King's Gate Unveils the Hidden Treasure of Caernarfon Castle

Equipped with new structures with a contemporary architectural style, Caernarfon Castle's main gate, King's Gate, has been opened to the public providing an unforgettable experience exploring inside the castle that has never been explored before.

King's Gate Caernarfon Castle, renovated by Buttress (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

Having been mentioned as an iconic building in the United Kingdom and a world site in Wales since 1986, Caernarfon Castle holds the historic stories of the Welsh city. To increase visitors' knowledge of the site, the castle's monumental front tower was added to a new structure that includes three floors with various entertainment facilities. These facilities include a cafe, souvenir shop, and education room and are equipped with a reception area and toilets.

The captivating top view of King's Gate Caernarfon Castle (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

The outdoor upper floor offers a panoramic of Caernarfon Castle (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

An elevator that rises from the ground floor takes visitors to the outdoor area that stretches across the top level of the tower, providing unlimited views of the castle and its landscape. Below, a cafe with wooden sitting rooms arranged along the edge of the windows is ready to pamper diners with dishes accompanied by the beautiful landscape around the castle. A souvenir shop and an exhibition space occupy the floor below, rewarding visitors with souvenirs and works of art reminiscent of the castle's role in the Welsh town's history.

The lift leads the visitors to the upper floor (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

The exhibition area (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

A joyful seating area on the upper floor (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

The new structure was created using prefabrication techniques with a handcrafted wooden structure built physically separate from the castle walls to reduce the significant impact on the walls. In the process of restoring this castle, the stones on the walls have also been cleaned as well as the decoration on the windows which increases the aesthetic value ​​of the castle. The wooden materials used in the new structure blend with the stone materials in the castle, highlighting the grandeur of the historic Caernarfon Castle.

The wooden sitting are arranged along the edge of the windows (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

The wooden stair adorned with artistic accent graces the upper floor (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

Without disturbing the existing castle walls, a nostalgic atmosphere fills every corner inside the castle released by its stone walls. The process of restoring the Caernarfon Castle building with the addition of its new structure, succeeded in protecting the medieval structure while opening wide the castle doors to present a beautiful view of the castle and its landscape which had been hidden from the outside world.

The restoration of Kings Gate at Caernarfon Castle successfully balances history and modernity (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

The Kings Gate section detail (cr: Buttress) 

The construction process of Kings Gate (cr: Daniel Hopkinson) 

The construction process of Kings Gate (cr: Daniel Hopkinson)