Warwick Castle is a Typical Norman Castle. How far does the study of the site, supported by other sources, support this view?

University Degree Architecture, Building and Planning

Will Healey 11D 13/8/2002

A typical Norman Castle, when first, would have been a motte and bailey.

The motte was a big mound of dirt surrounded by a moat. On top of the

motte, there would have been a donjon. A donjon is a simple lookout post. It was the highest point of the castle and usually constructed out of wood. The bailey was an enclosed area on top of the motte, which the base of the donjon was placed it. There would usually be a bridge crossing the moat then steps going up to the bailey. This design allowed easy access for the people in the castle but made it difficult for intruders to gain access to the actual bailey.

It was useful for castles to be able to see each other so if one was in any trouble, it could signal for help from another castle (usually by smoke signal). Castles were usually placed so the people living around them could see them. This was a sign of power over the people. Because the castle was so big and close to the towns, they were in charge. Castles were usually around the coastline because the sea was a good source of food and it would help them guard the coast from invasions by sea. It would also help if there was a nearby wood for timber sources since the castles were made out of wood and needed constant maintenance. However, over time, castles were scattered all over Britain and by 1100, they dominated most of Britain’s landscape.

Castles were originally brought to England to help the Normans establish themselves. The first castle in Great Britain was built around 1068. They were used as safe places for them to retreat to if they ever needed a base. Over time thought, the purpose of castles changed and so did their structure. Because of more advanced weaponry, castles needed to be stronger. During the 1500’s, they were built out of brick and stone now, since they were to be more permanent and stronger.

A few experimental castles were constructed but none of the designs were really used over and over ...

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A few experimental castles were constructed but none of the designs were really used over and over again. One design like Clifford’s Tower in York was a stone castle on top of a motte. The problem with this design was the castle was too heavy and sunk into the ground.

Because of this, they had to come up with some other way to have a high lookout point but be just as strong. They decided to build a structure called the stone keep. Basically, the stone keep was a very high tower with thick walls built on solid, flat ground. They often had a few of these per castle so they joined them up by thick walls.

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Kenilworth Castle was a typical stone keep, Norman castle. The wall was a thick stone shell with a walk on top of the wall and the motte was a shell keep in a motte and bailey style.

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At Warwick Castle, you can see a Norman donjon on a large mound of earth. This was the original site of a Saxon burgh. As the castle progressed, they added on from that motte and bailey and kept building around it, as that as the centre point of the castle. It was designed more for luxury rather than defence as you can see by all the bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. The guidebook shows all the stages of development of Warwick Castle from when it was a motte and bailey structure, all the way up to present day. The castle has all the recognisable features of a Norman castle like the fact it went from wood to stone, the shell keeps were added and so was the gatehouse.

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As you can see by the present day picture, the building inside Warwick Castle walls was designed more for luxury than defence. This change happened around the 1800’s. The big windows must have been expensive and not very effective for defence, they would be easy to break. This shows that Warwick Castle was re-furnished for luxury and this made it not so typical anymore. The castles purpose is still typically Norman but the building has transformed and is no longer typically Norman.

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Also, the castle contains many rooms like the dining room and many bedrooms that were not necessary if the castle was used purely for defence. It is also furnished and it would have been very expensive to do that in such a way. This means as time went on, more money was spent on decorating the castle and less on defences. All these signs show that Warwick Castle is no longer a typical Norman castle.

As the castle changed, the site didn’t. So over all, would the site have been a good one for a Norman castle?

Back then, without all the trees and buildings, if you were standing at the top of the castle you would be able to see for miles which means you would have been able to see other castles. There was also a river nearby which would have been the main source of water for the inhabitants of the castle.

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The site wasn’t a bad one, considering that the castle has lasted all this time, in fact it was well chosen. It had a good source of water, a town nearby and a good source of timer. That is what the Normans focused on when finding a site for a castle.

In conclusion, considering all the evidence, Warwick Castle is definitely a not so typical, Norman castle and is still developing today. At present, it is a tourist attraction with many windows in it and well furnished.