154 
remains of the large oven for the garrison bakery being seen on the 
right hand, the pretty little sazifraga dactilactyla growing about the 
grass-covered ruins, the vaulted kitchen with its smoking chambers 
for bacon curing and curious angular smoky shafts—the domestic 
offices being overhead ; the laundry and inner room, where the lord 
took refuge in times of danger, and was enabled to communicate 
with his garrison through a square hole in the North wall opening 
into the dark passage between the walls above, called the Braose 
gallery, on any matter connected with the defence or internal 
arrangements of his household. Passing through these into the 
Inner Ward, the well in the centre, about 4ft. in diameter and 
20ft. deep, Mr. Drane said had been cleared out and some rounded 
stones found at the bottom. One of the members (the Secretary) 
suggesting that owing to the Castle being built on drift gravel 
such stones might naturally be expected to occur there, Mr. 
Drane said there was evidence of their having been artificially 
rounded. The large Guest Hall on the left hand or South side, 
covered over by a modern wooden roof in 1871 by the Marquis 
of Bute, was next visited, measuring 73ft. by 35ft. and 30ft. high. 
It must originally have been a very fine structure, lighted on the 
North side by its four elegant windows, traces of ball flower 
moulding beneath ogee arches still remaining, indicative of its 
date. To the West were the female state apartments ; to the 
East the Chapel, now in ruins, with a cellar beneath; on the 
South a door lead through an arched passage defended by a 
portcullis to the Watergate, the passage being sufficiently large to 
admit of the boats being drawn up there for protection when 
needed. Remains of filleted shafts resting on heads as corbels, 
formerly supporting the roof timbers, still adhered to the North 
and South walls—date 14th century. Returning to the Inner 
Court, the Western Gate house was passed through to the outer 
defence, or Horn Work, to which access was gained across the 
dividing moat by a double drawbridge. Two pretty little windows 
high up in the towers on each side still remained intact, owing to 
he 
