There are five storytelling chairs dotted around the town of Harlech in North Wales. Each one marks a stop on Meirion's Trail — a community storytelling walk based on the tale of Meirion by author Mair Tomos Ifans. The Pen Y Graig throne is the third. And it might be the most dramatic place to sit in all of Wales.
Pen Y Graig sits at the top of town with Harlech Castle rising behind it and the Llŷn Peninsula stretching out ahead. The throne is carved from solid Welsh oak, with intricate botanical panels running the full height of the backrest — birds, leaves and swirling forms shaped directly from the wood. We installed it fresh from our Snowdonia workshop, and within a few seasons it had weathered to that beautiful silver-grey that only outdoor oak achieves.
The brief from Visit Harlech was both simple and quietly ambitious: create a set of chairs that would make people want to stop, sit down, and listen to a story. Each chair corresponds to a chapter of Meirion's tale, and each one is designed to feel like it belongs somewhere specific — shaped around the view, the setting, the mood of that particular part of the walk.
The carvings on the Pen Y Graig throne are drawn from the natural world of Eryri — birds in flight, climbing plants, the flowing forms you find in the landscape all around Harlech. We carved the panels by hand in our workshop and built the frame for the outdoors: solid oak joints, proportions designed for both a child climbing up and an adult settling in for a moment of quiet.
Meirion's Trail now draws visitors from across Wales and beyond — and the Pen Y Graig throne has become one of the most photographed spots on the route.
If you're looking for a bespoke outdoor storytelling throne for a school, park, community trail or festival — something with this kind of presence and craft — we'd love to hear about your project. Browse our full range in the Storytelling Chairs collection, or view the Pen Y Graig throne listing directly.
