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Harlech Castle

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Harlech Castle is one of the most impressive and carefully built castles in Britain. Edward the First spent part of his youth on crusade, and during this time he saw many of the castles of the Middle East, which represented the peak of castle building technology at that time. The Crac de Chevalier in modern Syria is the most formidable example. The architecture of the Crac de Chevalier lays all kinds of deceptive traps for its attackers. Dark sloping entrance halls can be defended from above. At the top of the entrance hall slope there is a choice between continuing up another dark, terrifying hallway, or apparent escape through an inviting doorway into what appears to be the relief of daylight. In reality the inviting doorway leads to a courtyard surrounded on all sides by defensive walls from which the defenders would pour fire down on the trapped attackers. Similar deceptions awaited attackers of Harlech. Doorways into the towers were built to allow a defender full range of movement for his weapons. His attackers would be hampered by the layout of the stairwell as they tried to come to terms with the blows coming from above. Up on the ramparts narrow walkways would lead around defensive towers. Attackers would naturally follow the walkways, assuming that they led to a doorway giving shelter from the fire coming down on their heads. In reality the walkways led nowhere, and were simply designed to herd attackers into cramped places where they could be killed. Edward also learnt from the weak points of the Crac de Chevalier, which gained its water supply from a vulnerable aquaduct. If this aquaduct was controlled by the attackers, the garrison of the castle would have to surrender or die of thirst. Edward built his castles in coastal locations so that they could be resupplied by sea, and would thus be invulnerable to siege. At Harlech there is actually a gated and fortified stairway leading down to the foot of the castle rock to where the coast line once was in the thirteenth century. The sea has receded since then, leaving the path behind.

Harlech was built at great speed, in only six years, between 1283 and 1289. This rapid pace of building was necessary as attacks from the Welsh always threatened the builders. A visible line on the walls of the castle today shows where a hastily erected defensive wall was built to defend the building site.

The castle's imaginative defenses were first tested in 1295 when a garrison of only twenty men, and a group of town's people taking shelter, faced a Welsh siege. The castle held long enough for reinforcement by sea to arrive. The castle was first defeated in 1404 when Owain Glyndwr took the castle during his rebellion against Henry the Fourth. But Owain's victory was the result of bribing the English garrison, who allowed him to walk in. Harlech then became the seat of Glyndwyr's Welsh Parliament. Edward the Third had used the power of symbolism in the same way: he had carefully taken apart Llewellyn ap Grwffyd's royal hall and rebuilt it within the grounds of Harlech. Owain returned the favour, setting up his Welsh parliament in a castle symbolising English power. By the 1400s times had changed. Gunpowder was now available and Henry the Fourth sent his son, Harry of Monmouth, later Henry the Fifth, to retake the castle. Even using the new weapons available Henry could not break through Harlech's walls, and a long seige was required, which ended in 1409. In this way Harlech becomes an ambivalent national symbol, a symbol of England and Wales, meaning different things to different people. The castle itself seems to give nothing away, and just sits brooding on the top of its rock.

Opening Times: every day, except for 24th - 26th December and 1st January. Daily opening times are as follows: 1st April to 31st May 9:30am to 5pm, 1st June to 30th September 9:30am to 6pm, October 9:30am to 5pm, 1st November to 31st March 9:30am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 4pm Sunday.

There is parking at the castle, information panels, an exhibition, toilets, and a shop. There are restaurants and tea rooms nearby. No dogs permitted, except assistance dogs.

Directions: Harlech Castle can be found in Harlech near the centre of Gwynedd, North Wales, off the A496,and 200m from Harlech station. Click here for an interactive map centred on Harlech.

Access is poor for disabled people. There are three disabled spaces in the car park, but there are long flights of steps up to the castle. The toilets do not include a disabled toilet.

Contact: 01766 780552 or e-mail cadw@wales.gsi.gov.uk

The Y Branwen Hotel stands just below Harlech Castle, and offers accommodation to a high standard. Click here for details.