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Cardiff town walls

Cardiff's town walls were a medieval defensive wall that enclosed Cardiff. The stone fortifications, which measured 1.280 miles in circumference, enclosed the area of present-day Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Castle. They were begun by the Norman feudal baron, Robert Fitzhamon, after his invasion of Wales in the late 12th century and were first mentioned in the year 1111. The walls, which had at least five gateways and watch towers, had an average thickness of between 6 feet and 8 ft (2.4 m) and a height of 10 ft (3.0 m).

History
's map of Cardiff in 1610, showing the town wall gates, but with much of the west wall missing. The wall was constructed by Robert Fitzhamon the Lord of Glamorgan, and was first mentioned in 1111 by Caradoc of Llancarfan in his book Brut y Tywysogion (Chronicle of the Princes). By 1184, Maurice de Berkeley had built wooden palisades with South, North, East and West Gates. Gilbert de Clare later strengthened the defences of Cardiff Castle and the wooden palisades were replaced by stone walls. with an average thickness of between and and a height of . In 1404, forces of Owain Glyndŵr, the last native Prince of Wales, destroyed much of the wall by the West Gate. It may have been that the town was completely burnt down except for the Grey Friary outside the East Gate. ==Gateways==
Gateways
's original image of the North Gate Cardiff had six gates; north, west, south, Gulley or Golate, Blaunch and west. However, there is little evidence to indicate that Golate or Gulley Gate was a proper gate instead of just a breach in a section of the wall that had already been ruined by flooding. East The East Gate was known only by one name, Porth Crockerton (Crockerton Gate). The gate spanned Crockherbtown Street, now known as Queen Street, for travellers heading east to Llanrumney and Newport. It already stood when, in 1171, William Fitz Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the Lord of Glamorgan, mentioned it as the eastern boundary of the borough. Locally it was known as Moor Gate because it led to Soundry or South Town and onto moorlands, The gate was demolished after 20 September 1781 according to Cardiff Council minutes. It was not in the original palisade town wall in the 12th and 13th centuries. It seems likely that this gate was added when the town walls were rebuilt in the 15th century. In 1542, it was recorded as Blounts Yate, but before that it was known as Wales Gate. Later the name changed to Blaunch or Blounts Gate, named after the keeper of the gate. Nothing else is known about it. It is not shown on John Speed's plan or on a later drawing of 1678. It was later recorded in the Court of Bailiffs on 28 January 1785, that it was "Ordered that the gate near the Quay called the Blunch or Blount Gate be taken out" ==Preservation==
Preservation
which is the southern entrance to Bute Park. The only remaining example of a Cardiff town gate is the reconstructed West Gate attached to Cardiff Castle reconstructed by the Bute family, which was constructed in 1860, on the approximate site of the old West Gate, this building is now a Grade II* listed building. It was restored in 1921, probably to its original size and dimensions. It previously had a blue plaque attached to it. A blue plaque of the North Gate still remains on the Northgate Building close by. Another smaller section of the wall supports a flower bed next to Cardiff Castle. Cock's Tower was situated on the site of St Davids shopping centre. When Oxford Arcade was demolished to make way for St Davids shopping centre, archaeologists tried to find remains of the town wall, as well as Cock's Tower, which was a medieval watchpost and dungeon until around the 16th century. ==See also==
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