Opening the Drawbridge — six key facts about castles

It’s likely a castle will appear in the fantasy fiction you’re reading in due course.

In my novel Castlehood, the building itself becomes a primary character.

What's the purpose of a real castle? What makes a castle a castle? Why aren't there any castles in the U.S.A?

Here are six key facts about castles:

I consider myself fortunate to live near one of the world’s proudest and most ancient castles, and this allows me to share experiences from a unique perspective. I’ve been to ceremonies, enjoyed cream teas, and interacted with the castle residents. I’ve also attended religious services and explored the entire layout. I’m not trying to brag (maybe I am), but living near a famous castle has given me a glimpse into what castle living is like and what 'makes a castle a castle'.

I refer to the castle at Windsor, home of the British & Commonwealth sovereign. It's just twenty minutes from my home. Constructed shortly after the Norman invasion of England, (the late 11th century), Windsor Castle was built by Norman invaders to strategically dominate the western routes to London, protect the main road to Bath, and assert control over a vital section of the River Thames. The architecture you see today is a combination of thousand-year-old structures, as well as some even older parts, but mostly many modern additions. My first proposition is that a castle remains a work in progress. A true castle is never a truly finished project.

I have first-hand experience of another ancient castle, the Tower of London, where I have attended ceremonies, indulged in cream teas, etc. (bragging again!) Like Windsor, this is a Royal Palace and, famously, it's where the Crown Jewels of England are stored. Over many years, this castle satisfied many and various roles, including becoming an armoury, a treasury, a prison, a home, the Royal Mint, a public record office, and a place of execution. You couldn’t “make up” a more fantastical / daunting / unreal place if you worked in speculative fiction across five lifetimes. Even in 2024, the place remains magical, grotesque, gruesome, and incomprehensible! Heaven knows how it must have been perceived by common folk in 1078, when most of what you see today was built. My second proposition is that a castle can be many things at once, and will satisfy various roles.

What’s great about both these wonderful castles is that they remain inhabited. These locations are not merely leftovers from a bygone age, or dilapidated long-forgotten structures, nor are they traditional museums or galleries... No, people actually live and work inside their walls. Today, just like in generations past, people come and go through the gates of these castles, ‘for work.’ You too can also explore these places, you can walk through rooms and peer through slits in the wall, or drop pennies from the battlements (I’ve done it, admit, but please don’t!). So my third proposition is that people must ‘attend’ the building, to keep it functioning as a castle.

It’s important to note that all true castles, including the Tower of London and Windsor, have a strategic positioned. Castles serve as a means to expand power and influence. The Tower of London, officially known as the H.M. Royal Palace and Fortress, is located on Tower Hill, so the building controls the Port of London and all access roads leading to the City’s key markets. To this day it controls access to London's financial institutions. In this respect, The Tower remains ‘the fortress of London.’ The castle is situated on slightly elevated ground (a hill) so it dominates the land and all surrounding buildings. If you’re familiar with the game of chess, you’ll know that the rook controls a column called a “file.” (The rook is also known as the “castle” chess-piece, but rook is the proper name for the piece and the word comes from the Persian rukh that means tower). Similar to a rook in chess, the Tower of London controls access points, routes, and arteries. My next proposition is that a building can only serve as a castle if it controls access points, routes, and arteries.

The Saxons constructed the first Tower of London on a site previously utilized by the Celts, and then Romans, for defensive purposes. This piece of land had been of strategic importance since the Bronze Age (2000 B.C.), serving as a military, administrative, and residential hub. The Saxon placed a fortified headquarters here, and their H.Q. had dual purposes, both offensive and defensive. The building was planted here to control, calm, and serve the local residents, and also become a base for military operations. They put their chieftain and his army inside. The key take-away is that a castle is only classified as such when it serves as a private fortified residence. As a matter-of-fact, a castle is only considered such if it still has a resident “Lord”. When nobody lives in a location, it transforms into a ruin. If the residents of the building are only peasants and workers, even though the building might still resemble a castle, it will not be, but instead will be considered a fortified settlement or walled town/city. That’s probably why they house high-ranking individuals in significant castles such as Windsor, the H.M. Tower of London, Hillsborough, Balmoral, Blair, etc. so these buildings remain, in every true sense, living castles. Anyway, a tower will require a resident ‘Lord’ to continue to be termed a castle.

The final proposition is that castles always begin life as a hill. And the 'special' hill will be worth protecting at all costs. Eventually, a clever individual will construct a lookout at the top of the strategic hill. Consequently, the “high-ups” (the Lord and his family) will have an expansive perspective over the area they wish to govern, surpassing what they’d typically see by standing on their tippy-toes. The purpose of a lookout tower was to provide a view of approaching armies or visiting merchants. By keeping an eye on the tides, the winds, or the comings-and-going of people, the ‘high-ups’ could tell when it was a good time to set sail, bring the livestock in, or harvest their grain.

Back in the Iron Age (800 B.C.), controlling a lookout tower on a prominent hill would have brought great wealth, status, and prestige. Naturally, it would have been important to maintain the hill-fort hill to keep away undesirables. The first step would be to dig entrenchments around the fort and install fences around the perimeter to ensure the public — and enemies — stayed away from the economically valuable hill. If you were wealthy, you'd construct a building on that hill, complete with a roof, potentially creating a haven for your family and your closest friends. If your son was born on the hill, he’d be considered “highborn.” From their outpost on the hilltop tower, the Lord and his son would survey their lands. From this highest point, they'd send signals and messages. And from their gates, they'd send-out armies, or welcome-in guests.

Locations such as Castle Clinton in Battery Park, New York, and the Castillo de San Marcos / Fort Matanzas in Florida, or perhaps Fort McHenry in Maryland, along with a few other American monuments, almost meet the criteria to be considered 'true' castles, though with one minor quibble: are these buildings still residences and 'works in progress' ? Or are they merely museums and historical landmarks?

Let me know your thoughts.