Sight of Castles
Kenneth Adams
Entrance to Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire England -Courtesy- English Heritage
As you approach the staircase you see the narrow entrance to the bulk of brick,
you can’t help but look up. As you go you can easily see the impressive scale of the place
and to think that it is all connected. That is when you notice; the opening into the
courtyard. The courtyard is important; it is used for the gathering of the residents of the
complex. It feels secure to stand amongst the large brick edifices. People moving through
the courtyard look up as they enter. Just like you did.
Goodrich Castle Courtyard -Courtesy- English Heritage
The green far in the distance on the other side of the courtyard looks startling
against the red bricks, seeming to emphasize the closed nature of the space. The sound of
a helicopter echos off the walls so that you can’t tell where the origin of the noise is
overhead. It is probably due to the sheer size of the space.
Yes, the Engineering Quadrangle at the University of Kentucky is a fortress to
engineering, connecting most all of the engineering majors into one place. With Tau Beta
Pi showing their support of all engineers by placing their symbol in the public courtyard.
The exclusive feeling and grand scale all seem to talk to the role of engineering, how
being an engineer allows you to work in such a large structure and create one as well. The
castle has long been know as fortress for defending a fiefdom. But most castles are placed
for more than strategic military purposes but castles are also used to show power of the
lord that lives there to the inhabitants of the land around the castle.
“The castle…was a residential fortress, the residence of a lord, and in that sense
was private as opposed to communal or public… Castles…are the perfect architectural
expression of feudal lordship of which they were the conscious symbol of the substance.”
(Wheatly, pg. 24)
Engineering Quad entrance at night-Courtesy- University of Kentucky, Engineering Department
The defenses previous to castles used to be hill-forts, hills carved to provide
defense of an area, and Roman forts. Both were open to public compared to the castle.
The hill-forts were occupied as needed for defense of the region by the local militia.
Roman forts were built for communal use by the Roman military. So that the soldiers
could have a safe permanent dwelling in a newly occupied territory. This means that both
hill-forts and Roman forts had a purely militaristic use and origin. (Wheatly)
Likewise most buildings around UK’s campus are designed for a purely
educational purpose and they are all exposed compared to the enclosure the Quad creates.
The engineering facilities have gradually closed in forming the courtyard as the
university’s engineering program expanded. Many extras structures have been added too.
Such as the Tau Beta Pi monument and the concrete pillars in the main entrance. These
are not necessary for education. Showing the extra resources that the Engineering
Department can devote to projects for the Quad.
Since castles are used as a show of power and dominate the landscape.(Wheatly)
The Engineering Quad appears to fill the same role. The complex is large and you must
go around all seven buildings or go through the courtyard. So the Quad has a large
presence and it requires some navigation that is not typically required by other buildings
in UK’s campus. Those who frequent the buildings, engineering faculty and students all
understand where everything is at and which building is which. In addition to knowing
how to move through the buildings to access an adjoining building. This makes the space
belong to those people, the engineers.
So the large presence is that of the engineers’ and their building. It is similar to a
castle sitting a top a hill. The large building leads people to wonder who owns it and
everyone in the area knows who it belongs to. So if you ask anyone can tell you. This is
the same for the Quad. Upon your arrival at UK a large brick building is sitting in the
middle of UK’s campus with a courtyard and poses the question, “What is that?”. The
response is typically, “The Engineering buildings” and they are often surprised that you
don’t know about the Quad. That is the same as you if wondered who the name of a
castle, the locals know all about it. So the Quad can easily represent the presence of the
university’s engineering program like a castle representing a lord’s presence on a piece of
land.
***Works Cited***
English Heritage. English Heritage. e.h., 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012
University of Kentucky. University of Kentucky College of Engineering. uky, Web.
26 Oct. 2012
Wheatly, Abigail. Idea of the Castle in Medieval England. Woodbridge, 2004.
books.google.com Web. 7 Oct. 2012