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Eric Nower




Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 22 Dec 2004

Posts: 174

PostPosted: Thu 21 Jul, 2005 4:04 pm    Post subject: Medival Fortifications         Reply with quote

Hello all,

As we all know castles were as important to a knight/lord as his sword and armour, but not everyone can afford to go see these impressive structures. Below I have posted some Pics of a trip to Bolton Castle in Wensleydale England along with a brief history of the castle, taken from a Bolton pamphlet. I must say I found the experiance to be a very profound one. It was impressive in every way from the top of the battlements down to the lowest stable. The amout of manpower it took and time to build it astonishes me even now. I can honestly say the trip was worth every penny Happy

May God have mercy on my enemies, for I shall have none.
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Eric Nower




Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 22 Dec 2004

Posts: 174

PostPosted: Thu 21 Jul, 2005 4:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

More pics of the outside and the floorplan.
May God have mercy on my enemies, for I shall have none.
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Joe Fults




Location: Midwest
Joined: 02 Sep 2003

Posts: 3,646

PostPosted: Thu 21 Jul, 2005 6:21 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks
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Lance K.




PostPosted: Thu 21 Jul, 2005 8:22 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Speaking of Medieval fortifications.... I just saw a great book at Barnes and Nobles today... The Medieval Fortress. It is an amazing book on this subject, with cutaways and inside views of the inner workings of everything, the dungeouns and all that. It is very neat and well illustrated.

You can browse through it here....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0306813580/re...eader-link
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Daniel Parry




Location: UK
Joined: 08 Apr 2005
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PostPosted: Fri 22 Jul, 2005 8:36 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks for posting those pics, Eric. Looks like a nice trip. I think we should post more stuff on the site about fortifications. I posted a thread a while back about a guy in France building a modern day replica of a medieval castle from scratch using original methods - as you say, the time and effort involved was amazing. There was a good BBC programme the other day about Harlech Castle and how it was the ultimate hi-tech weapon of its day, practically impregnable and built using the latest techniques - they used circular ramps around the towers when building it so they could run stones up to the towers are walls much faster than the old pulleys and ladders.

Saw some nice castles in the Highlands and Western Isles recently.

Daniel
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Steve Grisetti




Location: Orlando metro area, Florida, USA
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
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PostPosted: Sat 23 Jul, 2005 5:39 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Very impressive place, by the look of it. Is the place still in day-to-day use? I note that there are glazed windows.
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Eric Nower




Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 22 Dec 2004

Posts: 174

PostPosted: Sun 24 Jul, 2005 8:47 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Yes, it's still in use today, though mostly as a museum, but you can have a wedding reception or such there. I forgot to post the link: www.boltoncastle.co.uk

One part of the castle they did renovate and is now the castle's gift shop/entrance. When I sort through more pics I'll post some of the interior. If anyone else has pics of a great castle feel free to share....I know I'd love to see them.

May God have mercy on my enemies, for I shall have none.
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Steve Grisetti




Location: Orlando metro area, Florida, USA
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PostPosted: Sun 24 Jul, 2005 1:45 pm    Post subject: Pickering Castle         Reply with quote

Eric Nower wrote:
...If anyone else has pics of a great castle feel free to share....I know I'd love to see them.

Well, your term "great castle" is pretty subjective, but I certainly enjoyed a brief visit to Pickering Castle in Yorkshire. This is a very different place from Bolton Castle. Where Bolton has a certain symmetry about it, Pickering is an old motte-and-bailey castle, started by William the Conquerer, and laid out to conform to the landscape. Pickering is one of the properties of English Heritage: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.374
Here are some pictures that I scanned from their brochure:



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Pickering 14th century.jpg
Artist (Ivan Lapper) reconstruction of Pickering Castle in the 14th century

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Pickering today.jpg
Pickering Castle today

 Attachment: 92.56 KB
Pickering layout.jpg
Plan of Pickering Castle
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Helen Miller




Location: Springfield VA, USA
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Reading list: 2 books

Posts: 131

PostPosted: Sun 24 Jul, 2005 4:13 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric,
Is there any way you can englarge the last picture with the layout of the castle floors (last one in the second post)? I had trouble viewing that one. Thanks for sharing! Another place to add for a future trip Happy.

-"A woman's tongue is her sword, and she does not let it rust."
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Jean Thibodeau




Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
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PostPosted: Sun 24 Jul, 2005 6:36 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Lance:

Thanks for the tip just ordered the The Medieval Fortress from a local book store.

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Eric Nower




Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 22 Dec 2004

Posts: 174

PostPosted: Mon 25 Jul, 2005 9:07 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hello all,

Steve- Yeah I should have been more descriptive...."great castles" meaning "places you went and thought were really cool" Bolton is being de-vegetated and repointed with the help of the English Heritage, but I don't know if they belong to it. Nice pics of Pickering, Reminds me of Cliffords castle in York itself.

