Castles / GB / Wales
Castell Harlech
Which definitions does it satisfy?
This dataset does not record whether something “is a castle”. It records a verdict against each named definition, with the reasoning that produced it.
| Definition | Verdict | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified residence | yes | Concentric Edwardian castle (begun 1283) whose gatehouse was "conceived as an independently defensible unit" with paired drum towers, portcullises and murder-holes (active defence meant to be held); the gatehouse held lavishly-appointed residential suites and the castle served as Owain Glyndŵr's residence and court 1404-1409 — a royal lord is still a lord, so both halves are met. |
| Enclosure fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| State fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Palatial seat | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Revival and folly | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Popularly a castle | yes | Explicitly designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site ("reflected by its designation as a World Heritage Site"), immortalised in the song "Men of Harlech" and a major operated monument — real public standing, not merely a register naming convention. |
Facts
| Tradition | european medieval |
|---|---|
| Location | Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, GB |
| Built | Medieval |
| Confidence | medium |
| First recorded | 2026-07-21 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-22 |
In the registers
Where this structure appears in official inventories. This is what turns an individual record into evidence about a count.
- Cof Cymru — National Historic Assets of Wales —
ME044· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Designation report (ME044) assessed. fortified_residence: yes (concentric defences, independently defensible gatehouse, residential suites, Glyndŵr's court) and popular_castle: yes (WHS designation, "Men of Harlech", major monument). state_fortification omitted — this is an Edwardian royal castle whose original purpose governs, counted as a royal fortified residence, not a post-1500 state work. palatial_seat and revival_folly not supported: defences stayed in military use for centuries. Single official report, however emphatic → confidence medium (rule 7).
Sources
- Scheduled Monument Full Report — Castell Harlech — Cadw, 2026-07-22
Cadw's full scheduled-monument report (ME044); assessed against the bands.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-me044,
sig-20260722-report-me044
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.