Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
20925
Building Number
Grade
II
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
25/11/1998
Date of Amendment
25/11/1998
Name of Property
Gelert's Grave
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Gwynedd
Community
Beddgelert
Town
Porthmadog
Locality
Beddgelert
Easting
259048
Northing
347782
Street Side
Location
Located in a field approximately 350m SW of St Mary's Church, in an oval enclosure with plain modern railings.
Description
Broad Class
Commemorative
Period
History
Gelert's Grave was erected c1802 by David Pritchard, first tenant-manager of the Beddgelert Hotel (now the Royal Goat Hotel). Drawing on pre-existing mythology he revived and partly reinvented the story of the loyal hound Gelert, introducing the character of Llewelyn Fawr as the dog's master. He popularised the story, and created the monument to accompany it, in a cynical attempt to encourage tourism; in this he was successful. As such Gelert's Grave plays an important role in the history of early Welsh tourism.
The story tells us that Llewelyn left his baby son in Gelert's guardianship one day to go out hunting. On his return he found a blooded and up-turned cot with the baby missing. When the blood-covered Gelert came to greet his master, Llewelyn, thinking that his faithful hound had killed and eaten his child, drew his sword and slew it. Then, hearing the child's crying, he found it safe and well behind the cot, with a ferocious wolf lying dead beside it. Filled with remorse, Llewelyn is said to have buried brave Gelert in this location and henceforth 'never to have smiled again.'
Exterior
The grave consists of a group of three stones within an oval enclosure with modern railings. In the centre is a natural limestone boulder, approximately 1m wide, in front of which are 2 modern incised slate tablets recounting the Gelert story in Welsh and English. Flanking the boulder are 2 irregular, vertical limestone rocks, with horizontal water (?) erosion and some probable additional tooling.
Interior
Reason for designation
Listed for its special interest within the history of Welsh tourism, as an early C19 created tourist attraction.
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