Harlech Castle on the Welsh coast was built by King Edward I in the 1280s. It still stands strong, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. And now, the castle has a sentinel, in the form of a giant steel dragon named Dewi. Dragons are special to the people of Wales, and a red dragon graces its flag.
There was no pressure, then, on artist Anthony Peacock, who was commissioned to create Dewi in 2010. However, the piece is a triumph, made from 78 square meters of steel sheets which were first cut in to scale shapes. These were then welded on to a frame and polished, measuring in at 16 foot long, 11ft high and 10ft wide. Finally a total of twelve coats of lacquer were applied. All told almost 800 hours of work went in to fashioning this magnificent beast. If Llywelyn had had a dragon like this on side, the castle would quite probably never have been built.
See more pictures of Dewi the Dragon, and read the history of Harlech Castle at Kuriositas.
(Image credit: Flickr user Clive Roberts)