The Development of Square Keep Castles

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The Development of Square Keep Castles
Learning objective to understand what a square
keep castle was and what their advantages and
disadvantages were.
Starter How many words from SQUARE KEEP CASTLES
can you make?
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The Square Keep castle

• These replaced the wooden keeps and were bigger
  up to 35 meters high, with three or four storey's
  and spiral staircases in the corner turrets.
• The way into the keep was through the fore
  building, which contained stairs to the first
  floor. The Great Hall, the Lords bedroom and
  solar (study) and the chapel were placed there.
• The soldiers lived on the top floor and the
  ground floor was for stores, and prisoners.

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The Square Keep castle

• The windows were thin slits, but arrows could be
  fired out through them. Around the keeps was a
  strong wall, called a curtain wall, with a
  gatehouse.
• Inside the gate was a thick metal grille called a
  portcullis.

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Rochester Castle
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Advantages of the Square stone Keep Castle
1. The castles were made of stone and had deep
foundations. This made them hard to knock down.
2. The castles were very large. Room for lots of
soldiers and their supplies. They were also
several floors high up to 35 meters high. 3.
Spiral staircases make it difficult to storm
upper floors, where soldiers in the castle had a
good view from the top.
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Disadvantages of the Square Keep castle
1. The corners could be easily damaged - one
corner broken brings two walls down.
2. Attackers can get right up to the walls. 3.
Difficult to shoot attacker who is close to the
wall.
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Tasks
BAILEY CURTAIN WALL
ARROW SLITS
BATTLEMENTS
STONE WALLS
DRAWBRIDGE
FLANKING TOWERS (to protect corners)
OUTER BAILEY
ENTRANCE
FORE BUILDING to protect entrance
Reorganize these into the STRENGTHS and
WEAKNESSES boxes Made of stone Deep
foundationshard to knock down Corners could be
easily damagedone corner broken brings two walls
down Largefor lots of soldiers and their
supplies Several floors high Attackers can get
right up to the walls Entrance above ground
level Walls can be undermined Difficult to shoot
attacker who is close to the wall Spiral
staircases make it difficult to storm upper
floors Good view from the top  
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• Reorganise these into the STRENGTHS and
  WEAKNESSES boxes
• Made of stone
• Deep foundationshard to knock down
• Corners could be easily damagedone corner broken
  brings two walls down
• Largefor lots of soldiers and their supplies
• Several floors high
• Attackers can get right up to the walls
• Entrance above ground level
• Walls can be undermined
• Difficult to shoot attacker who is close to the
  wall
• Spiral staircases make it difficult to storm
  upper floors
• Good view from the top

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Dont Forget!

• Any new words into the Word Cloud please.