HELP! Building a "cut-away" keep

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Topic: HELP! Building a "cut-away" keep

SarBear
Member

posted 03-10-2001 03:10 PM

Hi!
My name is Sarah, and for my 6th grade medieval Europe progect I have decided to build a 3D model of a castle. Only, this project will focus on the keep. It won't hvae much of the outer walls, but it will be split in half so that you can veiw the inside. If you have any tips on how to do this, they will be very much appreciated. I pretty much know how to do the walls, but I need help the specific rooms inside and what to put in them. Thanks for helping me!

Sarah

wurdsmiff
unregistered

posted 03-10-2001 03:38 PM

well, if you follow the traditional Scottish plan common in the 14thc, the ground, and first floors will be vaulted, that is having an arched stone ceiling. The ground floor will possibly be split into two chambers, thopugh is more likely to be one. There will be few windows, and those that are there will be of the very narrow tall arrow slot type. There will be only limited access to the floor above via a stair within the thickness of the wall, or a hatch.
The first floor will have the main door, and be a large single chamber (the hall) with a fireplace at one side, a few narrow windows, and a narrow stair within the wall in one corner to the floor above. The floor will be of stone. Across the junction of the straight wall and the begining of the arch, and at one end of the room, there may be a timber platform or loft giving additional living space, or a minstrels gallery. This would be accessed from the stair within the wall.
The second floor will have a stone floor, and timber ceiling, one room, possibly divided by a wooden screen, and again the stair, but in a different corner to that of the floor below. A garderobe (see Photo archive) may be built into the thickness of the exterior wall, and may have a chute through the wall, or project outwards and be machinolated. This will lead either to another floor with wooden flooring, or to a flat roofed wall walk, surrounding what is almost like a little house on the roof...the garret. Garret is often confused with attic, though an attic tends to be the space below a roof, whilst the garret is like a whole small building of a single storey, with walls supporting a roof (photoarchive, flagstone roof 2). The top of the walls will rise above the level of the walkway to provide the parapet. This would be crenellated, and possibly machinolated, (see photo Archive).
Possibly the best way to build this is to work as though you are constructing the whole thing, but leave off the gable (end) wall to display the interior.
Levan's site has plans, elevations and cross sections of just such a keep, with a later tower added at one corner.
http://fp.kirkburn.f9.co.uk/castlelevan/plans.htm

The keeps of larger courtyard castles may vary a little from this general description, as do other Scottish towers, however you'll have the general idea.
You can see photographs of a vaulted ceiling, machinolations from a walkway, a garret, and a great hall in the Photo Archive, linked at the foot of the page. Go to the Miscellaneous section, and work through it, ignoring all the American Football photos.

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Gordon.

[This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 03-10-2001).]