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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.
What was a gate house made of?
A Castle Gatehouse was strong, usually made of very thick stone blocks, in addition to this it also had some pretty nasty traps for unsuspecting enemies like murder holes built around the top of gatehouse passageway walls, large heavy objects such as rocks could be dropped from the murder holes or hot burning liquids.
What are castle gates called?
A portcullis (from Old French porte coleice, “sliding gate”) is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
What are parts of a castle called?
There were various medieval castle parts that made up a castle which included moats, ramparts, walls, turrets, towers, look outs, and gatehouse.
What are the main rooms in a castle?
Below are the main rooms found in medieval castles and large manor houses. The Great Hall. Bed Chambers. Solars. Bathrooms, Lavatories and Garderobes. Kitchens, Pantries, Larders & Butteries. Gatehouses and Guardrooms. Chapels & Oratories. Cabinets and Boudoirs.
What is the meaning of a gatehouse?
Definition of gatehouse : a building or house connected or associated with a gate.
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 are windows in a castle called?
Hi susanna – usually the outer walls of the castle or fortress don’t really have “windows” but small openings, usually for arrows or other weapons. These are called “arrowslits” or “embrasures.”Aug 25, 2015.
What is a rampart in a medieval castle?
In fortification architecture, a rampart is a length of bank or wall forming part of the defensive boundary of a castle, hillfort, settlement or other fortified site.
What are the turrets on a castle called?
In architecture, a turret (from Italian: torretta, little tower; Latin: turris, tower) is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. A turret can have a circular top with crenelations as seen in the picture at right, a pointed roof, or other kind of apex.
What’s the top of a castle called?
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 center of a castle called?
Inner Ward – The open area in the center of a castle. Keep – See donjon.
What is a solar in a castle?
solar, also spelled sollar, in architecture, private room located on the floor above the great hall in a late medieval English manor house. The solar served as a kind of parlour to which the family of the owner of the manor house or castle could retire from the bustling communal living of the hall below.
Were castles clean or dirty Why?
Castles were very difficult to keep clean. There was no running water, so even simple washing tasks meant carrying a lot of bucketfuls of water from a well or stream. Few people had the luxury of being able to bathe regularly; the community was generally more tolerant of smells and dirt.
What is the first room in a castle called?
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages, and continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great chamber for eating and relaxing.
What is another word for Gatehouse?
What is another word for gatehouse? small house cabin cottage lodge shooting lodge hunting lodge toll house shack hut villa.
What is a great hall in a castle?
great hall, main apartment in a medieval manor house, monastery, or college, in which meals were taken. In large manor houses it also served other purposes: justice was administered there, entertainments given, and often at night the floor was strewn with rushes so that many of the servants could sleep there.
Is Gatehouse one word or two?
noun, plural gate·hous·es [geyt-hou-ziz]. a house at or over a gate, used as a gatekeeper’s quarters, fortification, etc. a house or structure at the gate of a dam, reservoir, etc., with equipment or controls for regulating the flow of water.
What is a Postern in a castle?
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously.
What is a battlement in a castle?
Definition of battlement : a parapet with open spaces that surmounts a wall and is used for defense or decoration.
What is a drawbridge in a castle?
A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat.
Why do castles have crosses?
With the appearance of firearms, the embrasure designated more specifically the opening made in a fortified structure to allow the firing of these weapons. In modern architecture, the embrasures are provided during construction because they are intended to receive a door or a window.
Why do castles have spiral staircases?
The Ingenious Reason Medieval Castle Staircases Were Built Clockwise. Just as the clockwise spiral hindered attackers, so, too, did it favor the castle’s defenders. As they descended, they could swing their swords in arcs that matched the curve of the outer wall, and use the inner wall as a partial shield.
What is a portcullis in a castle?
Definition of portcullis : a grating of iron hung over the gateway of a fortified place and lowered between grooves to prevent passage.
What is a palisade in a medieval castle?
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
What is a defensive wall called?
A defensive wall (or a “Rampart”) is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements.
What’s the difference between a rampart and a parapet?
As nouns the difference between parapet and rampart is that parapet is a low retaining wall while rampart is a defensive mound of earth or a wall with a broad top and usually a stone parapet; a wall-like ridge of earth, stones or debris; an embankment for defensive purpose.
What are the tall parts of a castle called?
Castle Terminology The Towers. These tall, round or square structures were built into the length or corners of the castle walls. The Gate. The entrance was often the weakest part in a castle. The Bailey or Ward. The Keep or Donjon. The Curtain Walls. The Moat. The Battlement.
What does a turret look like?
A turret is a small tower on top of a tower or attached to a side or corner of a building. They may be round, square, hexagon and octagon … anything that results in a narrow tower-like structure attached to or part of the main structure. Turrets had a very practical purpose for castle and fortress defense.
What is a castle balcony called?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In Medieval fortification, a bretèche 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.
