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Safe Inside a Castle
story and photographs by Diana Noonan
In stories, castles are magical places where
princesses sleep for hundreds of years and knights
ride off to fight dragons. But castles were real
places, too. They were built to keep people safe from
their enemies.
Castles were built in places that were difficult for
enemies to reach. Some were like islands,
surrounded by water. Others were built on top of
steep hills.
Castles were made of stone, with thick walls, so they
were too strong for enemies to break down. They
were too steep and tall for soldiers to climb over.
On the highest point of a castle's walls, guards
kept watch for enemy soldiers. Often these guards
sheltered in sentry boxes.
At the first sign of attack, soldiers closed the big
castle gates and ran to the top of the castle's walls.
Here, there were holes that a soldier could shoot
through with his bow or gun.
On the inside of the wall, the holes were wide
enough for the soldier to move about while he took aim. On the outside, they
were narrow. This protected him against the enemy soldiers who were shooting
back.
The castle gates were well protected, too. Above the gates were places where
the people inside could drop stones, hot water, and hot oil onto the soldiers
trying to break in. Behind the gates, holes were built into the wall for soldiers
to shoot through.
Hundreds of years ago, people and animals would shelter inside the walls of a castle in times of danger.
Now, castles aren't used in that way, but they are still lots of fun to visit!
Source: School Journal Part 1, No 2, Learning Media, 1995
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Safe Inside a Castle
This task is about reading to find information.
Use the information in the article ‘Safe Inside a Castle’ to complete the chart below. Write notes for
each heading.
CASTLES
a)
1.
Where were castles built?
b)
1.
2.
2.
3.
4.
How are castle walls different from
the walls of a house?
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c)
How did the soldiers inside the castle
fight back against their enemies?
d)
1.
1.
2.
2.
What did the castle protect?