|
1.Heavy
doors |
Also used to
defend the castle: built
on solid rock 1.Heavy
doors
trip
steps
high
ground
squint
holes
But the water
supply
was a weakness
2.Arrowslits
3.Outer
gatehouse
4.Curtain
wall
5.Walkway
and thick walls
6.Octagonal
tower
7.Crenelations
8.Battlements
9.Buttresses
(skirts)
10.Highwatch
towers
11.Inner
gatehouse
12.Drawbridge
13.Ditch
or moat
14.Drum
Tower
15.Crenel
or embrasure
16.Merlon
The outside of the castle is defended by a wall, which surrounds the whole castle.
The gate house leading into the grounds of the castle is very well defended by portcullises which are sharp iron gates.
Also there is a dry moat ditch (dry moat being a ditch without water).
As you entered the castle there was a drawbridge. This particular drawbridge had a weighted end, which dropped down into a pit when enemies approached.
Above the drawbridge there was some holes which are called Murder holes because when the enemy stood beneath them the people who defended the castle poured hot fluids like water, molten metal, and hot sand if people were wearing heavy armour.
Some towers are called drum towers. They are circular which was useful because if people attacked them with battering rams in battle they squashed together which tightened them and made them stronger.
The walls were also very thick which made them strong.
The walls had sloping bottoms which were called skirts, they are sloping because when the people in the castle were being attacked they would throw rocks and stones down the wall and they would be deflected off these skirts and hit the enemy. See also buttress and batter
The castle did not have any windows as such, although they did have arrowslits. Some arrowslits were just long, thin slits in the wall. These slits were used for shooting long bows out of. The others were made up of two slits forming a cross shape. These were used for shooting cross bows out of.
The staircases inside the castle were all spiral and some were called trip steps because after going up one or two stairs which had the same width, depth and length you came across one which was a different size, so if you were a running enemy you might trip over,(hence the name trip stairs) giving the people in the castle time to attack you.
The site chosen to build the castle on was high ground, therefore there was a clear view of the surrounding area, enabling you to see the aproaching enemy. There was a natural cliff which defended the North side of the castle. It was a 40 feet drop.
Inside the castle facing a door there was often a wall and in this wall there was a squint hole.
A squint hole is a hole where you can see anyone who is approaching.
The ground underneath the castle was solid rock so tunneling was impossible. This is sappers.
All the doors in the castle were heavy, making them hard to open. They also had great big draw bars to strengthen the doors.
The main water supply to the castle came from springs and it was very easy for the enemy to cut off the supply.
Sam and Charlotte
since 18 April
1998