Exploring Conwy

Hazel Holloway discovers a magnificent medieval fortress, a lady in a tall hat, and a mussel sculpture in the delightful and dreamy town of Conwy…

Conwy is best known for its magnificent medieval castle, but did you know it is also the home place of the smallest house in Great Britain? It might be tiny, but you can’t miss the brightly painted red walls of the one-up, one-down house on the Conwy quay. It measures 10ft x 6ft and was last lived in by Robert James, who was 6ft 3 inches tall! It was built in the 16th Century and traditionally occupied by local fishermen. During the town’s developments, two rows of terraced cottages were built alongside the fortification walls closest to the harbour. A row of houses was built from the north and another from the south, leaving a small gap that needed filling, and hey presto, a tiny dwelling was made in the space. The owners included an elderly couple, the Edwards, who lived there in the 1800s. Eventually, the house was sold to Robert Jones, who bought it for just £20 in 1981… Today, in 2023, that wouldn’t even buy you a spare set of keys!

But for just £1 today, you can enter the house, listen to the history and try to take a selfie. There is always an accommodating lady in traditional Welsh dress waiting outside, donning distinctive tall headwear, paired with a shawl around her shoulders and a Pais a Betgwn – a puffy, petticoat-like skirt. Still, if the weather is terrible, we will forgive her for also wearing a warm, modern coat. She can help you with any questions you have about the house’s history, and on the way in, she will tell you to “mind your head.”

Because Conwy Harbour is where the river estuary meets salt water, it’s one of the best places to fish in North Wales. So, if you take the little ones, remember to pack the crab fishing lines. And after treat everyone to a big scoop of ice cream. Sit, lick and watch the world and the boats go by. After you can go and find the mussel sculpture on the quay created by Graeme Mitcheson in 2007 in Kilkenny Limestone.

A little history

J More than 180,000 people a year visit Conwy castle

J King Richard II hid in the castle in 1399. He hid from his rival, Henry Bolingbroke (King Henry IV)

J In 1627 the castle was sold for £100! Charles sold it to Edward Conway, and his son, also called Edward, inherited the ruined castle in 1631

And did you know?

According to Max Brook’s novel, The Zombie Survival Guide, Zombies cannot breach walls, so Conwy may be Britain’s most secure town!

You can’t visit Conwy and not be impressed by the imposing medieval 700-year-old castle and walls that surround the town. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the town walls are amongst Europe’s finest and most complete, stretching around Conwy’s medieval heart which run almost interrupted for three-quarters of a mile. It’s free to walk the walls but there is a fee to enter the castle. I do not have a good head for heights, but I couldn’t resist having a go, and I was not disappointed by the view. It’s a breath-taking experience with impressive views of the giant towering castle, the estuary and Eryri.

Later I roamed around the castle, which was built by King Edward I and his architect Master James of St George in – wait for it – 4 years between 1283 and 1287.

I love a drama set in medieval times, and I love the thought of time travel, so I wandered around the vast and, even though now in ruins, still resplendent castle in awe and found myself travelling back in time. I’d be a queen, of course, and spend my time distributing charity among the common gathered folk and, in the afternoon, sew and read with my maids.

A group of excited schoolboys running around with clipboards, using their best outdoor voices brought me back down to earth, so I left the castle and ambled down to the town with its picturesque narrow streets filled with architectural wonders, including Plas Mawr, one of Britain’s finest remaining Elizabethan country houses.

Conwy, surrounded by ancient walls plus three famous bridges, including Thomas Telford’s pioneering suspension bridge (best viewed from the top of the castle), is jampacked with history. So put Conwy town on your list of places to visit. n for business?

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