11/23/2023 0 Comments Medieval european castlesOnce a stone castle was built, its owner would then have to spend a vast sum on furnishing and decorating it. While the wooden structures of the former were cheap, swift and easy-to-build, the latter involved having to pay for stonemasons, expensive stone, transportation, mining and a larger construction force. The progression from the motte and bailey design to stone was an expensive one. Smaller castles could cost around £1,000 to build. Dover Castle in Kent was one of the most expensive castles ever built, with Henry II spending £6,400 of his £20,000 annual income on its refurbishment alone. The cost of building and maintaining castles amounted to around 40 per cent of a king’s annual incomeĬastle-building was a luxury that very few members of the nobility could afford. One such example is the siege of Harlech Castle, which held off assailants for almost one year – the castle only eventually falling as a result of food shortages.ĭespite what popular movie portrayals of sieges suggest, it took a significant amount to penetrate the defensive wall of medieval stone castles. As a result, stone castles could withstand sieges for months on end, even when under bombardment from trebuchets. This wall was filled with rubble on the inside, making it very difficult to break down. The circular defensive wall of stone castles was up to two metres deep This early fortress served as an example of what castle-building would become under Norman rule today the White Tower remains an iconic example of the Normans’ building power post 1066. The 90-foot fortress must have been a dominating feature of medieval London, and likely terrified the local population. The first and most famous castle in England was the Tower of London’s White Towerīuilt by William the Conqueror between 10, the White Tower was designed to deter any potential invaders through shock and awe. A lower wall was added in between the moat and the turreted defensive wall, enabling archers to shoot arrows from both levels and enhancing the overall defence of the castle. The iconic stone castle was a lasting fortification of the medieval period, but its design evolved in the 12th and 13th centuries to offer more protection against invasion. This wall in turn was then surrounded by a defensive moat and drawbridge. This stone outer wall had turrets that served as lookouts and was often used by people as a solid structure against which to perch trade stands or animal pens. Matt Lewis explores a selection of Britain's greatest castles in this spectacular new series.
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