How to Build a Medieval Castle (2016)

[rihegher]

For those who are really interested in how to build a mediaval castle, there is one building at the moment in the french countryside called Guedelon. It is modeled from french castle of century XIII. Using tools from middle age. the goal is to validate, correct or invalidate archeoligist theories aboyt medieval building techniques. By the way you can go there, participate and learn a ton. Myself i really enjoyed the experience.

[timthorn]

The BBC made a series showing the techniques in use there: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00PYMP7WA

[mmjaa]

There's one here in Austria, too .. Pretty neat to see them at work on it. Won't be finished for 30 years or so, as everything is being done as per medieval techniques, by hand - no tools made anywhere but on-site, etc.

http://burgbau.at/burgbaufrie/?page_id=428

[exDM69]

I really want to ko there to learn some masonry, woodworking and/or carpentry.

Can you share something about your experience there? Any options for non-french speaking to participate?

[samstave]

How much does it cost to participate?

If I go as a lowly peasant (backpacker) can I show up with empty pockets/stomach (broke backpacker) and a keen interest (hungry) to contribute (fealty) and live in my hut (tent) and apprentice (learn) for free (intern)?

[jdc0589]

I could watch the films on Guedelon all day long. Unfortunately there is only a moderate amount of media out there right now.

[Nomentatus]

That castles are best situated near communications routes (water or land) is mentioned, but not quite why. The purpose of castles was primarily interdiction of supplies. Armies could bypass them, true - but then sorties from the castle later would cut their supply line. In a time when disease and pestilence were the greatest enemies of every army, and good roads and convenient navigable rivers rare (before canal locks got to the West), castles were very effective cripplers of enemy armies.

[JoeAltmaier]

Also, you need a butt-ton of supplies to build a castle. Back then, it was probably impractical to build them anywhere but a river or land trade route.

[castlethrowaway]

Do you have any references to learn more about considerations like these that explain the characteristics of castles?

[flopp]

Here's the French castle building project in Guédelon: http://www.guedelon.fr/en/ Since 1997, they are constructing a castle from the grounds up using medieval techniques. Quite impressive...

[Haven_Monahan]

If nobody's brought it up, "Castle" by David Macaulay:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_(book)

(also made into a PBS program in the '80s)

Very nice book; also he has ones about building Cathedrals, Pyramids, Roman cities and New England water-mills.

[CaptSpify]

There's a castle that someone built in Tennessee of all places: http://www.tnhomeandfarm.com/tn-living/castle-gwynn/

It wasn't done with nearly any of the requirements listed in the article, nor one the scale required for an actual castle, but it was pretty cool to visit and see.

[ENTP]

Wales has some amazing Castles. Edward the 1st almost bankrupted England building them. Come visit!

[SEJeff]

Got any in specific you'd like to name? I'll have two weeks to see the english countryside coming up soon and was going to make a point to visit Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. I'd love to add some actual castles to that trip to wales.

[kitd]

Pembroke's my favourite. My kids spend hours there running around the corridors and battlements whenever we visit.

The rather delicious irony is that it's the birthplace of Henry Tudor, who ended up taking the English throne.

[clock_tower]

Pro tip they forgot to mention: if you expect to need a medieval castle at some point in the foreseeable future, build it now, while concrete's available and cheap (and while construction efforts don't involve impressing a quarter of the skilled laborers in the country).

And don't use reinforced concrete; steel, even stainless steel, rusts over time, and the goal is to have something still serviceable a millennium later with ordinary maintenance.

[flurdy]

Prompted me to play some Citadels this morning. http://store.steampowered.com/app/238870/

Thanks... broke my no gaming before 11pm or kids asleep whichever comes first rule... Good thing I'm on a mini-sabbatical. (ie between contracts)

[andrewrice]

Ouch -- only 13% favorable reviews on Steam?

[TKAB]

There's also one being built in the southern part of Austria: http://burgbau.at/burgbaufrie/?page_id=428 (unfortunately not every part is translated to English but only available in German).

[nraynaud]

Be really weary of what you see: most castles were made entirely at first, then partially of wood. A lot of castles were rebuilt and embellished with stones at the end or after the middle ages. It's one instance were we have to trust the documentation but not our eyes.

[azernik]

Depends on the period. Part of the problem is that the popular imagination tends to see the Middle Ages as a uniform period of technological stagnation, when in fact there was great change and progress throughout the period. Early medieval castles were indeed wood-and-earthworks fortifications, but stone castles were active fortifications for a long time that would be considered "middle ages".

[pcunite]

Here's a short writeup on James Sachs' (game programmer) attempt to build his own custom home.

http://castleonthecheap.blogspot.com

[ju-st]

If you want to know more about castles watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhzsM2SFoeQ

[mmanfrin]

This is a treat. I'm currently reading a book about Longshanks (Edward I); so many of these castles, places, and people are relevant to me.

[strongcore]

What was this all about? Didn't found anything new in it. It just listed every widest ideas in an order, that's all. I don't think this one would help anybody in building a castle!

[Tokkemon]

How to Build a Medieval Castle 1. Start up Stronghold: Crusader 2. Build a massive edifice to handle your ginormous army! 3. ??? 4. Profit.

[brudgers]

Very disappointing. I reached the bottom of the page and there was no solicitation for Medieval Castle Building services.

[steanne]

try http://www.castlemagic.com/

[koevet]

This would make a great game!

[Paul_S]

It has already been made: Stronghold. Also Castles is an old but fun one.

[dovdovdov]

Very vague article, barely describes the steps.

Didn't give up on my dream though!

(geez, some don't get jokes)