CASTLES TO VISIT IF YOU LOVE HISTORY.

The earliest castles started originally as fortresses to protect from invaders.
There are a number of very old castles or fortresses that have been preserved.
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The fortresses or castles were mostly constructed with a motte and bailey.
Motte-and-bailey definition. Motte is a small hill or mound,and Bailey is an open area inside an outer wall, and then surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade.
The older castles were mostly built by a dry moat, curtain walls, conal towers, with whatever material was available.
Wood from the vicinity, and other local materials.
The foundations were built on bedrock if it was available to create strong foundations, or a deep trench was dug and filled with compacted rubble. The walls would be constructed of wooden frames, to hold the stones in place until the mortar has dried. For thicker walls, a cavity was constructed and filled with rubble, often there would be a staircase in the cavity. They buil scaffolding for higher walls.
Some of the oldest castles are:
The well-known Windsor Castle.
During the Saxon times, there was a Royal residence at Windsor, during the 9th Century.
The construction of the first castle started in 1070, after the Norman Invasion of England. It was originally built around
a motte and bailey, but eventually, stone fortresses were added.
Henry 111 built a luxurious Royal Palace within the Castle, and Edward 111 rebuilt it and to a much grander castle.
![Windsor-Castle.jpg]
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A few features of Windsor Castle.
Inside Windsor castle is a 15th century St, Georges Chapel, it is called one of the supreme achievements of Perpendicular Gothic design. It is the spiritual home of the Knights of the Garter (15-16th C)

The various monarchs added and rebuilt areas.
This castle survived many wars and even a fire in 1992.
It is an opulent luxurious and beautiful palace, with a number of rooms and State Rooms filled with Roccoca, Gothic and Baroque furnishings.
The castle occupies 5.3 hectares, and it combines fortifications the palace and a small town.
At the heart of the castle is a bailey formed around the motto, that is 15 meters high, it is made from chalk mined in the vicinity.
The Keep or Round Tower is based on a 12th Century building and was extended upward in the 19th Century.T he Tower houses the Royal Archives.

It is a castle with a rich history and is still occupied by the present Royal family.
Thee are many more ancient castles in the world but I will post later.