Criccieth Castle Criccieth Castle ( ) is a native Welsh castle situated on the headland between two beaches in Criccieth , Gwynedd , in North Wales , on a rocky peninsula overlooking Tremadog Bay . It was built by Llywelyn the Great of the kingdom of Gwynedd but it was heavily modified following its capture by English forces of Edward I in the late 13th century . Construction . Although the stone castle was begun in the 1230s , there were three main building phases plus several periods of remodelling . The earliest part of the masonry castle is the inner ward which was started by Llywelyn the Great . Unlike most other Welsh native strongholds , the inner ward at Criccieth was protected by a twin D - shaped towered gateway that was protected by a gate and portcullis , with murder holes in the passage , and outward facing arrowslit s in each tower . A design that might have been copied from English designs on the Marches such as Beeston Castle , Cheshire or Montgomery Castle , Shropshire . The two towers of the gatehouse provided accommodation and their height was later raised in the Edwardian period . The castle ' s well was also in the gatehouse passage which was supplied by a spring fed cistern . In the 1260s or 1270s , an outer ward was added during the second building phase under Llywelyn the Last . A new gateway was added in the outer curtain with a large two - storey rectangular tower . The castle , although not a proper concentric design , now had two circuits of circular defences . Criccieth was taken by English forces in 1283 . Under James of Saint George another two storey rectangular tower , connected to the rest of the castle by a curtain wall , the " Engine Tower " ( now in ruins ) might have been the foundation for a siege engine . The gatehouse had another storey added and several Welsh mural towers were strengthened . An outer barbican was added to the outer curtain wall . Under Welsh stewardship , the principal residence was in the SW tower but when the castle was taken over by the English , accommodation was situated in the towers of the D - shaped gatehouse . Timber buildings , which included a great hall , were erected within the inner ward . History . A Motte and bailey stood at a different site in Criccieth before the masonry castle was built . In 1283 the castle was captured by English under the command of Edward I . It was then remodelled by James of St George . In 1294 , Madoc ap Llywelyn , a distant relation of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd , began an uprising against English rule that spread quickly through Wales . Several English - held towns were razed and Criccieth ( along with Harlech Castle and Aberystwyth Castle ) were besieged that winter . Its residents survived until spring when the castle was resupplied . In the 14th century the castle had a notable later constable called Hywel ap Gryffd who fought for Edward III at the Battle of Crecy in 1346 . The castle was used as a prison until 1404 when Welsh forces captured the castle during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr . The Welsh then tore down its walls and set the castle alight . Some stonework still show the scorch marks . Criccieth was also one of several locations Romantic artist Joseph Mallord William Turner used for his famous series of paintings depicting shipwrecked mariners . Present day . The castle is maintained by Cadw . It includes exhibits and information on Welsh castles as well as the Anglo - Norman writer Gerald of Wales .