Castles
Molly Breckman
How Castles Changed
Then
Now
New castles and old castles are different in many ways, but one way they are similar is the design. A Lot of castles design is based of the medial times, but are built with bricks, and strong stone.
Now Castles are made for comfort, so most are a lot smaller.
Inside A Medieval Castle
Not A Place You Want To Live
The Great Hall
The great hall is where people eat, at the front of the table sat the king, or the owner of the castles, and at the end sat the poorest people (even though they were rarely ever invented).
The great hall is the most expensive room in the castle, it had a high ceiling and a marble floor. Often after meals, the owner of the castle was found playing chess, or being entertained in the great hall.
Bedrooms
When the owner of the castle went on vacation he brought his bed, desk, and all his books! Sometimes the room empty when they left!
The maids of the castle often slept in a room with a blanket cuddled near a fire place on the floor.
The knights slept in thin, small beds together in the same room.
Kitchen
Cooks were often serving hundreds, so they had different people for different jobs. For example bakers, butchers, milkmaids, and much, much more.
Castle vs. House
Similarities
For example, they both have been around since the middle ages, but houses were made out of mud and straw.
They don't grow out of nature (duh!) so you need to build them.
They also have the basics for a living space, like a bed, rooms. or room, door etc.
Differences
Castles are usually very big, so it takes a lot of money to build. Castles are usually for the upper class.
There are many different designs for houses because houses are more popular. You can find many different looking houses, even some wacky ones! But with castles there is only 10 or 11 designs.
Also castles can hold up to hundreds of people at a time! A small house holds much less then that.
I will tell you this, I could never afford a castle!
What Happens When People Leave A Castle
When People Are In A Castle
Castles are uselly very, very large, so it takes more then one person for one job. Sometimes a few people have the job to pick up horse poop (yuck!)
There are many odds and ends to keep a castle in tip top shape. A castle does clean inself, you know!
What Happens When People Leave A Castle
In the Medival ages if you leave a castle, it means that you are under attaic. Often a castle is destroed after you leave it.
But if you leave a castle for another reason, a castle stays the way it is for a long time. Only collecting dust.
Sometimes if you leave it for a few years wild plants could grow, like evy, or wild flowers.
But if you leave it for many, many years it could start to breack apart. And could be nothing more then a stone wall.
Castle Are Going Extinct!
What Happend
Another way that castles became extinct is the government. When people took over another country, often they would find that the castle was a good location for there people, and build a village over it. (I know it sounds silly, but it happend more often then you would think). Or they would destroy it in battle, and there was not enough money to build it back up.
Now
One way you could help is to visit castles, show your support! It could help show that castles are wanted. Castles are a big part of history, it is cool to check out what it was like to be a castle owner back then.
Another way you could help is to donate to 'Save A Castle Toward' a organization that helps save castles in Argyll and Bute.