Welsh psyche.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23It is a World Heritage Site, and it's gone from being
0:11:23 > 0:11:26what would have been a royal palace to now being part of Caernarfon.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- Thoroughly absorbed landmark in the fabric of Wales?- Absolutely.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33But the Eagle Tower is the ultimate symbol of that royal authority, isn't it?
0:11:33 > 0:11:38Absolutely. King Edward brought his heavily pregnant wife across.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41He wanted the next future king to be born in Wales.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Edward I ensured his eldest son was born at Caernarfon to legitimise his claim over Wales.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54He was later given the title Prince of Wales, since conferred on every first-born royal son.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00Our own Prince Charles was invested here at Caernarfon in 1969.
0:12:02 > 0:12:09- This heir to the throne was born at Caernarfon as a statement of imperial authority?- Absolutely.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10It was a political statement.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14And that transforms this place from being just a castle
0:12:14 > 0:12:19into both a seat of government as well as a palatial residence?
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Definitely. It's not just a castle, it's a grand palace.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31And here we have a lavish royal apartment.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- I don't think I've ever seen a beam that big.- Huge vaulted beams.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38- Beautiful big space. - It's huge, fit for purpose.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Massive great big fireplace. We've got en-suite facilities.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43A kitchen.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- The Privy Kitchen, so that you don't poison the king?- Absolutely.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- He's got his own royal cookery. - Nice.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52What else has he got?
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- Wonderful sea views from the windows that we're coming up against now. - This one?
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- This one here. A lovely bay window. - Oh, a window seat! Let's have a look.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04- Charming.- There we go. Anglesey.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08- Beaumaris over in the distance.- You can see Beaumaris!- On a good day.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- King of all he surveys.- Absolutely.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Right, what else has he got, then?
0:13:14 > 0:13:16'They made brilliant use of space
0:13:16 > 0:13:18'and even managed to fit each living area
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'with its own mini chapel.'
0:13:20 > 0:13:22You wash out the holy vessels here?
0:13:22 > 0:13:25That's right, and then obviously the water drains away.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28There are still bits of plaster that can give us an indication
0:13:28 > 0:13:31that the walls and possibly the ceiling would have been lime-washed.
0:13:31 > 0:13:37- I bet this was a little jewel box, this room.- It would have been quite cosy at the time, I think.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42'Edward spared no expense in providing
0:13:42 > 0:13:45'all the mod cons of the day to the residents of the castle.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51'The kitchens had hot and cold running water, and even a waste disposal unit.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56'Edward's grand designs for Caernarfon almost bankrupted him.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00'Several planned elements to the castle had to be abandoned.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:06How much of the castle was eventually built remains an open question.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11You can see on the north side that inside the walls there are several stories imagined.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Downstairs there's a whole row of arrow loops
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and then there are corbels, those chunky stones
0:14:17 > 0:14:21just sticking out of the wall to accept a timber floor deck.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26Then, over the top, you see that upside down V-shape on both sides?
0:14:26 > 0:14:28They were built to receive a roof.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30But the regularity of the toothing
0:14:30 > 0:14:34means that those walls that butted up to the tower,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37that formed the inside of those chambers, was never built.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Had it been built and demolished, it simply wouldn't look as neat.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Maybe something timber was built there that just rotted away.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Some questions we'll never have the answers to.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53'At the base of the Eagle Tower
0:14:53 > 0:14:56'there are elegantly cut Gothic arches.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01'These would have taken weeks to construct
0:15:01 > 0:15:05'but, with hundreds of windows to be built, there was simply no time.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11'At Caernarfon, we see introduced a clever French solution.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14'Masons built rounded-off stone shoulders.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18'These supported a straight lintel across the top.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23'This was so successful that an extended version was used
0:15:23 > 0:15:26'for the construction of many of the corridors within the castle.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28'This smart and efficient solution
0:15:28 > 0:15:31'would become a standard feature of later castle design,
0:15:31 > 0:15:36'but it would always be known as the Caernarfon Arch.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40'To really appreciate the design and the strategic layout of this place,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44'I'm going to climb to the very top of the majestic Eagle Tower.'
0:15:48 > 0:15:49Now...
0:15:58 > 0:16:05Remember you can push your jammer up higher if you want to, Jonathan.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08The terminology in climbing!
0:16:08 > 0:16:13- "You can push your jammer up as high as you want to." What's my jammer?- Sorry, your Jumar.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15My Jumar? Oh, my handle.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- Is that good?- Yeah, it just means you can go a bit further...
0:16:19 > 0:16:23I felt my jammer was fully operational there.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24- You're jammin'!- Yeah!
0:16:24 > 0:16:29Ian, is your jammer in full operational mode?
