Harlech Castle Floor Plan (1 of 4)
Harlech Castle was built in the late 13th century. Today the ruins sit atop a rocky promontory looking out over the mountains of Snowdonia in northern Wales. These images represent my interpretation of the ground-floor of Harlech as it was when the castle was still being used as a military fortress—please refer to the following notes.
Notes on Historical Accuracy
- Bronwen tower is sometimes called Weathercock tower now.
- In some of the photographs I used for reference, a worn path can be seen in the inner ward crossing diagonally from the southwest to the northeast. The bake-house is in the northeast and was probably quite busy (medieval peasants were often required to bake their bread in the local lord’s oven). The location I have chosen for the woodpile explains the path of heavy traffic and provides the castle’s kitchen staff with easy access to fuel.
- The room labeled as the “Buttery & Linen Store” was actually the location of buttery and pantry.
- The “stone brazier” in the room I have chosen to call the pantry is just something I made-up to explain the odd stone foundation on the floor of the modern-day ruin. There is no historical precedent I’m aware of for such a device. I now suspect that this was the site of an oven.
- The fireplaces in Ystumgwern Hall are purely fictional.
- Ystumgwern (sometimes Ystum Gwern) literally means “river bend swamp” in Welsh.
