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Wrapped around the castle and walled town of Caernarfon is a waterfront which has been integral to the fortunes of the town throughout its history. There was probably a harbour here long before the foundation of the medieval town and castle in the late thirteenth century. The town benefitted from two working rivers as well as a long frontage to the Menai Strait which provided essential trading links. In the nineteenth century, the two river mouths were developed as harbours - Victoria Dock for general coastal trade, and the Slate Quays as a specialist harbour for the export of slate. Associated with the impressive structure of Victoria Dock are the remains of a series of compounds and some nineteenth-century buildings – reminders of the working history of the port. The Slate Quays were also laid out in a series of compounds where slate was stored and where small industries operated. Between the two harbour areas, the medieval wharves that stretched alongside the Menai had a new lease of life as a promenade. Today, a walk along the waterfronts is a walk through many chapters in the story of the town.
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