The interior walls were usually plastered and painted, often with elaborate frescos and bright, expensive colours. Ultimately, the castle was a symbol of its owner's wealth and power.

Were medieval castles dirty?

Castles were dark inside with little natural light. ... There were also other problems with living in a medieval castle, the main one being that there were no sewers or flushing toilets. Often the moat surrounding the castle was used as a sewer. Both the moat and the castle quickly became smelly and dirty.

Were medieval houses painted?

In terms of decorating the houses, it was the custom to paint the walls externally as well as internally. In London, until the 14th century, the typical house was white. Mostly as a precaution against fire, it was mandatory that people whitewash their houses, even the thatches, when used for roofing.

How were medieval castles design?

Concentric castles represent one of the high points in Medieval military architecture. These castles were usually built without a central keep, on a square or polygonal plan, with towers facing all directions and a double curtain wall surrounding them.

Were medieval castles dark?

Castles are always depicted as dark and cold and some probably were. But, in reality, the great hall of castle had a large open hearth to provide heat and light (at least until the late 12th century) and later it had wall fireplace. ... When there were no fireplaces rooms were heated with moveable fire stands.

Why were medieval cottages and castle white?

Did medieval castles have toilets?

The toilets of a castle were usually built into the walls so that they projected out on corbels and any waste fell below and into the castle moat. ... The protruding shaft of masonry that made up the toilet was buttressed from below or might nestle in the junction between a tower and wall.

What did it smell like in the medieval times?

An episode of the 2011 BBC TV documentary Filthy Cities describes the streets of London in the 1300s. They were ankle-deep in a putrid mix of wet mud, rotten fish, garbage, entrails, and animal dung. People dumped their own buckets of faeces and urine into the street or simply sloshed it out the window.

How did medieval castles look like?

The typical features of a medieval castle were: Moat - a perimeter ditch with or without water. Barbican - a fortification to protect a gate. Curtain Walls & Towers - the perimeter defensive wall.

What were medieval castles really like?

To our modern standards of living, most Medieval castles would have been incredibly cold, cramped, totally lacking privacy, and would have been disgustingly smelly (and likely home to more than a fair share of rats!). Firstly, why were these castles so dark and cold? Well, most Medieval castles were made of stone.

How would you describe a medieval castle?

A medieval castle was the fortified home of an important person, such as a lord or king. ... During this time, many castles were built in Europe and the Middle East. They ranged from simple wooden enclosures to vast stone palaces. A castle allowed a lord to control the surrounding land.

Did castles have plaster?

Once a stone castle was built, its owner would then have to spend a vast sum on furnishing and decorating it. The interior walls were usually plastered and painted, often with elaborate frescos and bright, expensive colours.

What color are most castles?

The three most common colors used in castle décor are burgundy, dark green, and gold. You can use one of these colors for your walls.

Where did they poop in medieval times?

As for the rest of the populace of cities, they generally pooped into containers, the contents of which they would (usually) deposit into a nearby river or stream, or gutter system that led to such.

Why didn't people bathe in medieval times?

It wasn't just diseases from the water itself they were worried about. They also felt that with the pores widened after a bath, this resulted in infections of the air having easier access to the body. Hence, bathing, particularly at bathhouses, became connected with the spread of diseases.

What was medieval hygiene like?

1) Personal hygiene:

In the Middle Ages, the peasants were reliant on water provided from wells that dotted the landscape. They practiced cleaning their hands before eating and washing themselves a couple of times per week, or more often if the need arose to rid themselves of smell.

How did castles stay cool?

Medieval Castles kept cool during the summer due to their thick walls and high ceilings. Most castles also had small windows (glass wasn't used for windows until the 1300s, and then only the well-to-do could afford it), which could be easily covered with shutters or curtains.

Why did they put straw on Castle floors?

The herbs were laid on the floor along with reeds, rushes, or straw, so that pleasant odours would be released when people walked on them. ... In a typical medieval English monastery, for instance, the floor of the dormitory would have been strewn with rushes that were swept and replaced once or twice a year.

Do families still live in castles?

The funny thing is, there are a surprising number of historic castles still in use today. These medieval castles are not only still standing, they remain private residences (at least in part) to families that can trace their lineage back through the centuries.

Did medieval castles have glass windows?

Windows were equipped with wooden shutters secured by an iron bar, but in the 11th and 12th centuries were rarely glazed. By the 13th century a king or great baron might have "white (greenish) glass" in some of his windows, and by the 14th century glazed windows were common.

What was inside a castle?

Inside the castle walls there might have been a magnificent hall, comfortable chambers and a beautiful chapel. Larger castles had their own fish ponds, orchards and vineyards, as well as gardens which supplied vegetables and herbs. ... Most castles had a small private chapel near to the lords chambers.

What did medieval castles do?

Castles could serve as a centre for local government, administration and justice. They were also used by powerful lords to display their wealth and power through lavish architectural styles and decoration. Castles were not only built and used by the crown.

Did people stink in the medieval times?

Medieval doctors thought the warm water widened skin pores, leading to diseases. ... Clean water was hard to get, but even those who had access to it rarely bathed. King Louis XIV was said to have bathed just twice in his lifetime.

Did people smell Middle Ages?

Odors, including those of incense, spices, cooking, and refuse, were both ubiquitous and meaningful in central and late medieval Western Europe. The significance of the sense of smell is evident in scholastic Latin texts, most of which are untranslated and unedited by modern scholars.

Did Vikings smell bad?

With all the pillaging and murdering, the common perception is that Vikings were rugged, dirty and smelly, but actually Viking men were surprisingly clean. Not only did they bathe once a week, but tweezers, combs, ear cleaners and razors have been unearthed at Viking sites.