0:16:29 > 0:16:32There's a window there, I have to be careful about this.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35'The designer of Caernarfon Castle
0:16:35 > 0:16:38'was Master James of St George from Savoy in the Alps.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44'Master James was a visionary architect who'd worked on a number of great European castles.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49'One of the innovations he brought with him from the Continent was the concentric castle.'
0:16:50 > 0:16:56To understand where Caernarfon comes from and the brilliance of Master James of St George,
0:16:56 > 0:16:57we need to wind it back a bit
0:16:57 > 0:17:03and understand what castle design was like in the couple of centuries leading up to Caernarfon.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Lucy, I need my drawing pad, please.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Time to draw at this point.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Thank you so much, that's great.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Righty.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Let's start here.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16After the Norman Conquest,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20a Britain which didn't really have many stone castles,
0:17:20 > 0:17:25a typical castle was something like this.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29It's called a motte-and-bailey.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31And you have a castle on a hill...
0:17:33 > 0:17:34Motte...
0:17:36 > 0:17:39..is not the word for a moat but for a mound
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and then the bailey is at the bottom of the mound
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and that's where the little ancillary buildings would be.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50So, a motte-and-bailey castle.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55In the 12th century, we make a move toward concentric castles.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01'The main tower would be surrounded by walls for extra defence.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03'Caernarfon goes even further.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07'The central tower or keep is done away with.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10'The town itself is within this concentric castle
0:18:10 > 0:18:16'and its towers are so strong and fine they could double up as living areas for the king's subjects.'
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's a very brilliant solution.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21HE GROANS
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- Are you managing?- Just about.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I'm holding on by what feels like my toenails.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36'That's the first stage of the Eagle Tower complete, but I still need to scale one of its three turrets,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39'which will take us to the very highest point of the castle.'
0:18:53 > 0:18:56That is quite...beautiful.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04At Caernarfon, Master James made best use of the natural defences.
0:19:04 > 0:19:10The river runs to the south of the castle and opens out onto that estuary with Anglesey beyond.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14But from the land entrance you arrive at the town before the castle.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The town itself is defended by a circuit of wall
0:19:17 > 0:19:22snaking around the outside, with gatehouses and defensible posterns.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27You have to get through that before you arrive at the castle itself.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32In that respect, Edward I was the first king to build a fully fortified town.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Well done. HE LAUGHS
0:19:40 > 0:19:44- I lose so many points on the dismount!- Beautiful.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Just like a baby elephant.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02- That is some view. - It's pretty amazing, yeah.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I feel quite privileged to be up here.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21On top of the Eagle Tower you come face to face
0:20:21 > 0:20:24with the eagles that gave this tower its name.
0:20:24 > 0:20:30They're pretty weathered, they don't look much, but they're important evidence for Edward I's self-image,
0:20:30 > 0:20:36using this symbol of Ancient Roman imperial grandeur to show his own ambitions as an emperor.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42'As well as the eagles, there are carved heads all along the battlements.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47'At first glance the stone heads may have looked like helmeted soldiers
0:20:47 > 0:20:49'and deterred would-be attackers.
0:20:49 > 0:20:55'On permanent lookout, they certainly symbolise the strength of the royal garrison within.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01'You'd have thought that only the foolhardy would have attacked this monster of a castle
0:21:01 > 0:21:07'but in 1293 Welsh rebels, resentful of the occupation of their country by the English,
0:21:07 > 0:21:08'lay siege to Caernarfon.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'Under the command of Madog ap Llywelyn,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'hundreds of Welsh rebels attacked the north face of the castle,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19'which was still under construction.'
0:21:21 > 0:21:25We're on the highest point of the castle on the west side
0:21:25 > 0:21:29and we need to get to where the invaders broke in in the 1290s on the north.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34- What have you got lined up? - As I said, I've got a little plan for you.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- We've done lots of climbing and I think your arms need a rest.- They do.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40So I've got this zip-line rigged up for you and you can swing down
0:21:40 > 0:21:43and it's a really quick way to get to the other tower.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47I'm off. Right, attack.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Wahey!
0:21:54 > 0:21:56That's marvellous.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57Whey! Awesome.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00It's actually incredibly exciting.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04You get a seagull's-eye view of Caernarfon.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Not something I expected to do.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09OK?
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Right, I'm going.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- One, two, three...- Go on, Luce.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16- Whoo-hoo!- She's so gung-ho.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Wheee! HE LAUGHS
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Awesome!
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Oh, that was amazing!
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Oh, wow, I'm buzzing.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36- Welcome.- Yeah.- Wow, that was... - I loved your impressive launch.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39It seemed like the easiest way to go.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46It's brilliant, this place is quite gob-smacking.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53When the Welsh attacked in 1293, this side of the castle wasn't here.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Only the town walls and a deep ditch were protecting the north side.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01The Welsh exploited this Achilles heel
0:23:01 > 0:23:06and Madog's forces overran an occupied Caernarfon for several months.
