Reconstructing Harlech's medieval appearance means putting the sea back beside the water gate. Fresh whitewash would have replaced today's weathered gray stone. To an observer who never met Edward I, the castle would be a visible expression of the king's wealth and power. The work of Master James of St George gave the distant monarch a physical presence in the local landscape.
Notable Point · 38:39-39:42
Reconstructing whitewashed maritime Harlech
Imagining the sea at the water gate and fresh whitewash on Harlech's walls explains how the castle made a distant king visible to local people.