What is the top of a castle called?

Lesson Summary. 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.

What were the parts of a castle called?

Inner Curtain - The high wall the surrounds the inner ward. Inner Ward - The open area in the center of a castle. Jamb - Side posts of arch, door, or window. Keep - A strong stone tower; main tower; donjon; stronghold.

What are the pointy things on top of a castle called?

They're called spires.

What is the walkway on top of a castle called?

A chemin de ronde (French, "round path"' or "patrol path"; French pronunciation: ​[ʃəmɛ̃ də ʁɔ̃d]), also called an allure, alure or, more prosaically, a wall-walk, is a raised protected walkway behind a castle battlement.

What is castle roof?

Castle roofs were timber framed and covered with various materials. Wood was cheap and the most available material. Other material became available depending on the resources and wealth of the builder, and included thatch, oak shingles, slates, flag stone, and clay tiles.

Castles and Knights: The Features of a Castle | History | BBC Teach

What is a castle parapet called?

The Battlement or Crenellation

It's where soldiers were protected during "battle" upon the castle. Also called crenellation, a battlement is really a parapet with open spaces for the castle-protectors to shoot cannons or other weaponry. The raised portions of the battlement are called merlons.

What are the holes at the top of a castle called?

An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out throughout the thickness of a wall by the establishment of a bay.

What are the spires of a castle called?

A flèche (French: flèche, lit. 'arrow') is a name given to spires in Gothic architecture: in French the word is applied to any spire, but in English it has the technical meaning of a spirelet or spike on the rooftop of a building.

What are the most important parts of a castle?

The drawbridge is one of the most important parts of a castle and one you've probably heard of before! A drawbridge was a type of bridge between the gatehouse and the opposite side of the moat. During raids, the drawbridge would be raised to keep invaders out.

What is a bailey in a castle?

The bailey would have been where most of the day-to-day activities of a castle would take place – the stables, kitchens, storerooms, living quarters of the people associated with the castle (soldiers and servants, for example), and perhaps a chapel would have been located there.

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 tower of a castle called?

turret. noun. a small tower on the top of a building such as a castle.

What are 3 features of a castle?

external features - such as towers battlements, thick walls, a moat, a drawbridge, etc. internal features - such as a well, large stores to guard against siege, a hall for everyone to socialise.

What was the most secure part of a castle called?

The Curtain Wall is a strong wall built around the outside of the castle. It protected the keep and the bailey from attack. There were only a few doors in the walls around the castle, and they were usually very tall so that attackers couldn't climb over them! The motte was a mound of dirt that the castle sat on.

What are the tops of turrets called?

The turrets can have a circular top with crenelations, a pointed roof, or an apex.

What are the jagged tops of castles called?

A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals to allow for the launch of arrows or other projectiles from within the defences.

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 top of wall called?

At the top of the wall is the top plate. Often a doubled 2x4, it anchors the top ends of the studs as well as ties the wall into the ceiling. In new construction, the walls are usually built while on the floor, with a single top plate.

What is the top of a parapet wall called?

The top of a parapet wall is called coping (more on coping in the next section). It is important for parapet walls to have a sloped top to avoid rain accumulation.

What is another name for a parapet?

nounsupport; fortified place. breastwork. bulwark. citadel. defense.

What is the grass around a castle called?

The word motte is the French version of the Latin mota, and in France, the word motte, generally used for a clump of turf, came to refer to a turf bank, and by the 12th century was used to refer to the castle design itself. The word "bailey" comes from the Norman-French baille, or basse-cour, referring to a low yard.

What is a castle courtyard 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.

What's the oldest castle in the world?

Ghumdan Palace, also Qasir Ghumdan or Ghamdan Palace, is an ancient palace and fortress in Sana'a, Yemen. It is the earliest known castle in the world.

What is a small tower in a castle called?

In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle.

What is the highest room in a castle called?

The Keep. The Keep was traditionally the heart of any Medieval castle layout. It was usually the tallest and strongest tower, situated at the heart of the fortifications. In Medieval times, they wouldn't have used the term 'the Keep'.