What
Is A Castle???
At first a castle consisted
of a simple wooden structure on
top of a mound surrounded by
a ditch. The next step in the
development of castles was
a keep or dungeon within the baily.
The keep often 12 to 15m, some
40 to 50 feet high, had thick
walls and small windows. Now
wide deep moats replaced the
crude ditches, sometimes filled
with water but often dry.
These moats were crossed by
draw bridges which could be
raised or lowered from inside
the castle. At the end of the
drawbridge was a porticullis
or a thick metal gate that could
be raised to clear the enterence.
inside the keep were private
apartments, a well, and everythimg
else necessary to contain
inhabitants. First the keeps
were rectangular, but later it
was figured out that round
keeps were easier to defend.
Later the living quarters were
moved to inside the baily and
the keep was made smaller and
stronger. Now the castle was
often built on a cliff and
idealy at a river bend so it could
have a veiw of the surrounding
countryside.
Here are some Castles
This Is The Beaumaris Castle In North Wales
This Is The Conwy
Castle in North Wales
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