Harlech Castle

Painting, oil on board, Harlech Castle by Ronald Lampitt, 1959. Depicts a view looking over Harlech Castle, with the plain below lit by shafts on sunlight, and mountains and the Irish Sea in the distance. Original artwork for British Railways (Western Region) poster.

Harlech Castle, by Ronald Lampitt, original artwork for a British Railways Western Region poster, 1959.

The poster depicts Harlech Castle in Gwynedd, which was built by the English King, Edward I, in the 1280s, during his invasion of Wales. Harlech is considered one of the finest medieval castles in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ronald Lampitt was born in Worcester in 1906. He was a self-taught commercial artist and illustrator, who produced artworks for John Bull magazine, The Sunday Times, Reader's Digest and other publications. He worked on children's books in collaboration with his brother-in-law, Henry Deverson and illustrated nine Ladybird books and the magazine Look and Learn.

Lampitt produced posters and carriage prints for the Great Western, Southern and London, Midland & Scottish Railways and later for British Railways. He died in 1988.