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Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, South East England. The 12th-century keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent feature, is one of the best preserved of its time in England or France. Situated on the River Medway and Watling Street, Rochester was a strategically important royal ...
A 19th-century reconstruction of the keep at Château d'Étampes. Since the 16th century, the English word keep has commonly referred to large towers in castles. [4] The word originates from around 1375 to 1376, coming from the Middle English term kype, meaning basket or cask, and was a term applied to the shell keep at Guînes, said to resemble a barrel. [5]
Totnes Castle is one of the best preserved examples of a Norman motte and bailey castle in England. [1] It is situated in the town of Totnes on the River Dart in Devon . The surviving stone keep and curtain wall date from around the 14th century.
Stone for the new buildings was cut from the cliffs below the walls and moved up using winches. [ 2 ] The holder of the office of the bishop of Durham , Bishop Walcher at the time, was appointed by the king to exercise royal authority on his behalf, with the castle being his seat. [ 1 ]
Some existing motte-and-bailey castles were converted to stone, with the keep and the gatehouse usually the first parts to be upgraded. [102] Shell keeps were built on many mottes, circular stone shells running around the top of the motte, sometimes protected by a further chemise, or low protective wall, around the base. By the 14th century, a ...
A shell keep is a style of medieval fortification, best described as a stone structure circling the top of a motte. In English castle morphology, shell keeps are perceived as the successors to motte-and-bailey castles, with the wooden fence around the top of the motte replaced by a stone wall.
Appleby Castle is in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland overlooking the River Eden (grid reference). It consists of a 12th-century castle keep which is known as Caesar's Tower, and a mansion house. These, together with their associated buildings, are set in a courtyard surrounded by curtain walls. [ 1 ]
The castle was built in 1067 and for over one hundred years it was the seat of Government of the Norman Kings. [2] Henry II built a stone keep to house the royal treasury and the Domesday Book. [1] A round tower from the original castle complete with sally ports is still visible. [3]