Historic background
In the medieval period, Harlech castle (and
town – area 18) were built on a rocky promontory above
the sea. Over the next centuries, the area below the town silted
up and was classed as marsh waste. The enclosure and draining
of part of Morfa Harlech in 1789 by the Glyn Cywarch estate
(area 31) meant that the burgesses of the town (Harlech, area
18) lost rights of common there. The area has always contained
a series of offshore islands and outcrops (much like nearby
Traeth Mawr across the estuary at the mouth of the Glaslyn),
as the ‘ynys’ placenames testify (area 19, for
example, and the smaller Lasynys which is associated with the
bard Ellis Wynne (1671-1734) (Y Bardd Cwsc)).
The main north-south road from Porthmadog
to Barmouth was diverted in the mid-19th century, from its
original route at the bottom of the coastal hill slopes (area
29) and now crosses the morfa in a virtual straight line, after
first cutting across the northern end of the area to link up
with the previously-isolated settlement of Ynys (area 19).
At around the same time, the Cambrian Railway was built and
this cuts across the area from below the town of Harlech to
a bridge across the Dwyryd at the morfa’s northern end.
A series of later 19th (and early 20th) century
farmsteads were established along the line of the road (including
Ty’n y acrau, Ty’n y ffordd, Glyn Morfa, Ty Canol),
and a large area behind the dunes (area 32) was planted with
ubiquitous conifers by the Forestry Commission in the 20th
century. In recent years, the expanding town of Harlech and
a golf course have further encroached on the southern part
of the area. (See also area 32.)
Key historic landscape characteristics
Reclaimed marsh, regular field pattern,
cut drainage boundaries, 19th century farmsteads
Most of the area (outside the areas of forestry,
road and modern encroachment mentioned above) is agricultural
in nature and is characterised by a regular pattern of fields,
defined mainly by cut drainage features (some with hedges alongside)
and/or earthen banks. The 19th century painting by Henry Gastineau,
and the fact that the farmsteads are late 19th century in date,
imply that this pattern is relatively recent, although we know
that the former marsh was being actively reclaimed from the
end of the 18th century.
The farmsteads themselves, late 19th or early 20th century in date
consist of fairly standard, two-storeyed, two bay, square houses with
two side chimneys. Although they appear to be stone-built, they are
often rendered, so they may, in fact, be built of brick and stone (Pen
y waen, for example, appears to be). Most of them have associated outbuildings,
either tacked on to the rear of the house (Glyn morfa and Ty Canol)
or around a small yard (Gilarwen). Ty’n Morfa has a very nice
two storey threshing barn.
The main road, alongside which the farms have
been built, and the railway cut across the area, and appear,
at least in parts, to predate the field pattern. The area also
contains three railway stations (below Glan-y-wern, Talsarnau
and Llandecwyn) which serve settlements above on the main road
which, in the northern part of the area, still skirts around
the edge of the morfa. Other parts of the morfa are either
planted with 20th century conifer plantations (now being removed)
or are sand dunes (area 32).
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Landscape Character Map
