posted 03-21-2001 04:41 PM           

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It's often said castles were cold, dark and damp but this isn't totally true. The major stone castles are pretty big places and have many rooms. The half underground cellars and storage rooms are cold, damp and dark, but the upstairs living rooms could be quite comfortable. The windows were small and often without any glass and people only had candles and such like for light so they would seem to us (Who are used to big windows and electric light) dark but since all houses were like this the people in the castle probably didn't think the rooms were dark. Likewise with heating, they had open wood fire which aren't very efficent and would feel cold to us today with our modern central heating but at the time, and with them wearing warm woolen clothes, they probably felt quite warm. The think stone walls actually quite good insulators and would certainly keep a castle cool on a hot day.

The main difference between a palace and a castle is that a castle can be defended against attackers. It has thick walls, that soldiers can wall along the top of and small windows, which let someone shot arrows out of a castle but make it difficult to shot arrows back into the castle and are much to small or to high for some one to climb in. Also castles have very strong doors often protected by extra defenses like drawbridges and portcullises. Palaces are grand house designed to impress people. They tend to have big windows to let in lots of light and grand big doorways that look very ornate. If an army wanted to get into a palace they would have no problem.

posted 03-24-2001 01:04 PM            

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Hmm, these questions have got a little cross-wired. There are answers to the same subject on the following forum topic:
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/quest/Forum8/HTML/000039.html

Levan

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