Definition. Dover Castle, located in the southern county of Kent, is one of the largest castles in England and one of the first to have concentric defensive walls.
What type of castle is Dover Castle?
motte and bailey castle
Dover Castle probably originated as a motte and bailey castle, built after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It was transformed by King Henry II between 1179 and 1188; building the keep, the walls of the inner bailey and parts of the outer curtain wall.
What is a concentric in a castle?
A concentric castle is a castle with two or more concentric curtain walls, such that the outer wall is lower than the inner and can be defended from it.
Where are concentric castles UK?
There are the remains of several concentric castles around the country. These include those at Rhuddlan, Harlech and Beaumaris, which is shown below. Rhuddlan, Harlech and Beaumaris castles were all built during the reign of Edward I in North Wales by the master castle builder James of St. George.
What is the most famous concentric castle?
Beaumaris castle
Considered to be the best example of a concentric castle. Concentric castles became even more popular after the invention of gunpowder since they could withstand a siege whilst a regular castle could not.
What is Dover Castle also known as?
Known as the ‘key to England‘, this great fortress has played a crucial role in the defence of the realm for over nine centuries, a span equalled only by the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. Find out more about Dover Castle’s history below.
What are the 3 types of castle?
The three main types of castles are the motte and bailey castle, the stone keep castle, and the concentric castle.
Where do you find concentric castles?
After stone keep castles, concentric castles became popular in England. This occurred during the reign of Edward I and they are mainly associated with north-west Wales, where many were built. The most famous concentric castles include Harleck, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Conwy.
What does a concentric castle look like?
Concentric Castles and Crusader Castles. A concentric castle is a castle with two or more concentric curtain walls, where the outer wall is lower than the inner and can be defended from it. Concentric castles resemble one enclosure castle nested inside the other, generally without a central free-standing keep.
Who used concentric castles?
King Edward I
King Edward I built numerous concentric castles in the late 1200s to early 1300s, many of which can still be seen today.
What was the first concentric castle?
Building concentric castles started in the mid 1200s, and the best examples were built in the 1290s and early 1300s. The first example of this design was Caerphilly Castle in Wales – which was built in about 1270.
What’s the difference between concentric and stone keep castles?
A stone keep castle was a single dwelling built of rocks, making it harder to burn or attack, and surrounded by a moat. A concentric castle was similar in design to the stone keep castle, but had two walls surrounding the dwelling in addition to the moat.
Is Warwick castle concentric?
Warwick castle didn’t develop into a concentric castle, this meant that Warwick wasn’t typical of castles at that time, but there were also some other castles that didn’t turn into a concentric castle so Warwick castle wasn’t along in this. Dover was one of the earliest castles to turn into a concentric castle.
Who built the first concentric castle?
Gilbert de Clare
Outside of this was the outer bailey with another circular wall for protection. In order to provide further protection a moat was usually added. The first castle in Britain to be built in this style was Caerphilly in South Wales. It was built by Gilbert de Clare between 1268 and 1272.
What is the oldest castle in England?
Windsor Castle
Just to the west of London lies the world’s oldest and largest inhabited castle, having been a royal residence for around 950 years.
Is the Tower of London a concentric castle?
They also transformed the Tower into England’s largest and strongest ‘concentric’ castle (with one ring of defences inside another). Inside, the medieval kings built magnificent royal lodgings.
What is special about Dover Castle?
Rising above the famous White Cliffs high above the Channel, Dover Castle is an icon of England. Built soon after 1066, this mighty fortress has been the site of royal intrigue and epic sieges, and was at the centre of the crucial effort to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beach of Dunkirk.
What’s the biggest castle in the UK?
Described as the ‘Key to England’ throughout history due to its function as a defen ce point off the Southern coast, Dover Castle is considered one of the most famous British castles, and the largest in England.
What is Dover known for?
the White Cliffs
Famous for its spectacular chalk cliffs, the White Cliffs, Dover is one of Britain’s principal cross-channel ports. Yet despite the opening of the Channel Tunnel to Calais, many visitors to the country still choose to arrive by ferry for the magnificent views of Kent’s lovely coastline.
What are the 4 types of medieval castles?
Use the links below to read through the information on each of the four different types of Medieval castles; Motte and Bailey, Concentric, Shell Keep and Square Keep.
How are castles classified?
Defining characteristics. In its simplest terms, the definition of a castle accepted amongst academics is “a private fortified residence“.