What makes a good castle?

Castles are usually built on high ground with clear views of the surrounding lands – and both of these things make them difficult to attack. Prudhoe was built on a hill top ridge with an 18m drop on the north side and a deep ravine on the south side.



In the context of 2026 architectural and historical study, a "good" castle is defined by the successful integration of defensive superiority, administrative utility, and residential comfort. Historically, a castle had to be situated on "defensible ground," such as a rocky outcrop or hill (a "motte"), and protected by concentric layers of defense like moats, barbicans, and curtain walls with rounded towers to eliminate blind spots for defenders. Beyond military strength, a functional castle required a sustainable internal infrastructure, including a secure deep-water well, massive storage cellars for sieges, and a "Great Hall" for governance. Today, we also measure a castle's "greatness" by its preservation of these features, allowing us to see the transition from brutal 11th-century fortifications to the more ornate, comfortable "palatial" castles of the late Middle Ages.

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Castle Features
  • Outer defenses.
  • Moat.
  • Walls (inner and outer)
  • Towers (inner and outer)
  • Gatehouses, drawbridges and barbicans.
  • Inner defenses.
  • Baileys or wards.
  • Living quarters and support buildings.


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The keep was the most essential part of a castle and could be defended even after castle walls had been breached. Keeps were originally called donjons, the French term for stronghold. The basement was sometimes used as a prison or dungeon, which became too easily confused with donjon, so the term keep was adopted.

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The most important room in a castle was the Great Hall. This is where all the members of the household sat down to eat at tables set up for every meal. It was where feasts were held for special days, or when there were guests. King Arthur's Pentecost Feast takes place in such a Hall.

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Safety, not style or comfort, was the most desired quality. The castle had to be able to withstand an attack or a siege.

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The three main types of castles are the motte and bailey castle, the stone keep castle, and the concentric castle.

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As the gate is always a vulnerable point of a castle, towers may be built near it to strengthen the defences at this point. In crusader castles, there is often a gate tower, with the gate passage leading through the base of the tower itself.

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A bailey is the sturdy wall around a castle that keeps invaders out. The bailey of a medieval castle was usually built of stone. You might see a bailey — or the remains of one — if you tour a castle in England or France.

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Medieval Castle: Motte and Bailey Castles Motte and Bailiey castles were the earliest form of medieval castles built completely from scratch by the Normans. As their name suggests they had two parts the Motte and the Bailey. The Motte was a large hill made of earth on which was built a wooden keep or lookout.

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These were often used as a means of escape or as a way to move around the castle undetected. The secret passages could be used as an escape route in case of a siege or an invasion, or as a way to move around the castle without being seen by enemies.

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The great chamber was at the dais end of the hall, usually up a staircase. It was the first room which offered the lord of the household some privacy from his own staff, albeit not total privacy. In the Middle Ages the great chamber was an all-purpose reception and living room.

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