Warwick Castle, England
Warwick Castle’s imposing façade partly owes its endurance to the fact that it has only been besieged a couple times in its thousand-year history. But conquering this fortress would require a formidable force. A ditch filled with broken pottery and other refuse, instead of a moat of water, provided the first layer of protection. Attackers would find no easy crossing once the defenders had retracted the wooden bridge (the stone bridge in the photo was added later).
After reaching the other side, invaders would contend with two portcullises barring their way while exposing them to attacks from the top of the wall and “murder holes”: small gaps through which defenders could hurl spears or pour out scalding liquid. Interestingly, unlike what the movies portray, castle soldiers probably wouldn’t have used an expensive commodity like oil in their defense; they would resort to more common liquids like water or even wine, which becomes acidic at a boil.
But Warwick’s best defense for surviving the ages was its lack of control over any critical regions—there’s no need to attack a castle that doesn’t have the resources you want!
Thoughts for writers: What kind of regions would need a castle to guard them?
Information provided by the Warwick Castle tour guide 2012.
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