Cardiff town walls, Medieval defensive walls in Castle district, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Cardiff town walls are medieval fortifications that encircle the center with stonework that remains visible in places today. The walls enclosed the area for roughly 2 kilometers and reached heights up to 3 meters (10 feet) with thicknesses between about 1.8 (6 feet) and 2.4 meters (8 feet).
Construction began in 1111 under Robert Fitzhamon with wooden structures at four gates, before Gilbert de Clare later replaced them with stone fortifications. This shift from wood to stone marked a major step in the town's defensive development.
Street names like Working Street and Womanby Street preserve connections to Norse influences and show the early medieval development of Cardiff. These names reflect the different communities that shaped the town in its earliest phases.
The largest surviving section stands behind Queen Street and is about 3 meters (10 feet) high, while other fragments are scattered near shopping areas. It pays to allow time for exploring, since the remains are spread across different parts of the city center.
The foundations of many wall sections vanished during the building of modern shopping centers, which now occupy the sites of former medieval passages. This loss shows how modern urban development has layered over the historical remains.
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