I was at Chepstow Castle yesterday - very dramatic in a thunderstorm - and couldn't help thinking of Coroth Castle. It's on the south-east corner of Wales just where it joins onto England across the river Wye; I'm no good at sending links but if you google Chepstow castle there are some great pictures.
It's not quite right as it's on an estuary rather than directly onto the sea but what does anyone else think?
There's an amazing 11th century door which my friend took a picture of and I'll try to upload when she sends it to me.
Wow, Revanne! I want to go see it with you.
Here is a link http://www.castlewales.com/chepstow.html (http://www.castlewales.com/chepstow.html).
What a place to see in a thunderstorm. Awesome!
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5577/14742552438_412a1bb7b7_s.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/123027755@N06/14742552438/)
Door Chepstow castle (https://www.flickr.com/photos/123027755@N06/14742552438/) by revanne2june (https://www.flickr.com/people/123027755@N06/), on Flickr
The criss-cross wood on the door is a couple of inches thick and is nailed onto normally laid planks. The door has been moved from the main entrance where it stood for the best part of 800 years and is now not used. The postern is about 4 feet tall to give you an idea of the proportions.
You'd definitely need Deryni powers to get through this.
Wow, revanne. Thanks for sharing and refining my mental image of the Deryni world.
Sadly, America lacks such magnificent structures. Instead, we have this:
(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimage.thefabricator.com%2Fa%2Fhamburgers-metal-and-mettle-whitecastle.jpg&hash=ff3777152a69d41d532d02031905ced5d03556b1)
(Pitiful, but tasty!)
LOL! Not entirely true. This is mere blocks away from my office:
(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm5.staticflickr.com%2F4063%2F4317824168_9894328f36_z.jpg&hash=ced5739ccde6acafe7dd0e8562830e4cc61657e3)
http://www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Quinlan_Castle (http://www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Quinlan_Castle)
And this, while it's more like a palace than an early period castle, is close enough for a weekend trip:
http://www.biltmore.com/ (http://www.biltmore.com/)
But yeah, for the most part we're sadly lacking in picturesque castles over here. :D
There is the Hammond Castle in Gloucester MA a replica of an actual English castle. It was built by an American known for the organ but also for inventing the first TV remote. He stocked it with suits of armor and other items but the best surprise was a room full of the hybrid sword/spear weapons wielded by the high elves at the start of Lord of the Rings.
Thank you, Tenworld, I had never seen Hammond Castle before. I looked up images on the web and found wonderful photos of the castle. Oh, to being the lord and lady of your own castle. :D
To an extent I think you probably get a better idea of what castles would have been to live in by visiting a replica. Having spent my life where ruined castles scatter the landscape two a penny it's hard to realise that they were living vibrant communities. The friend I was visiting Chepstow with and I both commented on how different the castle would have really looked in the eleventh century with fires burning and people bustling about. Maybe we need to combine Chepstow with Hammond.
Btw if Evie ever does get to visit Britain with the littles I'm taking Joram into protective custody!
You'll need to wrest Joram away from KK then, since he'll be going to live with her on Dragoncon weekend along with Rhys, Evaine, and Camber. :)
Hopefully the poor man will travel in something more than his shirt ;D
Oh, he's wearing braes now too. ;D And once I figure out where I've put my black faux leather, I'll make him chausses, shoes, and a jerkin.
And his dark blue cassock, of course!
I doubt I'll have time to make him the cassock before the con, given that I'm struggling to find time to cut out and sew his chausses and shoes (and will probably end up sending him off in Duncan's jerkin), so I'll leave that for KK to make for him.
Quote from: revanne on August 17, 2014, 11:20:43 AM
To an extent I think you probably get a better idea of what castles would have been to live in by visiting a replica. Having spent my life where ruined castles scatter the landscape two a penny it's hard to realise that they were living vibrant communities. The friend I was visiting Chepstow with and I both commented on how different the castle would have really looked in the eleventh century with fires burning and people bustling about. Maybe we need to combine Chepstow with Hammond.
That is something that has always bothered me about period movies. they either are shot in actual old castles or movie sets designed to look like an old castle. I envision tapestries hanging on all walls and stones that look fresh cut.
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.
(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.english-heritage.org.uk%2Fcontent%2Fproperties%2Fdover-castle%2Fgallery-for-dover-castle%2Fgallerythegreattowerinteriorroom.jpg&hash=bcb6374fbd1c5ea6610666478b3a930052c6fdaa)
Warkworth Castle - quite a distance from Dover if anyone wants to visit both in one visit* - has a fantastic keep that's largely intact.
(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.english-heritage.org.uk%2Fcontent%2Fproperties%2Fwarkworth-castle-and-hermitage%2Fgallery-for-warkworth-castle-and-hermitage%2Fgallerywarkworthk940870.jpg&hash=cf9f2df29ea4549a577cb732917c003fb03fe0cf)
* 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.
And remember English miles are very different from American miles - we still think 50 miles is a long way!
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.
Here's Bannerman's Castle in New York: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollepel_Island#mediaviewer/File:BannermanCastle3685.jpg
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 (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.
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....
Quote from: Laurna on November 24, 2014, 01:49:47 PM
Some day I want to travel to England. Some day....
Look forward to welcoming you all someday :)
Here's some more information about Bannerman's Castle: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bannermans-castle
Amazing documentary, thank you Evie.
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.
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. :D
Sadly my English tent doesn't look a bit like this !