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What is a portcullis used for?
(especially in medieval castles) a strong grating, as of iron, made to slide along vertical grooves at the sides of a gateway of a fortified place and let down to prevent passage.
What is the definition of a Barbican?
: an outer defensive work especially : a tower at a gate or bridge.
What is a gatehouse in a castle?
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance.
How were portcullis opened?
Portcullis fortified the castle entrance and were winched into place by the gatehouse guards, the chains or ropes were pulled which raised the Portcullis along vertical grooves built into the stone at either side of the entrance.
What is Donjon mean?
Definition of donjon : a massive inner tower in a medieval castle — see castle illustration.
Why did medieval castles have drawbridges?
The Drawbridge was needed so that inhabitants of a medieval castle could easily get in and out of the castle, however the main purpose of the Drawbridge was that it provided a way to stop enemies attacking the castle and prevented siege weapons being pushed towards the castles walls and gates.
What is a rampart in a medieval castle?
In fortification architecture, a rampart is a length of bank or wall forming part of the defensive boundary of a castle, hillfort, settlement or other fortified site.
What is the gate of a fort called?
Since then, the portcullis has been a moderately common motif of English heraldry, especially that heraldry dating from the Tudor period. The heraldic office of Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary, a junior officer of arms in the College of Arms at London, dates from this period.
Which is the best definition of a portcullis?
Definition of portcullis. : a grating of iron hung over the gateway of a fortified place and lowered between grooves to prevent passage.
How did a portcullis work in a castle?
Every portcullis was mounted in vertical grooves in the walls of the castle and could be raised or lowered quickly by means of chains or ropes attached to an internal winch. Portcullises had an advantage of gates in that they could be closed immediately at a time of crisis by a single guard.
Are there any working portcullises in the UK?
In England, working portcullises survive at the Tower of London, Monk Bar, York and Hever Castle, Kent and at the hotel conversion, Amberley Castle. In Scotland, there is a working portcullis at Edinburgh Castle .
What kind of gate is a portcullis made of?
Portcullis. A portcullis (from the French porte coulissante, “sliding door”) is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.