What is the courtyard of a castle called?
What is the courtyard of a castle called? Bailey (Ward) The courtyard of a castle containing the principal buildings, including sometimes a tower keep, which may be surrounded by its own fortified wall. Medieval Ballista.
What is a balcony on a castle called?
In medieval fortification, a bret?che or brattice is a small balcony with machicolations, usually built over a gate and sometimes in the corners of the fortress' wall, with the purpose of enabling defenders to shoot or throw objects at the attackers huddled under the wall.
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 was in a medieval castle courtyard?
Throughout the Middle Ages the courtyard was packed full of buildings providing accommodation for the Lord and his followers. There were also service buildings: a survey carried out in 1337 lists a chapel, stable, gaol, hall and various chambers. To your right was the Great Hall where ceremonies and banquets were held.
What was the yard in front of a wooden castle called?
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade.
What is the area around a castle called?
In medieval castles, the area surrounded by a curtain wall, with or without towers, is known as the bailey. The outermost walls with their integrated bastions and wall towers together make up the enceinte or main defensive line enclosing the site.
What did castles have around them?
The moat around a castle was a deep ditch filled with water. A drawbridge could be lowered to allow people to cross over the moat into the castle, and the drawbridge would be raised to keep others out. In the center of the castle, the keep was a special tower designed to be the safest place within the castle walls.
What is a bailey of 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 were the inner and outer walls of a castle called?
The inner bailey or inner ward of a castle is the strongly fortified enclosure at the heart of a medieval castle. It is protected by the outer ward and, sometimes also a Zwinger, moats, a curtain wall and other outworks. Depending on topography it may also be called an upper bailey or upper ward.
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.