At A was the castle of la Roche-Pont, erected on the Roman remains, and composed of irregular buildings out of repair; at B the cloister of the abbey; and at C its church: at D the abbot's building. The monastery was bounded on the west by the ruins of the ancient Roman enclosure, and on the other three sides by battlemented walls, with a few turrets. At E was the pleasance of the abbey; at F that of the castle.[18] Two fine mills, dependencies of the castle, stood at G; and at H was the pond, filled by the pent water of the stream. The upper town, built on the western incline of the plateau, contained two parish churches, I and K. A wooden bridge, with mills belonging to the castle, existed at L, another wooden bridge at M, and the Roman stone bridge at N. On the right bank were several houses with gardens. At O the road along the plateau branched into two--one leading to the entrance of the abbey, the other to that of the castle. At P was a breadth of cultivated land, and at R the forest, which extended in a northerly direction more than two thousand paces. Of the ancient ramping wall of the Romans, S, and of the enclosure, T, there existed only heaps of _débris_. These remains, overgrown with vegetation, formed, nevertheless, an elevation which it was possible to defend. This sketch of the general topography premised, we proceed to explain the dispositions adopted in the building of the new castle (Fig. 36).[19] At O existed a fosse, which was re-excavated. A barbican stood at A, entered on the left side. [Illustration: FIG. 36 THE CASTLE OF LA ROCHE PONT. 12TH CENTURY.] The main entrance of the castle, with its drawbridge, was necessarily placed at B. This gate had to be protected by two towers. Upon a part of the ancient Roman north front, five towers were planned, whose curtains were to join the two ancient towers, Y, which were repaired and re-crowned. A wide space, C, therefore necessarily remained behind this foremost defence. It was the _bailey_, a fore-court or outer-court, in which were laid out the chapel, E, promised to the abbot; stables, D; and outbuildings, F, upon a Roman ruin. At P was sunk a second fosse for the protection of the castle, whose gateway was disposed at G. A postern gave egress at H. The ancient Roman wall, M, received a new crowning, and three new towers were to add to its strength. At I were laid the foundations of the donjon--partly on ancient masonry--a donjon defended by a chemise and ditch. The buildings designed for habitation were situated at K, with a chapel at I. At the extremities of the ditch, P, cuttings were contrived in the two Roman curtains, to intercept, if necessary, all communication between the defences of the bailey and those of the castle. This contrivance was also adopted for the two curtains abutting on the donjon.