Beaumaris Castle

Why I nominated this site: On the isle of Anglesey, surrounded by beautiful scenery, Beaumaris Castle is often described as the finest of Wales' great Edwardian castles although it remains an unfinished masterpiece.

It was one of a number of castles build by the English monarch in a bid to stamp his authority on the Welsh. Building on the site began in 1295, watched over by the king's own architect and it was the most ambitious project he'd ever done with a standard of technical finish that is equalled by very few other buildings. It is an example of 13th-century state of the art craftsmanship.