Is it cold to live in a castle?

Castles weren't always cold and dark places to live.

But, in reality, the great hall of castle had a large open hearth to provide heat and light (at least until the late 12th century) and later it had wall fireplace. The hall would also have had tapestries which would have insulated the room against too much cold.

Is it cold in a castle?

Most castles were built on the top of hills or overlooking natural harbors. Both of these locations tend to suffer from extremes of weather such as high winds and driving rain. The result is that castles are generally cold and damp.

Are castles cold in the summer?

Medieval Castles kept cool during the summer due to their thick walls and high ceilings. Most castles also had small windows (glass wasn't used for windows until the 1300s, and then only the well-to-do could afford it), which could be easily covered with shutters or curtains.

What was it actually like to live in a castle?

Life in a Medieval Castle: Cold, Dark, and Very Smelly!

To our modern standards of living, most Medieval castles would have been incredibly cold, cramped, totally lacking privacy, and would have been disgustingly smelly (and likely home to more than a fair share of rats!).

Are castles cold drafty?

Facts About Castles

Castles may have been safe, but they were usually cold and drafty.

What it's like to live in a castle | Times Reports

What do castles smell like?

Castles and manor houses often smelled damp and musty. To counteract this, herbs and rushes were strewn across the floors.

How did people stay warm in castles?

Castles weren't always cold and dark places to live.

But, in reality, the great hall of castle had a large open hearth to provide heat and light (at least until the late 12th century) and later it had wall fireplace. The hall would also have had tapestries which would have insulated the room against too much cold.

Why do people no longer live in castles?

After the 16th century, castles declined as a mode of defense, mostly because of the invention and improvement of heavy cannons and mortars. This artillery could throw heavy cannonballs with so much force that even strong curtain walls could not hold up.

When did people stop living in castles?

The End of Castle Building

By the 14th century, the golden age of castle building was coming to an end. With the advent of gunpowder, castles were no longer the impregnable fortresses they had once been. The pounding of cannon fire could breach the walls and leave the castle vulnerable and open to attack.

Did castles have toilets?

In the medieval period luxury castles were built with indoor toilets known as 'garderobes', and the waste dropped into a pit below.

Did servants sleep in the castle?

Most domestic servants would have slept in shared chambers in either the cellars or attics of the castle buildings. There might also be simple buildings outside the castle for herdsmen, mill workers, wood-cutters, and craftspeople such as rope-makers, candle-makers, potters, basket-weavers, and spinners.

Why did they put straw on castle floors?

Historical use

As people got smellier, the use of fragrant herbs became more popular. They were used in all areas of the house, including kitchens, dining halls and bedrooms. The herbs were laid on the floor along with reeds, rushes, or straw, so that pleasant odours would be released when people walked on them.

How did medieval people stay warm?

Like us, they wore cloaks, scarves, boots and gloves (not the five-fingered kind we know, but a more mitten-like style). Homes were often smokey from a stone hearth fire that was ventilated by a hole in the roof—this provided warmth but not the kind we would be accustomed to for such cold temperatures.

Are castles well insulated?

No insulation, open air windows, and drafty fireplaces made for chilly environs. Even the wealthy would have lived in cold rooms and one way to abate this was by hanging thick tapestries of wool and silk around the room. These rich pieces of artwork could take years to produce and were made by hand weaving.

Did castles have ventilation?

The natural ventilation inside the castle was achieved through five main elements: the large pool in the garden at the front, the fountain located on the ground floor, the two ventilating chimneys and large wet sheets hung beneath the ceilings of the various rooms on the upper floors.

Do castles have insulation?

Thick stone walls, tiny unglazed windows and inefficient open fires made the classic castle something of a challenge to keep warm. The heavy woven tapestries which adorned chamber walls were not purely decorative, adding much needed insulation to these chilly rooms.

Are there castles in America?

Here in the United States numerous castles are open for exploration, and while they may not date back to Medieval times, their elaborate architectural characteristics—turrets, moats, gate houses, drawbridges and other features commonly associated with castles found in England and elsewhere in Europe—are equally ...

How many castles are left?

Most castles in Europe were built in the Middle Ages. There are more than 10,000 medieval castles and their remains in Europe.

How thick are castle walls?

The height of walls varied widely by castle, but were often 2.5–6 m (8.2–19.7 ft) thick. They were usually topped with crenellation or parapets that offered protection to defenders.

Why are there no castles in the USA?

Because castles were places where armies were housed in Feudal times. The US was settled long after the Feudal system had fallen, and couldn't ever have been established in the US.

Why were there no castles in America?

You won't find many medieval fortifications in America for the simple reason that Europeans did not begin building western-style fortifications on the west side of the Atlantic until the 16th Century, after medieval fortifications were obsolete.

What are the weaknesses of castles?

The weaknesses of motte and bailey castles included being made from wood, as the castles could not be large sizes and the wood would rot from being rained on. Wood becomes weaker as it ages, can burn easily and the motte could collapse with the castle's weight if it was not large enough to hold bigger troop sizes.

How did people bathe in castles?

For those who had a bath, it most often took the form of a wooden half-barrel or tub. Even then it would not have been filled very much but most of the 'bathing' was done using a jug of heated water poured over the body rather than a full immersion.

What did people in castles do for fun?

In castles all entertainment was live and at great feasts, lordly hosts were expected to lay on minstrels, jugglers and acrobats.

What did castles use for windows?

Glass was an incredibly expensive material and so was rarely used in castles or homes. Usually these were openings just to let in air and light, covered with wooden shutters. In some castles the window equivalent was shaped like a cross for defensive military purposes, not to provide wide wonderful views.