0:23:07 > 0:23:13The English managed to regain control and they set about fortifying the north side.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17An embarrassed King Edward was paranoid about further attacks
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and so it was important to get this north side built as quickly as possible.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24The coloured banding on the south side went out the window here.
0:23:24 > 0:23:30It wasn't about exterior decoration, it was about protecting the castle as quickly as possible.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35Master James's instructions were to turn the weakest part of the castle into the strongest.
0:23:35 > 0:23:41To do that he used a mixture of brute force, architectural cunning and refinement in execution.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Edward I wanted to build the strongest fortress he possibly could.
0:23:47 > 0:23:54The king's desire to avoid any more military humiliation led to another ingenious innovation.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58This is the machine gun of the medieval period.
0:23:58 > 0:24:05As you see, three archers could shoot all simultaneously out of the one slit so you'd have a crossfire.
0:24:05 > 0:24:11- It looks like three windows from the inside.- That's what it is, but from the outside, it looks like one.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Three fellows could work in synchronicity.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- Yep. A medieval machine gun. - Very clever, very nasty.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It is. This was the machine that would have been used.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25As you can see, a deadly weapon, and penetration...
0:24:25 > 0:24:31- You're making me nervous because you may kill some tourists if you go any further.- Yes, a bit scary.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Let's put that down. This is more my line.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I'll just replace this one.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Robin of Sherwood.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- Thank you, Jonathan! - Thank you very much.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47Here we are. Low-tech as it is, we'll get some idea of how it works.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Draw...and loose!
0:24:49 > 0:24:51'Well, you get the idea.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57'But 700 years ago there could have been volleys of 1000 arrows per minute
0:24:57 > 0:25:01'shooting out of the castle at every conceivable angle.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04'Any would-be invaders would have simply been cut to ribbons.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15'It's with some trepidation that I approach the final stage of our journey.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21'A decidedly unnerving descent past the grand entrance of the King's Gate.'
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- Here we go. - Well done, you're doing brilliantly.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32'My stomach is churning, although perhaps far less so
0:25:32 > 0:25:35'than that of any army faced with the defences we're about to see.'
0:25:41 > 0:25:42Now for the sinking.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Just sit down on it. You're going to have to put your weight on it.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Brilliant, well done.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54It's not what you want to do first thing in the morning.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Not first thing, maybe not even second.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04You just do whatever you want. That's it.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- Whoo...- You're doing fine.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17I'm being very delicate because I don't want to touch this sculpture.
0:26:17 > 0:26:23Anything to my mind that's cut by human hand and eye into a meaningful shape
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I really don't want to get too close to,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28but to see it at this distance is fantastic.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31You just don't see major medieval sculpture like this.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Oh, wow.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36- HE LAUGHS - He's seen better days, hasn't he?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38He's held together with bronze pins,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41he's like a racing driver after a bad accident,
0:26:41 > 0:26:47but this is a 1321 sculpture of the man who would be Edward II.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52'By placing a statue of his son here, right on this powerful entrance,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57'Edward I was reaffirming that this was the seat of a great regal dynasty.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03'Built into the walls just below Edward II's statue
0:27:03 > 0:27:06'lies a devastating array of medieval defences.'
0:27:06 > 0:27:11It's quite amazing, it's really complex the way that these defences are integrated in the one gate.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15You have the first of five portcullises sliding down here.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20You can see the groove there in the stone, it goes all the way down to the ground,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23but then there are murder holes right above you.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Any kind of substance or weapon or arrows
0:27:27 > 0:27:29could be raining down from there,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32and then you've got arrow slits everywhere.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35You would not stand a chance.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38'The castle was attacked again in 1304
0:27:38 > 0:27:41'but it's thought that, with the newly erected defensive wall,
0:27:41 > 0:27:46'over 300 soldiers were held off by only 28 castle guards.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52'Ultimately advances in modern warfare such as cannons
0:27:52 > 0:27:54'rendered castles like this obsolete.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59'Because Caernarfon Castle stood as a symbol of the monarchy,
0:27:59 > 0:28:03'following the Civil War, Parliament ordered it to be demolished.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08'But such was its sheer scale, it proved too difficult to dismantle and they gave up.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16'Here it stands, 700 years later and as formidable as ever.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19'A fitting monument to a powerful warrior king
0:28:19 > 0:28:21'and a brilliant architect.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29'Next time we see how the Black Death devastated the population of Britain
0:28:29 > 0:28:33'but also inspired a blueprint for university buildings
0:28:33 > 0:28:34'at New College, Oxford.'