What do you call the top of a castle?


What do you call the top of a castle? A battlement is the upper walled part of a castle or fortress. It's usually formed out of a low, narrow wall on top of the outermost protective wall of a fortress or castle. The word ''battlement'' traces to an old French term that means tower or turret, and the original use of battlements was for protection.


What do you call a tower or stronghold in a castle?

A battlement is the upper walled part of a castle or fortress. It's usually formed out of a low, narrow wall on top of the outermost protective wall of a fortress or castle. The word ''battlement'' traces to an old French term that means tower or turret, and the original use of battlements was for protection.


What is a portcullis in a castle?

A portcullis is a heavy castle door or gate made of metal strips that form a grid. A castle guardian might lower the portcullis to protect the people inside from an invading army. It was common during medieval times for castles to be protected by a portcullis or two.


What is the highest tower in a castle?

The tallest medieval castle tower ever built is generally considered to be the Chateau de Coucy keep, or donjon, which measured 55 m high and 35 m wide. Located in Picardy, France, it was constructed in the 1220s by Enguerrand III, Lord of Coucy, and was destroyed in April 1917 during World War I.


What is a talus in a castle?

In architecture, the talus is a feature of some late medieval castles, especially prevalent in crusader constructions. It consists of a battered (sloping) face at the base of a fortified wall.


What are the cut outs at the top of a castle called?

In this wall were gaps or spaces called crenels, which were usually square or rectangular and placed at regular intervals. They're the distinct two- to three-foot-wide gaps you see at the very top of castle walls. Sometimes crenels are also called embrasures. Between the crenels were solid upright forms called merlons.


What is a castle tower or turret?

Castle turrets are essentially small towers that were built into medieval castle fortifications, most typically walls and towers. The name 'turret' comes from the Italian torretta, meaning 'little tower', and the Latin word turris meaning 'tower'.


What is the bailey in a castle?

A bailey is the sturdy wall around a castle that keeps invaders out. The bailey of a medieval castle was usually built of stone. You might see a bailey — or the remains of one — if you tour a castle in England or France.


What is a rampart in a castle?

In fortification architecture, a bank or rampart is a length of embankment or wall forming part of the defensive boundary of a castle, hillfort, settlement or other fortified site. It is usually broad-topped and made of excavated earth and/or masonry.


What is the water around a castle called?

moat, a depression surrounding a castle, city wall, or other fortification, usually but not always filled with water.