Real world locations

[drakensis]

If you get the chance, I recommend visiting Dover Castle - it's been redone in places to be closer to how it would have appeared in it's heyday.

Here's a shot from the inside (taken from the English Heritage site) - I'm sure you realise why I picked this one.



Warkworth Castle - quite a distance from Dover if anyone wants to visit both in one visit* - has a fantastic keep that's largely intact.




* 300 miles or so - according to my very rough and unofficial scale map, about the distance from Rhemuth to Valoret!
By the same scale Rhemuth and Beldour are 800 miles apart - about London to Warsaw in our world.

[revanne]

And remember English miles are very different from American miles - we still think 50 miles is a long way!

[Evie]

Oh yes, Dover has become one of my favorite castles now that it's been completely redone in the Norman style. Most castles I've seen display much later period furnishings, so it's lovely to find one with the sort of decor that Kelson and his peers might actually find familiar. And such pictures help dispel the notion of medieval castle being drab, cheerless places. Your home would look pretty sad too if left open to the elements for hundreds of years!

My laptop has a bookmark to a YouTube video tour of Dover Castle since the renovations. I also love the King's Bedchamber, which of course served as much more than that. I can imagine the furnishings in Meraude's solar or in Kelson's withdrawing room looking similar.

[Elkhound]

Here's Bannerman's Castle in New York: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollepel_Island#mediaviewer/File:BannermanCastle3685.jpg

[Evie]

Here's a lovely documentary about the research that went into recreating Dover Castle's furnishings as they might have looked in Henry II's time.  The scenes of the fully furnished rooms are at the end, of course, but the entire documentary is well worth watching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G6ShZCPneo

I think this particular documentary focused mainly on the refurnishing of the more sumptuous living spaces (Great Hall and solar/bedchamber, with a little bit of a peek at the chapel), but if you can find photos of the refurnished kitchen, I find that almost equally interesting. One minor point I take issue with in this recreated design is the seat height of those chairs.  Having sat in a throne for long minutes at a time during my stint as an SCA Baroness, I can attest to the fact that if poor Henry had to remain seated in that high chair without decent foot support, his legs would have been all pins and needles after an hour or two, no matter how cushy his seat cushion was.  That throne looks like it was built for a modern-day basketball player!  Build those legs just a few inches shorter, though, and I think it would work fine, and certainly would be in keeping with artistic depictions of seating from that period.

[Laurna]

Just Wow!

Elkhound, that is a most intriguing piece of architecture, Very ornate.

Evie I just watched the documentary. I love the high wall frescoes/paintings depicting the stories and vices in all three rooms. I particularly love the king on horseback at the head of the dinning hall.

Some day I want to travel to England. Some day....

[revanne]

Some day I want to travel to England. Some day....

Look forward to welcoming you all someday

[Elkhound]

Here's some more information about Bannerman's Castle: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bannermans-castle

[revanne]

Amazing documentary, thank you Evie.

[NavaWazr]

Chepstow is lovely, I was there on a damp, grey October day many years ago with a friend, reciting Shakespeare to the empty lawns. I am glad I live in this era and am grateful for plumbing, heating, electricity, light and books.

[Laurna]

I saw this article today. It gave me a smile. Truly, this is medieval camping with  flair and style.
http://www.lostateminor.com/2015/08/14/you-can-stay-in-medieval-luxury-at-leeds-castle/

Revanne, the article reminded me of the time  you shared when you went to Cheepstow.  Took me a while to find this thread and reopen it, but I would so love to visit England and camp this way for at least one night.  Well of course, the second night I want to sleep inside the castle in the fully restored medieval bedroom. 

[Demercia]

Sadly my English tent doesn't look a bit like this !