Mediæval Military Architecture in England, Volume 2 (of 2)Clark, George Thomas
History
Mediæval Military Architecture in England, Volume 2 (of 2)
Clark, George Thomas
Architecture -- England; Architecture, Medieval; Military architecture
The first or principal floor contains a state-room, 40 feet by 17
feet, with two large windows opening upon the court, and a fireplace
between them. The windows appear to have been of two lights, trefoiled,
and they are placed in large, flat, segmental recesses. The roof has
been of timber, flat, and rather low. On the same floor are three
smaller rooms and a portcullis chamber; and on the east side, over
the tank-room, is a vaulted kitchen, with a large fireplace and oven.
From the kitchen a small door leads to the east rampart, and along it
to the south-east drum tower. Two well-staircases lead to the second
floor, which contains also a large chamber, with windows of two lights,
and trefoiled, opening upon the court, and a fireplace. Here also are
several bedrooms, with doorways of carved ashlar. This floor seems
intended for the accommodation of persons of condition. The well-stair
at the north-west angle is continued upwards to the watch tower; and
from near this stair a narrow door leads to the rampart of the curved
curtain, and so to the mural towers of the outer ward.
The watch tower is considerably higher than any other part of the
castle, and commands an extensive view over both sea and land.
[Illustration: KIDWELLY CASTLE.
_H. Smyth delᵗ._ _J. H. Le Keux sc._]
The lesser or northern gatehouse is in great part destroyed, and
appears to have been hastily built. It is on a small scale, and
composed only of two half-round towers, the back or gorge walls of
which, and part of the portal, have been destroyed. There appears to
have been an upper story entered by a staircase in the adjacent western
curtain. The portal arch is gone, but there are traces of a drawbridge
which worked between two side walls, looped to rake the ditch. That
on the east remains. The portal was 10 feet wide, and the bridge
dropped with a span of about 18 feet upon a pier still remaining,
and projecting from the counterscarp of the fosse. The bridge walls
are later than the towers, and these probably than the curtain. This
gateway is placed at the north extremity of the outer ward, only a few
yards from the river bank. It appears to be an addition.
The curtain of the outer ward is in three parts: one, 330 feet long,
and curved, encloses the ward on the west or landward side, and
connects the gatehouses with the mural towers. This wall is 6 feet
thick, and 20 feet high, and is defended by the main fosse. Besides
openings from the gatehouses, there is a direct access to this rampart
from the court by a mural staircase built against the wall. The
rampart walk is protected by a parapet and a rere wall, both of which,
to give breadth to the walk, are thrown out upon corbels or false
machicolations.
The second part of the curtain is straight, or nearly so, and extends
50 feet in length along the river cliff, from the great gatehouse to
the south-east drum tower. Its rampart is accessible from each end.
This wall is 30 feet high and 7 feet thick.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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