What is at the top of castle towers?
What is at the top of castle towers? In architecture, a battlement is a structure on top of castle or fortress walls that protects from attack. Historically, battlements were usually narrow walls at the top of the outermost walls of a castle. Battlements have several important parts. The short, topmost part of the wall was called the parapet.
What is the living room of a castle called?
In the Middle Ages the great chamber was an all-purpose reception and living room. The family might take some meals in it, though the great hall was the main eating room.
What are watchtowers on castles used for?
The first type found along the coast and within the river valleys is that of the watchtowers. The landscape is strongly characterized by these structures. The medieval watchtowers in the hinterland, and the Renaissance defense structures along the coast, had three main functions: control, sighting and signaling.
Why do castles have round towers?
Round towers, also called drum towers, are more resistant to siege technology such as sappers and projectiles than square towers. The round front is more resistant than the straight side of a square tower, just as a load-bearing arch. This principle was already understood in antiquity.
What is a gatehouse in a castle?
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance.
Why do castles have pointy towers?
Why were they created, what was there purpose? The answer is pretty simple luckily. Castle turrets were developed due to the need of increased defensive capability, and it was pretty clear that this design of a 'little tower' was incredibly effective in providing defenders with a great field of vision.
What are the notches on top of a castle called?
The notches themselves are called crenels or embrasures, and the process of installing them is crenellating. The word stems from the Latin cren (also the root of cranny), which means notch. Definitions of crenellate. verb. supply with battlements.
What is a 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 the top of the turret in a castle?
Turrets provided a projecting defensive position that covered fire to its adjacent walls. A turret could have a circular top with crenellations, a pointed roof, or an apex of some kind.
What is a turret in a castle?
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification.
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 a motte in a castle?
The motte was a huge mound with a castle, or keep, built on top. It would have been easy to defend, as people would have had to climb up it slowly to reach the keep. Most mottes were surrounded by a deep ditch to stop attackers. The bailey was a large area of ground, surrounded by a tall, wooden fence.