What did bathrooms look like in castles?

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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Some castle bathrooms had piped-in hot and cold water. Some lords even had bath mats to protect their feet from the cold. A lavabo, slop basin, or laver was a stone basin built into the wall. It was used as a wash basin and sink for washing the hands before and after meals.

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Castle toilets, also known as garderobes or latrines, would have a plank of wood with a hole held on stone supports through which waste could be deposited.

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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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