Two Questions in a Castle

^ Guy's Tower of Warwick Castle through a battlement

The visit to Warwick Castle was an enlightening one. I have a penchant for old buildings and history. For that matter, I have read books about fortresses and Roman bath, etcetera. So I literally ran around the castle with great gusto, clicking and clicking my camera.

And there I went around by what was left of the moat, taking glimpses of the fortification the castle afforded the Earl's soldiers in guiding the building. The weather was misty which just helped fan my imagination. I went into different positions to assume how I could storm the castle from its weakest point if I had been the commander leading the invading army.

Soon afterwards I was on the other bank of the river flowing between two meadows which visitors were forbidden entry. But there I was, enthusiastically taking pictures in the drizzling rain.

Of course I climbed up the towers. And here comes the first question.

If you've ever climbed up a tower of similar measure and architecture, you know that the steps leading up the towers are narrowly cascaded. When you go up, it is in the clockwise fashion. Why?

^I would be later on venturing into the opposite bank closed to visitors. Here I was having flown a long way to UK, with the camera on hand, facing a beautiful scenery, with no one around. So I had no choice but to do as my freewill dictated.

The answer to the first question is that when the invasion army went up the tower, it would become harder for them to fight right-handedly. On contrary, it would be easier for the garrison soldiers to chop the invaders' arms and heads off going down the castle in an anti-clockwise fashion. Also, it would be difficult to see when going up the narrow stairs and keeping on turning right. ^The garden down below the chambers of the masters and mistresses in the high-rising medieval stone building within the castle.

The second question is, why do we call a wardrobe wardrobe? Yes, it originates from the French word Garderobe. But why?

The answer can be found here.

Comments

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