Saturday, 17 March 2012

Dover Castle - Pt. 2

At the heart of Dover Castle lies the inner bailey and The Great Tower. Built by King Henry II.
Glimpses of life in a Royal palace of this kind in 1180's has been recreated for visitors to explore



Obviously a servants area which seems to be a mixture of kitchen and laundry



These steps show the thickness of the walls and obviously one had to walk up the sill to look out






The nursery



the lavatory


Dining Hall




Throne Room


The Well


servants area


Here we have someone dressed as a king for the children's benefit


King's bedroom




schoolroom




chain armour


These different areas are all on different floors so can't imagine what it must have been like constantly walking up and down the rough stone stairways and in the footwear of the day

17 comments:

Come Away With Me said...

Hello Barbara, greetings from cold and rainy Long Beach today! I have just caught up on your Dover Castle posts and am fascinated by the painted furniture, which I have never seen anything like before...It is certainly colorful. I wonder if the interior stone walls of the castle were left in their natural state back then or did they plaster them over or hang tapestries to hid them? Very interesting. That was quite a walk you took from the parking location to the castle. But the country there is so pretty and all the views from high up are worth the walk I would think. Thanks for taking us along with you and Alan!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

With such thick walls it's no wonder the castle has stood in such good shape. I cannot imagine what all they must have done to keep warm there. Glad I have all my modern conveniences. We are quite spoiled for sure. It was a treat to see all the rooms and furnishings too. We are having a lovely day with lots of sun and warmth. Very unusual for us here in March.

Terri said...

You have done it again, Barb! I'm reading a book about Life in a Medieval Castle, and your pictures are really reinforcing the lesson. Thank you!
Hugs!

Needled Mom said...

I always say that it looks like such a tough life compared to what we have now. I enjoyed the visit to Dover Castle with you!

Vee said...

Bright, colorful furniture...it looks Scandinavian. The walls certainly were thick. One good thing about the stairs...they have an easy rise...not too steep. Very interesting tour, Barbara!

Brenda Leyland @ Its A Beautiful Life said...

What a delight to pop over here. You give me tours of places I'd enjoy seeing in person. But until we get there, I have glimpses!

Barbara, thanks so much for stopping by today........ wishing you the best kind of day!

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...

Fascinating Barbara, must of been so cold, no wonder there was lots of mead being consumed!

CherryPie said...

I always enjoy a visit to Dover Castle, there is so much to see. You have captured some great photos of it.

Cheri said...

Barbara, this was so interesting to see the castle and all the rooms. Thanks so much for sharing.

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

That was wonderful.

nikkipolani said...

I'm surprised the walls aren't blacker in the kitchen/laundry areas. Those thick thick walls makes me think the place must be so very cold in winter. But maybe all the walking you describe keep people warm!

Suz said...

Wonderful, amazing photos. Thank you.

Balisha said...

I thought that the furniture looked Scandinavian too.Such bright colors seemed out of place there.
I was also interested in what appeared to be terra cotta pieces. Wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Balisha

Midwest to Midlands said...

Hello, and thank you for the tour of Dover Castle. We have seen it a few times but only driving by so I enjoyed your pictures.

bristowmom said...

I think it would have been dreadful to be a royal child back then. The nursery looks cold and frightful to me.

AM Zafaran said...

The photographs are great. I love going on these visits with both of you.I feel like painting some of those beautiful views. I really liked how the light comes in through those strong stone windows and spreads like a thin delicate veil...divine.

American Home said...

Thank you so much for posting this. I so much enjoy history and studying other countries.

Much of my family came from England and I have never been there to see it for myself.

God bless you,