• Castles Click on a key word for more details, diagrams and pictures. Clear and easy to use.
• Castles of Britain Research link page from a larger site that allows you to investigate every element of castles. 
• Castles on the Web: Links, information, and many pictures.
• The Use of Castles from Essential Norman Conquest site
• Norman Castles outline descriptions and short sources from the excellent Spartacus schools site.

• Medieval Castles From the easy-to-use Medieval Times. Don’t forget to click on the further links at the bottom of the page. Good place to start.

• Take a quiz on Castles
• Ghosts in the Castle  One of the best places to find a virtual medieval tour is at this National Geographic's site. This is a site to enjoy. Different activities. Some easy, some hard. Follow Marcus the mouse around the castle, but as he is interactive, it may take time to load.
• Castles for Kids  Fun castle sites: these pages are devoted to you and Castles!

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2. Building a castle

     Castle Development:

• Architecture and castle design Useful site and images from medieval-castle.com
• Motte and Bailey Castle Basic information and a clear diagram
• Motte and Bailey Castles & Ringworks Good diagrams and photos for you to see clearly how they were built.
• Stone Keeps (based on Rochester castle)
• Concentric Castles
• Castle Builder A US site that leads you through information and research about medieval castles. 

• Build a Medieval Castle Build a Medieval Castle online.  No download, no installation, PC or Mac; just print from your web browser, then cut and paste in the real world!!
• Kids Castle. Explore a castle by clicking on a castle!!
• The Normans and Castle building. Detailed information about how castles were built and changed. Further information also available on castle features, terms and their decline.
• Use these links for clear information from the castles-of-britain site:
  • Building a Castle 
  • Motte and Bailey
  • Castles
  • Keeps
  • Concentric Castles
  • Building Materials
  • Decline of the Castle

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3. Castle Life

• Life in a Castle Professor Richard Holmes, a British military historian talks here about everyday life in a medieval English castle, giving a sense of how lords and ladies, archers and engineers, cooks and carpenters lived their lives behind castle walls. Useful site.
• Nobility - Kings, Lords, Ladies, Knights Page from the easy-to-use Medieval Times. Don’t forget to click on the further links at the bottom of the page. Good place to start. see also:
  • Troubadours 
  • Medieval Music
  • Festivals, Food, & Feasts
• Use these links for clear information from the castles-of-britain site:
  • Life in a Castle 
  • Life in a castle (2)
  • Bathing and Washing
  • Privy
  • Solars
  • Fireplaces
  • Kitchens
  • Food
  • Entertainment
  • Medieval Women
  • Medieval Jobs

• Knights Pages from the easy-to-use Medieval Times. Don’t forget to click on the further links at the bottom of the page. Good places to start. Sections on:
  • Becoming a Knight and the Code of Chivalry 
  • Weapons/Tools 
  • Coat of Arms, Shields, Heraldry 
  • Mythical Medieval Beasts 
  • Jousts & Tournaments
• Shields, Knights and Heraldry Free software to print out shields and the elements of heraldry to create your own coat of arms. Learn the terminology and history of coats of arms.

For links to the feudal system go to the Everyday life in the Middle Ages page.

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4. Attack and defence

• Medieval Siege. A variety of sites showing how castles were attacked and defended. Includes:
  • Destroy the Castle The trebuchet was one of the most devastating weapons of the Middle Ages. During medieval sieges, this destruction machine crushed castle walls. Using trial and error, medieval engineers adjusted the trebuchet to make sure its missile hit the castle wall—and destroyed it. You can do the same with this game!
  • Medieval Arms Race Describes the main weapons used to attack and defend castles.
• Attacking & Defending Good images.
• Use these links for clear information from the castles-of-britain site:
  • Castle Defences   
  • Medieval Siege   
  • Undermining   
  • Weapons   
  • Castle Provisions
  • Drawings   

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5. Individual castles

• Tower of London outline descriptions and short sources from the excellent Spartacus schools site.
• Tower of London A multimedia intensive site, but some excellent and stimulating material about the world's most famous castle. (Shockwave plugin required)

       Dover Castle:

• CastleXplorer - Dover Castle Straightforward simple history
• Dover Castle another basic history

Dover Castle and the Great Siege of 1216 From, "Dover Castle", The History of the King's
Works: The Middle Ages, 1963. Very detailed but the early part links well to Henry II.

• Rochester Castle

       Welsh Castles:

• Castles of Wales A well designed and presented site.  Clear images and maps together with extensive information and links, there is much of use here. 

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