Warwick Castle, England
The oldest part of Warwick Castle isn’t any of the stone structures we see. It’s actually the mound of dirt built up under one of the walls, which dates back to William the Conqueror’s campaign into England in the 1060s.
Many castles are built on top of naturally defensible areas like rocky crags, but in this gently rolling countryside, William’s forces had to build their own steep hill. The original fortress, constructed from wood, stood atop this mound.
Later, this lovely wall with its gate and turret was built. The mound affords a great view of the surrounding area so that defenders could identify threats from a distance.
For more information, check out my prior post about Warwick Castle’s defenses.
Thoughts for writers: are the castles in your stories built in strategic areas with robust defenses?
Information provided by the Warwick Castle tour guide 2012.
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It always amazes me how decorative castle walls can be – for example the cross shaped lines in the brick. Those can’t have been easy to design!