How are castles heated?

Castles weren't always cold and dark places to live.

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. The hall would also have had tapestries which would have insulated the room against too much cold.

Are castles hard to heat?

Although beautiful to look at, life in a medieval castle wasn't always a fairy tale. Thick stone walls, tiny unglazed windows and inefficient open fires made the classic castle something of a challenge to keep warm.

Why are castles so cold?

Most castles were built on the top of hills or overlooking natural harbors. Both of these locations tend to suffer from extremes of weather such as high winds and driving rain. The result is that castles are generally cold and damp.

How were medieval houses heated?

Hypocausts were heating systems that distributed the heat from an underground fire throughout a space beneath the floor. The heat was absorbed by the floor and then radiated into the room above.

Was it cold living in a castle?

It Was Very Dark And Extremely Cold

This led to giant fortresses of stone with small and narrow windows. The stone wasn't exactly conducive to letting heat in and the small windows let in very little of the sun's light, leaving most rooms in the castle extremely dark and cold.

What Life Was Like In Medieval Castles

Do castles have rats?

Rats and other vermin flourished inside the walls of medieval towns. Castles — designed to withstand a siege — often contained stores of surplus grain, vegetables, and herbs. Along with their cool, dark interior, these stores provided a superb habitat for rats and mice.

How did they keep castles clean?

There was particular way in which to 'clean up' oneself, rubbish had a designated place, floors were swept or kept free from too much debris, and rushes or floor coverings were used especially if they were not tiled or flagged. 3. Medieval women living in castles didn't just sit around gazing out of windows.

How did Knights stay warm in the winter?

They'd Wear (Even Wet) Wool

During medieval times, men, especially outlaws, would keep warm in the winter by wearing a linen shirt with underclothes, mittens made of wool or leather and woolen coats with a hood over a tight cap called a coif.

Did castles have air vents?

The natural ventilation inside the castle was achieved through five main elements: the large pool in the garden at the front, the fountain located on the ground floor, the two ventilating chimneys and large wet sheets hung beneath the ceilings of the various rooms on the upper floors.

How did Tudors keep warm?

A poor Tudor house might have a hole in the wall for a window, and possibly wooden shutters to keep the heat in. They had to sleep on straw beds or straw mattresses with little blankets to keep warm. There was no such thing as heating oil at this time. The family used what power they had to keep warm.

How did toilets work in castles?

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. Even better, waste went directly into a river as is the case of the latrines of one of the large stone halls at Chepstow Castle in Wales, built from the 11th century CE.

How did they shower in medieval times?

Although medieval people didn't bathe in the morning, they used an ewer and basin to wash their hands and face when they woke up. The same equipment was used for handwashing throughout the day.

How often did Royalty bathe in the 1500s?

Clean water was hard to get but even those, who had access to it, rarely bathed. It is believed that King Louis XIV bathed just twice in his lifetime. Not just him, Queen Isabella of Spain bathed once when she was born and once on her wedding day.

Where did servants sleep in medieval castles?

Most domestic servants would have slept in shared chambers in either the cellars or attics of the castle buildings. There might also be simple buildings outside the castle for herdsmen, mill workers, wood-cutters, and craftspeople such as rope-makers, candle-makers, potters, basket-weavers, and spinners.

Does anyone 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 castles have windows?

Windows in a real castle are rarely seen below the top floor, although they have been added in later times in many castles. Renaissance windows were added to many medieval castles. Early windows were not large, and often were not glazed.

Why was there straw on castle floors?

They were used in all areas of the house, including kitchens, dining halls and bedrooms. 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.

Are castles cool in summer?

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.

How did Romans heat their floors?

The Hypocaust system of the Romans worked using the principle of heated hot air which was generated by burning fires. A system of hollow chambers was constructed between the ground and the bottom of the rooms to be heated. Hot air that rose from the fires would flow through these chambers and heat up the rooms above.

How did Vikings survive winter?

The skill of ice skating was necessary for winter survival and travel. With many of the lakes and water frozen in the areas of the Northmen, it was popular for people to ice skate, and it became a spectator sport, a way to have fun in the cold.

How did knights go to the bathroom?

While wearing all that, a knight desperate for the toilet would have most likely needed the assistance of his squire to lift or remove the rear culet, so that he could squat down.

Were medieval houses warm?

Medieval houses were poorly insulated and subject to constant cold drafts. The fireplace did not always suffice to heat peasant houses.

Where did Medieval peasants poop?

Smaller residences made do with a bucket or “close stool” over a basin, either of which was emptied daily. They were usually carried to one of the streams that emptied into the nearest river and emptied into the water.

What did a Medieval village smell like?

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.

Why did people stop bathing 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.