Helen- I'll play with the pics today and see if I can enlarge it.


I SO need a scanner Eek!

May God have mercy on my enemies, for I shall have none.
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Aaron Schnatterly




Location: New Glarus, WI
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PostPosted: Mon 25 Jul, 2005 10:37 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric Nower wrote:
I'll play with the pics today and see if I can enlarge it.


I SO need a scanner Eek!


Dealing with images is a pain... we all appreciate your efforts, Eric!

If you can't manage to make the image clearer, could you post a list of what the room titles are in a clockwise manner, floor by floor? That would be a lot of help... at least we could make out where the "threshing room" is without getting a headache. Wink

-Aaron Schnatterly
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(He is stronger who conquers himself.)
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Helen Miller




Location: Springfield VA, USA
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
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Posts: 131

PostPosted: Mon 25 Jul, 2005 2:14 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric,
If it doesn't work out then don't worry about it, I'll just have to squint a little more than usual Happy


Helen

-"A woman's tongue is her sword, and she does not let it rust."
Proverb
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Russ Ellis
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PostPosted: Tue 26 Jul, 2005 6:35 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks Eric and Steve!
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Eric Nower




Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 22 Dec 2004

Posts: 174

PostPosted: Tue 26 Jul, 2005 8:12 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hello all,

The best I could did clear up the image, but the image to large for the website, and shriking it only defeated the whole point . So I'll go with what Arron suggested starting at 12:00 and going clockwise:

Ground floor at 12:00 - wine cellar, well cellar, then on to 5:00 and the gatehouse, the gaurdroom and at 6:00 is the mealhouse, bar house/brew house, the threshing floor and the horse mill, the armours workshop,stable, stable, provendor house.

First floor at 12:00- the lobby/entrace to th castle(that was remodeled), the following were not accessible-buttery,buttery, buttery, great kitchen, down to 5:00 at the garrison mess, mess kitchen, the malting house, the guest hall, state chamber, and the great hall.

Second floor at 12:00 the misteral gallery and then at 6:00 is the auditors chamber, the chapel,Ladies solar, the great chamber, the state chamber, and the upper part of the great hall.

If Wal-mart ever decides to gimmie back the photos on cd I'll post more I've got great pics of the slate roof and the inside from the top of a battlement...hope the run-about helps Helen.

May God have mercy on my enemies, for I shall have none.
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Aaron Schnatterly




Location: New Glarus, WI
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PostPosted: Tue 26 Jul, 2005 8:46 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks, Eric!

Helped me out... It was easy for me to follow, as I have 2 computers (therefore, 2 monitors) side by side here at work, so I could pull up the pic on one, and the description on the other.

It's cheating, I know... Wink

I'm definitely looking forward to any other pics that you might post. Castles, keeps, manors, and cathedrals are all awesome. For that matter, so are mounds, circles, and carvings. If anyone has the opportunity to check these out, they should take it. I'm dying for another opportunity to go back and see some of these, and look at them from a different perspective. When I went through England & Scotland, I was 14, and didn't have near the understanding of history or swordsmanship that I do now. (sadly, mother nature also took my pictures from me...)

-Aaron Schnatterly
_______________

Fortior Qui Se Vincit
(He is stronger who conquers himself.)
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Helen Miller




Location: Springfield VA, USA
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Reading list: 2 books

Posts: 131

PostPosted: Tue 26 Jul, 2005 4:06 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric Nower wrote:

hope the run-about helps Helen.


Absolutely! Thanks Eric! I also have to agree with Aaron in looking foward to more pics being posted.

-"A woman's tongue is her sword, and she does not let it rust."
Proverb
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Steve Grisetti




Location: Orlando metro area, Florida, USA
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
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Reading list: 28 books

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PostPosted: Tue 26 Jul, 2005 4:23 pm    Post subject: Clifford's Tower - York         Reply with quote

Eric Nower wrote:
...Nice pics of Pickering, Reminds me of Cliffords castle in York itself.

Speaking of Clifford's Tower, here are photos from September 2004. The motte and bailey remain, and some of the outer castle wall. A large portion (perhaps 2/3) of the medieval city wall remains, as well, in fine condition.



 Attachment: 74.25 KB
s Tower small.JPG


 Attachment: 96.54 KB
York - Castle Wall.JPG
York Castle outer wall
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Eric Nower




Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 22 Dec 2004

Posts: 174

PostPosted: Wed 27 Jul, 2005 9:11 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Ahh more pics of Cliffords in Oct 2003:
May God have mercy on my enemies, for I shall have none.


Last edited by Eric Nower on Thu 28 Jul, 2005 10:06 am; edited 1 time in total
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Patrik Erik Lars Lindblom




Location: Göteborg Sweden
Joined: 07 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: Wed 27 Jul, 2005 10:39 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Here are a old one, Ragnhildsholmen in English and Swedish, better pictures in that Swedish one. Happy
Frid o Fröjd!
Patrik
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