The Big Picture

the BIG

picture

Harlech Castle cost £8,190 to build, making it one of Edward I’s cheaper investments. It was also constructed in record time, between 1283 and 1295, by an army of nearly a thousand workers. The castle boasts two rings of walls and towers, with an incredibly strong east gatehouse making it virtually impenetrable from every direction. In addition, a 200-foot long stairway joined the castle to the cliff base, meaning that supplies were easy to access. When Harlech Castle was first built a channel would have connected the castle and the sea, meaning that a boat could sail up to the moat. Seven hundred years later, the sea has receded and the castle is now land locked...