Situated close to the Irish Sea on a rocky knoll, Harlech Castle, a Grade I listed medieval castle, is located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales. Edward I had it constructed between 1282 and 1289, during his invasion of Wales, at the comparatively low sum of £8,190. The fortress took part in numerous battles over the ensuing centuries, withstanding siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294–1295 before falling to Prince Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. After that it served as home and military base of Glyndŵr for the duration of the rebellion, until English forces retook it in 1409. The ballad Men of Harlech commemorates the siege of Harlech, which was held by the Lancastrians for seven years during the Wars of the Roses in the fifteenth century, until Yorkist armies forced its submission in 1468. The fortress was defended by supporters of Charles I after the English Civil War broke out in 1642. They maintained it until 1647, when it was the final stronghold to fall to the forces of the Parliament. The historic environment service of Welsh Government, Cadw, is in charge of overseeing the abandoned castle in the twenty-first century as a tourist destination. UNESCO has designated Harlech Castle as a World Heritage Site, citing it as one of best examples of Europe late 13th- and early 14th-century military architecture. Concentric in shape and constructed of local stone, the stronghold has a colossal gatehouse that was presumably originally used to house the castle constable and other high-ranking guests. A large flight of steps and a water-gate descend from the castle to the previous beach, where the sea once came considerably closer to Harlech than it does now. This feature allowed the castle to be resupplied by sea during sieges. The architecture of Harlech shares many similarities with that of the County of Savoy around the same period, which is consistent with other castles of Edward in the north of Wales. This similarity is likely due to the Savoy origins of the principal architect, James of Saint George. Although there is no proof that a native Welsh stronghold ever stood where Harlech Castle is located in North Wales, the legend of the Welsh princess Branwen is linked to the location in local folklore [Information and Image Credit : Harlech_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlech_Castle ] [Image : Harlech Castle; Wikipedia-Image Author : Cadw] [Image is availed under Open Government Licence version 1.0; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/open-government-licence.htm ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harlech_Castle_-_Cadw_photograph.jpg ] #Castles#History
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Monuments and Architecture
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