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Harlech occupies a strategically defensible site Looking towards the sea, Harlech's battlements rise from a nearly vertical cliff face, while any landward attackers would first have to deal with a massive twin-towered gatehouse. It is believed that the castle was originally actually on the sea, for ease of re-supply, but that the sea has now receeded. Yet somehow the builders managed to combine the necessity of stout defence, with the beauty of the setting, a true sensse of harmony
The fortress's massive inner walls and towers still stand almost to their full
height. The views from its walls are panoramic, and stretch from the seascape
in front to the mountains of Snowdonia behind
Master James of St. George, familiar as the military architect of most of Edwards
castles, managed to blend.the natural elements of the site to the defensive
requirements of a fortress. The result is a building of rare beauty and grace
Edward I's army arrived at Harlech in 1283, and almost straight away work started
on the castle It was a key castle in Edward's ring of castles in North Wales.
A monor army of workmen constructed the castle over the next six yearsOver the
next six years
The final result was a perfectly concentric castle, where one line of defenses
is enclosed by another. The natural strength of the castle rock on the landward
side, and cliff face on the seaward side, meant that only the east face
was vulnerable to attack.It is therefore on the east side that a massive gatehouse
was constructed with a series of heavy doors, narrow passages and three
portcullises. Master James himself, was the Governor of the castle frrom 1290
to 1293
The castle could be supplied by sea, so on the seaward side there is a gated
and fortified stairway plunging almost 200 ft down to the foot of the castle
rock.Supplies could be raised to the castle up this stairway. In fact during
a siege in Madog ap Llywelyn's uprising of 1294-95, the garrison, which was
supplied by ships from Ireland.
Ironically, in 1404 it was taken by Welsh leader Owain Glyn Dwr. He made it his home and headquarters, he proceeded to hold a parliament here. And it was only after a further long siege in 1408 that Harlech was retaken by English forces under Harry of Monmouth, later Henry V.
A long siege here during the Wars of the Roses, some 60 years after this,
inspired the stirring song 'Men of Harlech'.
The castle was held for the Lancastrians until taken by Lord Herbert of Raglan
for the Yorkists.
Harlech is now classed aWorld Heritage site.
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Land of mountains - Wales