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 two eastern towers resemble the others in general features and
dimensions, but differ in details. Their basements have one loop
towards the middle ward, and their first floor, at the inner ward
level, is an irregular pentagon in plan, one angle being square. The
doors are in the gorge wall, but do not lead direct into the tower,
only into the staircase. In the south-east tower, a stair ascends
in the northern wall, curving with it, and forks, the right branch
leading to the second floor of the tower, from which alone, by a trap
and descending ladder, the first floor and basement were accessible.
This floor, like all the rest, was of timber, and from it, on the west
side, a second stair commences, and curving with the wall, and having
a small garderobe by the way, ascends to the ramparts of the south
curtain. Reverting to the lower stair, the branch to the left opens
upon the inner face of the east curtain, and ascends by a narrow, open
stair, supported on corbels, across the gorge wall of the tower, and
up the inner face of the south curtain to its ramparts. The roof and
ramparts of the tower are reached by an exterior stair from the rampart
of the east curtain. A loop in the hollow between the junction of this
tower with the south curtain marks the place of the garderobe already
mentioned. Above it was a second upon the battlements of the tower,
and at the base of the wall is a large flat-topped sewer descending
from the two. The south-east tower bears the name of Mortimer, the
south-west that of Bronwen, the fair-bosomed, sister of Brân the
Blessed.
The north-east, the debtors’ or armourers’, tower has a door in
the gorge opening on the left upon a well-stair, 8 feet diameter,
which ascends to the second floor only, from which the first floor
and basement were reached by a trap and ladder. The second floor is
seven-sided, those below cylindrical. As in the south-east tower, an
independent stair led from the second floor to the ramparts of the
curtain, and upon this curved stair is a garderobe, the loop of which
is seen at the junction of the tower with the north curtain, and the
mouth or vent at the ground level. The roof of this tower, like the
other, is reached from the walls by an external stair. These two
towers, having no well-stairs to the roof, have no subordinate turrets.
That all these four towers had flat roofs is pretty clear from the
position of two corbels in each, evidently intended to carry hammer
beams or struts to the one main beam which crossed the aperture, and
was thus rendered capable of carrying great weight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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