Forts, Fortifications, Citadels etc.

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Further to rochie 's post. When the Normans arrived in 1066 they quickly set about building a fortress at Durham 70 miles North of York. Durham was a site of pilgrimage to St Cuthbert, the most revered of the Ionian (Celtic) saints, he died in 687, after hundreds of years of Viking raids the peninsula formed by the river Wear was chosen as a place of safety. William Ist decided to build a cathedral and castle as a statement to the population of North England and Scotland. "We own your land, we own your places of worship and we own your saints". The cathedral (pic 1) is now the finest example of Norman architecture in Europe, Not only was it built quickly and on an epic scale, apart from the central tower being added, it is largely unchanged from how it was built. The castle (pic 2) started with a typical Norman "Motte" a tower on a mound, starting with wood, and changed to stone. It has been gentrified over the years, initially it wouldnt have had glass windows but arrow slits.

If you visit you dont get any sense of a fortification but it is as can be seen in image 3, bridges have been built and the front facade looks like a Cathedral itself, but all that glass is comparatively recent, originally you couldnt get to the place any way except from the front and that was a solid wall as imposing as the Tower of London (pic4) The last pic is one of the few I found that give the impression of a fortification, most look like it was just built to be pretty.










 
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