What is a talus in a castle?

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 is the entryway of a castle called?

A gatehouse is a castle's fortified gateway to control the entrance or entry point. The entrance to a castle was usually the structurally weakest point in a castle wall and the most probable attack point, so they were fortified with the extra defenses of a gatehouse to compensate.

What is a castle lookout called?

Tower (or Keep) The tower is a circular or square building, which was used as a lookout and for defence. The central tower in a motte and bailey castle was known as the keep.

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 walkway on a castle wall called?

Article Talk. A chemin de ronde (French, round path' or patrol path; French pronunciation: [??m?~ d? ??~d]), also called an allure, alure or, more prosaically, a wall-walk, is a raised protected walkway behind a castle battlement.

What is a parapet on a castle?

A parapet fortification (known as a breastwork when temporary) is a wall of stone, wood or earth on the outer edge of a defensive wall or trench, which shelters the defenders. In medieval castles, they were often crenellated.

What are the spikes on castles called?

Crenellation is a feature of defensive architecture, most typically found on the battlements of medieval castles. A battlement is a low, defensive parapet. The act of crenellation is the cutting of crenels into a previously solid and straight parapet wall.

What was the weakest point of a castle?

The entrance to the castle was always its weakest point. Drawbridges could be pulled up, preventing access across moats. Tall gate towers meant that defenders could shoot down in safety at attacks below. The main gate or door to the castle was usually a thick, iron-studded wooden door, that was hard to break through.

What is the most attacked castle in the UK?

Attacks on Edinburgh Castle In fact, it's been besieged more than any other place in Britain, with 23 recorded attempts to 'capture the castle'. Taking the castle wasn't just a tactical coup for Scotland's enemies but a blow to the morale of the Scots.

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 Garderobe in a castle?

In a medieval castle, a garderobe was usually a simple hole discharging to the outside into a cesspit (akin to a pit latrine) or the moat (like a fish pond toilet), depending on the structure of the building.

What was the worst job in a castle?

When it comes to horrible jobs in a castle, gong farmer has to win the prize. Gong farmers, also known as nightmen, were responsible for cleaning out human excrement from the cesspits within the castle walls.

What is the basement of a castle called?

An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.

What is the water thing around a castle?

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

What are the top parts of castles called?

A battlement is the upper walled part of a castle or fortress.

What are the small holes in castle walls called?

Putlog holes or putlock holes are small holes made in the walls of structures to receive the ends of poles (small round logs) or beams, called putlogs or putlocks, to support a scaffolding. Putlog holes may extend through a wall to provide staging on both sides of the wall. Putlog holes in Cardiff castle.

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 strongest castle in the UK?