IMAGES OF MEDIEVAL ART AND ARCHITECTURE

BRITAIN: ENGLAND
ALNWICK (ALNWICK CASTLE)

© Alison Stones


PLAN
Adapted from
Military architecture in England during the Middle Ages,
Thompson, p. 115
West Front

GENERAL VIEWS
©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967 ©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967
Castle in the Distance View of Castle from Across River Aln



RUBICON
©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967 ©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967 ©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967
General View Enciente Walls (before 1157) General View
Note the stone figures of warriors on the merlons. Though the figures are modern, the pracitice of having stone "defender" figures was comparitavely common in England in the Middle Ages. Thompson argues that they were purely ornamental and designed to frighten attackers. Thompson, page 245.

WARDS
©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967 ©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967 ©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967
Octagonal Towers and Postern Towers Outer Bailey and View Middle Gateway

OCTAGONAL TOWERS: GATEHOUSE OF KEEP
©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967 ©Alison Stones, Courtesy of Dr. Ruth Dean, 1967

Preliminary Notes

The gatehouse of the keep and curtain walls of the wards are thought to date from the 12th century. They are usually attributed to Eustace, son of King John I. Eustace died in 1157. (Thompson, p. 116)

Earlier castle bought by Henry Percy in 1309-10, who made many changes to the keep and other parts of the castle (Platt, p. 128-30)

Most of the buildings on the center mound around the courtyard are 19th century reconstructions of the 14th century house of the Percys. (Thompson, p. 115)



Preliminary Bibliography

Platt, Colin. The Castle in Medieval England and Wales. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1981.

Thompson, A. Hamilton. Military architecture in England during the middle ages, by A. Hamilton Thompson ... illustrated by 200 photographs,    drawings, and plans. London, New York [etc.]: H. Frowde, 1912.

Toy, Sidney. Castles, a short history of fortifications from 1600 B.C. to A. D. 1600. London, Toronto: W. Heinemann, ltd. [1939].

Rathbone, Jill. "Alnwick Castle" in Archaeological Journal 133 (1976), p. 149.


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