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 What's a "castle keep"!?!?
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| Author | Topic: What's a "castle keep"!?!? |
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BaseThe1st Member |
posted 12-18-1999 08:19 PM
  
I know this is really sad, but i'm 15 and I have to do a project on the castle "keep"- I dont know what it is, what it does, or what it looks like! I need help because i have to write a 1 1/2 to 2 page report on it AND draw a poster! Ahh! please help- |
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wurdsmiff unregistered |
posted 12-19-1999 07:07 AM
The Keep was the main tower, residence of the lord and administrative centre of the castle. It was also the last line of retreat in that it was a fortified tower beyond the other defences of the castle where the garrison would move once the outer defences such as the enceinte, or curtain wall was breached. In Scotland in the 14th century the simple keep was the most common style of castle. This consisted of a tall square block normally within a courtyard, with exceptionally thick walls and battlements. There were as a rule, three storeys, the basement having no communication with the other floors. The main entrance was by removable stair from the courtyard to the main hall on the first floor, the private quarters on the floor above accessed by a narrow stair built within the structure of the wall. Often additional rooms were created within the walling, these mural chambers serving as smaller guest rooms or as a garderobe (toilet). The roofs were of stone, a parapet providing a fighting platform around the walltops, and slabbing the remainder to protect against attack with fire. As always, the grander the house the greater it's lord, often later additions mask the original building. Castle Levan was originally one of these, before being extended by the addition of a second tower. Go to http://www.kirkburn.com/castlelevan to study plans etc. Concentrate on the older tower of the 14th century. This is purely a Scottish perspective on things, and I'm sure more information will be forthcoming from other folks. ------------------ Gordon. [This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 12-19-1999).] |
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Philip Davis unregistered |
posted 12-19-1999 01:27 PM
As wurdsmiff says the Keep is last place of defence in a castle. It was also often the main centre of a castle. Keep as a term is fairly recent, in medieval France it was know as the Donjon. Early castles were of earth and wood, often with a tall mound of earth called the motte. The watch tower on the motte was the Keep, it may have contained the lords residence, although these could also be in a seperate Great Hall in the bailey below the motte. See http://www.castlewales.com/motte.html for illustrations of, and information about, motte and bailey castles. The first stone built castles often built a strong square, or rectangular tower, in a motte and bailey castle. Sometimes this tower was on the top of the motte (see http://www.castlewales.com/loughor.html ), sometimes on the side of the motte (see http://www.castlewales.com/clun.html ). On occassions it was also the gateway into the castle (see http://www.castlewales.com/ludlow.html ). Some mottes had stone wall built around the top of them (and sometimes around the whole motte) to produce a type of keep known as a shell keep. (see http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/Restormel.htm ) Castles were built where the stone tower was used instead of the motte. The most famous keep in the world is probably the White Tower of the Tower of London (see http://www.hrp.org.uk/tol/indextol.htm ). Although early stone keep towers were square round towers were built later (see http://www.castlewales.com/pembroke.html ), the idea of strong gate houses being keeps was also reused (see http://www.cix.co.uk/~tomatin/tonbridg.htm ). Not all castles had keeps, small early earth ringwork castles and later grand enclosure castles (see http://www.castlewales.com/beaumar.html ) did not have a last retreat. Some smaller castle were just keeps, with no other defenses (as with Castle Levan). As you can see there is no one look for a keep. Indeed each keep is individual. This is one of the joys of castles, that they are all different. I hope you enjoy your project which isn't at all sad. Thats the bases of the essay written for you have fun with the poster. ------------------ |
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