Medieval castles were a symbol of wealth and power and were often the center of historic battles and Medieval sieges.

    Britain is strewn with ruins of castles, rubble from the centuries of her existence. Castles are tangible relics of a remarkable past, a lengthy heritage etched in stone, as well as with the blood and sweat of those who built, labored, fought, and died in their shadow. Ruins stir up in us a profound awareness of those past lives. Castles have a timelessness that is awe-inspiring. That they have endured centuries of warfare and the effects of weather is a testimony to the creativity and power of their medieval owners.

    Today are many Preservation Organisations that protect the coastline,countryside and castles of Great Britain.

    The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty  was formed in 1895 and is one of the largest conservation organisations in the world.

    The Trust owns thousands of properties throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland; including over two hundred mansion houses and gardens of outstanding interest and importance. The majority of these country houses contain collections of pictures, furniture, books, metalwork, ceramics and textiles that have remained in their historic context. Most of the houses have also important gardens attached to them, and the Trust also owns some important gardens not attached to a house. The properties include some of the most famous stately homes in the country and some of the key gardens in the history of British gardening.

          History

    Castles were brought to Britain by William the Conqueror, when he invaded England from his homeland in France. Known as the Duke of Normandy, William invaded England in 1066 and, due to his victory in the Battle of Hastings, William was crowned the King of England, and became King William I.

    One of the most powerful ways for William to take control of his new kingdom, which included England, Scotland and Wales, was to have castles built throughout the land. At first, he ordered the construction of very simple castles, called motte and bailey castles.

    They consisted of an earthen mound, called a motte, topped by a tower (first built of wood, and soon rebuilt in stone to make the towers more sturdy). The bailey was a large area of land enclosed by a shorter mound, placed next to the motte. Inside the bailey were the main activities of the castle (workshops, stables and livestock, household activities, etc.), while the tower on the motte was used as the lord’s residence and as an observation post.

    These earth and wood castles were not very sturdy, because the wood would rot fairly quickly and was easy for an enemy to burn. So, William the king ordered the construction of stone castles. Stone castles were much more sturdy, did not rot like wood, and also were much more able to withstand any attack by an invader. Over the centuries after William was king, other kings ordered elaborate castles to be built.

    Castles were not just used by the king. Most castles, in fact, were granted by a king to their most loyal subjects, knights or barons who fought valiantly in battle and supported their king. The king, starting with William the Conqueror, gave his loyal knights vast estates and permission to build castles. In return, he expected these men (most of whom were given the titles of earl or lord) to control their lands as the king’s representative, to keep the local population from rebelling, and to force them to work and pay rent to the lord (who then passed it onto the king).

    Many of the people who lived in Britain before it was conquered did not like being controlled by the king’s barons, and wanted to keep control of their own lands themselves. But that was not possible, because William and later kings (and queens) demanded they pay homage. Therefore, castles were built to establish the power of the king and his followers, and to keep the people from regaining control of their own lands.

    These first knights and barons, followers of William the Conqueror, were known as the Normans, and were a very powerful lot. They built castles almost everywhere in Britain, hundreds of which still survive.

    Stone castles were built for stability and to symbolize the power of the lords of the kingdom. Even if the king did not order a particular castle to be built for his use, he still retained the ability to seize any of his lords’ castles if they displeased him or if the king had a special reason to want to use it.

          Parts of a Castle

    No two castles were alike, but they all had the basic same parts.

          Castle Defenses

    The defenses for the castle consisted of many things, from the moat to battlements. As castle design advanced, so too did the defenses. An allure was the wall-walk along the top of a curtain wall. They were accessed by a wooden or stone stair parallel to the wall, or sometimes by a mural tower. Wall-walks were often paved with stone slabs. A later 13th century innovation was an overhanging allure. This developed into flying parapets and machicolations.

    Arrow loops, also known as arrow slits or bow loops, allowed defenders to fire their arrows from cover. There were several different styles, as illustrated below. Rare before 1190, they were normally just a simple vertical slot, less than two inches wide at the outside, and averaged between 3 to 12 feet in length.

    A drawbridge was a moveable wooden bridge that gapped the castle ditch or moat. It could be removed or raised to prevent easy entry into the castle.

    The earliest were removable. When the need came, the guards would withdraw the platform from its position, thus offering protection to the castle. In later development, the drawbridge had ropes and pulleys attached where the guards would haul up one end of the platform by pulling on the ropes.

    The gatehouse was the entrance to the castle containing at least one portcullis that could be raised or lowered. Often this part of the castle was the first to be rebuilt in stone. The conversion of the gatehouse into stone protected it from attack by fire, but also from other kinds of assault.

    Placing the gatehouse near a moat, keep, or other tower gave it added protection. Frequently, the protecting tower was built into the gatehouse, as at Pembroke, which is defended by adjoining towers.

    Gate-towers appeared in the late 12th century. The first gatehouses were small square towers, with doorways at the middle of the bottom storey.

    Gatehouses maintained their importance for centuries, even in later castles which were not much more than semi-fortified manor houses. Many have survived where all other traces of the castle have vanished.

    The keep, great tower, or donjon was a self-sufficient, last resort, place of refuge used during a siege. Most keeps were square or rectangular in shape, although there were round keeps. Some keeps were over 80 feet high and had walls over 17 feet thick.

