How cold was it in medieval castles?

The inside of a castle would have been roughly the same temperature as a pile of rocks in the same climate. In hot dry climates it would have been cooler than the heat of day, especially if they whitewashed the roof. In cold climates it was perpetually below what we would call comfortable.



Medieval castles were notoriously frigid, with interior temperatures during winter often hovering just a few degrees above freezing. Because they were built for defense, the thick stone walls acted as "thermal sinks"—absorbing the cold dampness of the night and releasing it into the rooms throughout the day. Windows were small "arrow slits" with no glass, meaning drafts were constant. To survive, inhabitants relied on massive fireplaces in the Great Hall, but the heat rarely traveled more than 10 feet from the flames. Private chambers used braziers (portable pans of hot coals) and thick tapestries on the walls to act as insulation against the stone. Bedding was piled high with furs and wool blankets, and it was common to sleep in full-length gowns and "night-caps." In 2026, many open-air museums use thermal sensors to show that even with modern heating, the stone foundations of these castles remain significantly colder than the surrounding air, a testament to the harsh endurance required of medieval life.

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Castles weren't always cold and dark places to live. But, in reality, the great hall of castle had a large open hearth to provide heat and light (at least until the late 12th century) and later it had wall fireplace. The hall would also have had tapestries which would have insulated the room against too much cold.

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The first stone castles built were cold, dark, smelly and damp. Inside the castle walls, floor coverings consisted of straw rushes and, later, sweet smelling herbs to mask the smell of animal excrement, grease, rotting food and beer.

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Fires were a big part of warming castles, yes. Early on, castles had central open hearths in the great hall, but in the later Middle Ages the fireplace was invented, which moved the fire out of the way and provided a better way to control smoke.

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Castles and manor houses often smelled damp and musty. To counteract this, herbs and rushes were strewn across the floors.

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Castles weren't always cold and dark places to live. The hall would also have had tapestries which would have insulated the room against too much cold. Remains of a fireplace at Conwy Castle, Wales.

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The toilets of a castle were usually built into the walls so that they projected out on corbels and any waste fell below and into the castle moat. Even better, waste went directly into a river as is the case of the latrines of one of the large stone halls at Chepstow Castle in Wales, built from the 11th century CE.

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In the medieval period luxury castles were built with indoor toilets known as 'garderobes', and the waste dropped into a pit below. It was the job of the 'Gongfarmer' to remove it – one of the smelliest jobs in history?

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The toilet seat was made of a wooden bench covering the shaft hole in the masonry. The wood was usually cut with a rectangular or keyhole aperture. Hay, grass, or even moss were used as toilet paper. Toilet hay is referred to by medieval writers, albeit indirectly.

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By the 1600s, people didn't want to live in cold and damp castles anymore. Kings, queens and noble men wanted to show off how important and rich they were so they built palaces and great houses. Many existing castles were replaced with much grander homes.

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In some castles, the cisterns were located at a high elevation in the castle complex, which allowed lead pipes to be connected to the cistern so there could be running water in various rooms in the castle, but such a luxury was rare.

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While churches and some royal castles had glass windows early in the medieval period, most castles did not have them before the 1300s. Two exceptions to this were Ascot d'Oilly and Deddington Castle, both of which had glass windows dating back to about the 1100s.

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Washing and Bathing Was Very Uncommon In medieval times, the wealthy would take a bath every other month. If you were poor, you'd be lucky to bath 4 times per year. There was no hot water so it had to be carried in through a well and then heated over a fireplace.

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Rich lords or kings lived in castles in medieval times. This period lasted from the 5th century CE to the end of the 15th century. Many castles were built in Europe and the Middle East during this time. Some were simple and wooden, while others were grand stone palaces.

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After the 16th century, castles declined as a mode of defense, mostly because of the invention and improvement of heavy cannons and mortars. This artillery could throw heavy cannonballs with so much force that even strong curtain walls could not hold up.

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Glass was an incredibly expensive material and so was rarely used in castles or homes. Usually these were openings just to let in air and light, covered with wooden shutters. In some castles the window equivalent was shaped like a cross for defensive military purposes, not to provide wide wonderful views.

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