Servants’ quarters were the bottom rung of the castle hierarchy, but believe it or not, compared to commoners or peasants, castle servants lived quite well. They would have used fires in a similar way to the castle family and warmth would be generated by the large number of people living in close proximity. Soldiers often slept in barracks (large areas or rooms that were designed to house them) and these too would have been fairly warm. The castle owners and their family would have fireplaces in any room that they lived in, and although it wasn’t quite central heating, it would be enough to keep those rooms warm in even the coldest winter months. A fun fact is that some castles were constructed of wood, making the castle kitchen a particularly dangerous place to work. The castle kitchen would be producing food throughout the day for servants, soldiers, and the castle family, and it would have had a roaring fire going throughout the day. Various places in the castle would be colder than others. A Norman Castle would differ significantly to a Tudor castle and many castles were changed drastically over their lifetimes. Remember, it was a period that spanned 500 years and during that time there was plenty of technological advancement. Castles Were Cold?Ĭastles were constructed of all kinds of materials over the medieval period. So, were castles dark? It’s all relative, and by today’s standards they would be considered ‘darker’, but they were well lit for the most part and no one at the time would have considered them dark. It is fair to say that at night, a castle would be darker, but they were often well lit with torches and one of the servants would have the specific job of lighting torches at dusk. Many also boasted open courtyards which would attract light during the day. Inner courtyards of castles are the most secure areas of a castle and as such, there are plenty of examples of castles with very large windows in this area. While exterior walls were often designed with this in mind, many castles had many layers of defence before you reached the keep (where folk lived). The logic is that it is much easier to penetrate large windows with rocks, arrows and whatever else attackers could sling with their catapults. Castles Were Dark, Cold and Smellyīecause many castles were built with defence in mind, the outward appearance and exteriors often had smaller windows. If you want to teach your kids about castles or just learn more about them yourself, I highly recommend a castle building kit like this Neuschwanstein one. Let’s look back in time and dispel those pesky castle rumours, once and for all. There is also a hell of a lot of misinformation when it comes to castle life. Because the Medieval period spanned centuries, there are very few facts that would apply to all castles of the period. For centuries, medieval castles were used for a range of purposes, including defence, governance and of course, for living in.
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