What was in a medieval castle courtyard?

Throughout the Middle Ages the courtyard was packed full of buildings providing accommodation for the Lord and his followers. There were also service buildings: a survey carried out in 1337 lists a chapel, stable, gaol, hall and various chambers. To your right was the Great Hall where ceremonies and banquets were held.



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A typical European castle was like a little village inside, with kitchens, workshops, gardens, stables, and a chapel. This castle is built of stone, but many early castles were wooden.

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The great chamber was the second most important room in a medieval or Tudor English castle, palace, mansion, or manor house after the great hall. Medieval great halls were the ceremonial centre of the household and were not private at all; the gentlemen attendants and the servants would come and go all the time.

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In medieval fortification, a bretèche or brattice is a small balcony with machicolations, usually built over a gate and sometimes in the corners of the fortress' wall, with the purpose of enabling defenders to shoot or throw objects at the attackers huddled under the wall.

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An arrowslit (often also referred to as an arrow loop, loophole or loop hole, and sometimes a balistraria) is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows or a crossbowman can launch bolts.

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In some castles, there is an inner bailey that is an enclosed area closer to the tower or keep, and an outer bailey which is an area further out from the tower but that is still protected by the curtain wall. Windsor Castle is an example of a castle with a motte and a bailey.

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The temple is a latch where four skull bones fuse: the frontal, parietal, temporal, and sphenoid. It is located on the side of the head behind the eye between the forehead and the ear. The temporal muscle covers this area and is used during mastication.

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The Castle Armory keeps most types of weapons from the 15th to the 19th century, from cold steel to the firing rifles and from blades to armors.

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