    Machicolations were openings in the floor of a projecting parapet or platform along the wall or above an archway, through which defenders could drop or shoot missiles vertically on attackers below.

    Murder holes are openings in a floor through which the castle defenders could drop missles or liquids upon the attackers. Stones were the most often used missile. Boiling oil was not used, as it was a precious commodity to waste. More than likely, if any boiling liquid was used, it was water. Murder holes were most often located in the vaulting over the gate passage.

    The parapet was an embattled wall shielding the castle defenders on the wall-walk.

          Castle Curtain Walls

    A curtain wall, or enclosing wall, of a castle bounded or enclosed the castle. Most often it was attached to the towers and gatehouse. There are examples of walls dividing or splitting a    bailey into two wards, and this is called a cross-curtain. Some curtain walls would be built around the bailey of a motte castle.

    The early curtain walls were made of heavy timbers and are most often associated with motte and bailey castles. These walls were called Palisades. The timbers would be locked together with horizontal beams and braced or propped in the back. Sometimes, these were so very well constructed that they were not replaced with stone curtains for as long as a century after the castle was built.

    Curtain walls made of timbers were prone to decay in a very short time. They were also susceptible to fire, by attackers or by accident. Stone, much sturdier than wood, gradually replaced most of the timber curtain walls. One of the earliest stone curtain walls was at Richmond Castle, built in 1075.

    The average height of a curtain wall was about 30 feet. There are a few exceptions, such as at Framlingham Castle. The stone curtain wall there was 44 feet high, while Knareborough Castle’s was 40 feet high. The width varied, but most were very thick. They ranged from 7 feet thick at Conisbrough Castle to 20 feet thick at Chepstow Castle. Dover Castle walls were 20 feet thick, while Duffield Castle walls were 18 feet thick. Fortified manors had thinner curtain walls, ranging from 3 feet to 7 feet thick.

    As siege engines improved, the curtain walls were built higher. This made the lower part, or the base of the curtain wall, vulnerable to breaching and undermining. This problem was solved by introducing hoarding, allures, and angle towers. Curtain walls were almost always battlemented and had a parapet near the top and inside of the wall.

    Curtain walls were a very important part of the castle defense. Once the wall was breached, the castle would surely fall to attackers.

          Stone Wall Construction

    The best way to start the construction of a castle wall was to dig down to the bedrock, then quarry it flat for the foundations. If solid bedrock was not available then laborers had little choice but to dig trenches wider than the width of the wall and fill them with rubble. The rubble would then be compacted. Another method would be to try and use an existing foundation to build the new wall.

    The walls could be made of rubble, framed with wood until the mortar had dried. The most common composition was a rubble core with ashlar facing. The ashlar would be fitted in horizontal rows called courses, which could also be supplemented by slate to keep everything nice and level.

    Once the walls got too high to reach then workers would erect scaffolding to assist in construction. They would place timber posts into holes or containers and then lash them together with rope. Then, the ends of the timber would be inserted into putlog holes built into the wall. After the scaffolding was built, stone and mortar and other materials would be lifted by pulleys, hoists, or by carrying them up a ramp.

    Once the wall was at its full height, it was levelled off and ready to receive the allure and parapet. Laborers would then build a stone staircase parallel to the wall to provide access to battlements. They would coat the finished wall with plaster and whitewash to protect the stone and mortar. Names like the White Tower (at the Tower of London) or White Castle derive from the presence of this plaster.

          Castle Chapels

    Chapels were an important part of life in a castle and the central place for community gatherings. Castle keeps had chapels, but sometimes they were located in the bailey, or outer ward. Other places chapels could be located were in the castle towers and gate houses.

    Many castles had more than one chapel, and some were very large cathedral-type structures. Sometimes, the chapels were private and only used by the lord and his family, even when churches were located nearby.

    Decoration and furniture in castle chapels were just as ornate as any other chapel that was built separate from the castle. Most had stained glass windows and wall paintings. Often, the castle chapel was the only room in the castle that had carved and vaulted decoration. Altars, piscinas, and aumbries were built-in. Some had crypts and barrel-vaulted naves.

          Castle Historic Gardens

    Many castles have historic gardens. If you ever have a chance to visit one, never pass on it. You will come away with just one word. Magnificent. One of the most splendid and common type of garden you will see is called the knot garden. A knot garden was a feature of garden design from Tudor times.

          Castle Furnishings

    Just as two castles were never built the same, so too were there never two castles furnished the same. A lot depended on the wealth of the lord. The great halls were painted and had tapestries hanging from the walls. The ceilings had corbels carved or painted. Maybe the floor would be covered with straw and scented with herbs.

    The huge fireplaces were painted and faced with carvings. The dishes used would be expensive and elaborate. Maybe silver or pewter pottery adorned the long table of the hall.

    The sleeping chambers had private oratories and large elaborate carved beds. Feather mattresses, silks, and quilts completed the luxury. Some beds probably had canopies and curtains. Of course, this is the way the lord and guests slept. The servants and workers, more than likely, had to sleep on the floor using their cloaks for covers. Some had straw that helped them to get a better night’s sleep.

    The chapel was probably the most elaborately furnished, rich in ornaments, having glazed windows and colorful furniture. The kitchens would have had built-in facilities. Even with some of the most convenient of furnishings, life back then was crude compared to our modern day standards.