Harlech Castle, Harlech (Snowdonia)

Built between 1283 and 1289 by Master James of St George for King Edward I.

Summary 13th century buildings (or older) Gift shop Information provided Public car parking for a charge (nearby)

Introduction

 Built between 1283 and 1289 by Master James of St George for King Edward I. The castle is designed on a concentric plan with a small but powerful inner ward dominated by an impressive twin-towered gatehouse and four round corner towers. Seized by Owain Glyn Dwr in 1404 and held successfully by him for four years.

History to the present day

 Harlech Castle has had an exciting history and seen many battles.

King Edward I of England built it as part of his ring of strong castles in north Wales, each within a day’s marching distance of each other and able to be supplied by sea. Master James of St George, Master of the King’s Works in Wales, was in charge of building the castle. Work began in spring 1283 and the castle was completed by the end of 1289. In 1290, in reward for his services, Master James was appointed constable of the castle and he lived there while carrying out his work for the king.

Harlech is a ‘concentric’ castle: it has a high inner curtain wall with huge round towers at its corners, surrounded by a lower outer curtain wall. It was built in phases. First, the inner curtain wall was built just high and thick enough to create a defensible compound. It was then later built to its full height and width. At the peak of the building campaign nearly 950 men were employed, but building stopped in winter when the weather made progress too slow.

In 1294-95 Madog ap Llewelyn led a rebellion against the English king and besieged the castle. It was able to hold out because supplies could be brought by sea from Ireland. Once the rebellion was crushed, a wall was built around Castle Rock to reinforce the defences on that side. Then, in 1323-24, additional defences were added to the entrance.

In the great Welsh uprising of1400-1414 led by Owain Glyn Dwr, Harlech was taken in 1404 after a long siege. The castle became the main residence and court of Owain, and he called a parliament there in 1405. However, in 1408 English troops led by Prince Harry of Monmouth (the future King Henry V) besieged the castle. His forces used cannon, which destroyed much of the outer curtain walls along the east and south sides. The castle returned to English hands in February 1409.

During the Wars of the Roses, Harlech’s constable supported the Lancastrian cause. But, in 1468, the Yorkist King Edward IV sent Lord William Herbert, with a force estimated at between seven and ten thousand men, to retake the castle. The Lancastrians held out for less than a month. It is believed that this siege inspired the song Men of Harlech.

Surveys in 1539 and 1564 both highlighted the castle’s serious state of decay. Nevertheless, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, courts of law were held at the castle, and rooms in the gatehouse were maintained for them.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Harlech, like many castles in north Wales, supported the cause of King Charles I. A parliamentary force besieged it from June 1646 until March 1647 when the garrison surrendered to Major-General Thomas Mytton, parliamentary commander in north Wales. Harlech had been the last royalist stronghold to fall. A parliamentary order to demolish the castle was never carried out, but it nonetheless continued to decay.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the castle and its dramatic setting attracted the interest of numerous artists.

In 1914, the castle passed from the Crown to the State and it is now managed by Cadw, part of the Welsh Assembly Government.

In 1987 Harlech, along with Beaumaris Castle and the castles and town walls of Conwy and Caernarfon, was inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: Harlech Castle, Snowdonia, , United Kingdom

Opening times:

 

01.11.09 - 31.03.10: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 16.00, Sunday 11.00 - 16.00

01.04.10 - 30.06.10: Monday - Sunday 9.30 - 17.00

01.07.10 - 31.08.10: Monday - Sunday 9.30 - 18.00

01.09.10 - 31.10.10: Monday - Sunday 9.30 - 17.00

01.11.10 - 28.02.11: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 16.00, Sunday 11.00 - 16.00

01.03.11 - 31.03.11: Monday - Sunday 9.30 - 17.00

 

Admission prices:

 

Adult - £3.60

Concession - £3.20

Family - £10.40

Entry is free for Welsh residents aged 60 and over or 16 and under who have a valid pass.

 

 

All photographs courtesy of CADW photographic library.