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Author
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Topic: castle interiors
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JESTR
Member
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posted 07-13-2000 09:05 PM
 
I am looking for photos or illustrations of
what early medieval castle interiors looked like, particularly the king's/queen's or the lord's/lady's throne and throne room.
Also, was wood used a lot in the castle? I seem to have read that often the ceilings were made of wood or wood beams, and I have seen a photo on the 'net of a castle with a gold-gilded wooden ceiling(not sure if that would have come much later). I am constructing an interior with a castle motif, and I would appreciate any assistance someone might give me..thank you.Sincerely, Rich P. |
Philip Davis
unregistered
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posted 07-14-2000 01:58 AM
The Throne Room is a post medieval invention. The major room in any castle was the Hall which sometimes had a raised dias at on end. The lords chair would be here possible with a canopy over it and well lit by windows (although early medieval buildings tend to have few and small windows). The Hall was a multipurpose room used for parliaments, feasting and for lots of people to sleep in. A king might have a more private chamber (called a solar) where he would meet his private guests and privy council, here the bed took the place of the throne and was richly dressed in colourful fabrics.The medieval period stretchs from about 500 CE to 1500 CE and castle only start to be built after 900 so there is no such thing as an early medieval castle, and until about 1200 most castles were entirely built of earthbanks and wooden pallisades and buildings. Even in stone castles most room of any size had wooden cellings. An early stone castle would be a Norman Square keep like The White Tower of the Tower of London (see http://www.hrp.org.uk/tol/indextol.htm ) or, on a smaller scale Castle Hedingham in Essex (see http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~mwcook/hedingham-castle.html ) For your interior you have to decide if you want a geniuine medieval look or a Hollywood medieval look. The actual medieval look would be limewashed walls, possible decorated with red geometric patterns (a simple horizontal zigzag or polka dots) or simple flower mottifs. A celling of carved timbers. Simple plain wooden furniture with only the chair having any carving. Tables that where planks on trestles simple benchs for most to sit on, little other furniture others than chests and a table at the side of the hall for displaying the gold and silver cup and plate (This cup-board later became enclosed.). None of the timber would have been stained so when new it would all be a light golden colour, however, the medieval halls were very smoky and very quickly everything became soot stained and black (which is why the painted patterns on the wall are simple, they have to be redone every few years). The real wealth of colour came from the fabrics which where such an important part of medieval life. Medieval dyes covered most of the range of colours but without quite the intensity of modern dyes. (The reason silk was so prized was that it holds much more dye than any other fabric and therefore has more intense colour than any other cloth.)
A Hall would be decorated with hangings of fabrics, embroderies and tapestries. The chief table may well have an imported carpet on it. (Floors were plain and loosely covered with rushes). There is a nice picture of the reconstructed queens bedroom at Leeds castle at http://www.leeds-castle.co.uk/castle.htm which gives a good idea of the rich use of fabrics. ------------------
And as I rode by Dalton-Hall Beneath the turrets high, A maiden on the castle-wall Was singing merrily: The Outlaw by Sir Walter Scott
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/members/philipdavis/index.html |
Merlin
Senior Member
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posted 07-14-2000 07:51 AM
The situation on the continent was much the same. The early middleage is normaly defined as during from 500 to 800 AD. The kings of the Goths, Vandals, Langobards, Burgundians and Francs tried to connect their titles and their power with the rights, traditions and structures of the late roman empire. Therefore they often used the palaces of roman emperors or similar buildings (palaces of governours or high officers in the provinces). Not before the early 7th century they started to build new residences. Such places were named 'palatium' (after the emperor's palace on the hill 'Palatinus' in Rome). The most famous 'palatium' was the one that Charlemagne built in Aachen. The heartpiece of these buildings was always a big hall, the 'aula'. Here the important meetings and ceremonies took place - but it wasn't what you'll call a throne-room, because it had also many other functions.
Only in the 10th century the Ottonian Kings of Germany began to build 'palatium's with castle-like fortifications. But the main building with the 'aula' remained much the same, even in later centuries. A good site about the 11th century-palatium in Goslar:
http://bildindex.de/Orte_1_7_351_5_1_1.htm
And a picture of the emperor's thorne in Goslar:
http://www.weltchronik.de/dch/dch_552.htm Merlin. | |
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