136 Essay on Caerphilly Castle. 



into a broad and lofty gate-honse, and terminated at either extremity by 

 clusters of towers that materially diminish the danger of being outflanked. 

 The whole is preceded by a broad and deep moat, supplied by a river, and 

 crossed by a drawbridge. The length of this facade is about three hun- 

 dred and sixty-two feet, its height is extremely variable. 



It will be convenient to consider this front under three principal divi- 

 sions, which we shall designate as the gate-house, and the lines of the 



NORTHERN and SOUTHERN CURTAINS. 



The GATE-nousE is not exactly in the centre, but is nearer 

 Gate-House. to the northern flank; its line of front does not coincide with 

 those of the curtains, the plan being somewhat irregular. 



Moat and The moat, about sixty feet wide, and of variable depth, is 

 Draw-bridye. crossed by a double draw-bridge, that is to say, there is a 

 great pier in the middle, from one end of which a bridge could 

 be dropped upon the semipier on the field side, while from the other end a 

 similar bridge fell towards the fortress. By this contrivance the central 

 pier could be readily converted into a sort of isolated barbican, and being 

 about twenty feet high, and twenty feet broad by thirty long, with a bold 

 salient on either side, would form a very respectable outwork. 



The distance from the central to the outer pier is nineteen feet, from 

 the central pier to the portal eighteen. 



The gate-house is a lofty oblong building, fifty feet in breadth 

 Gate-Jtouse by thirty-five in depth, and about sixty high ; it is perforated 



proper. below by the vault of the portal, but rises above into one 

 broad tower. The lateral portions of the gate-house project 

 six feet beyond the portal, and form the northern and southern lodges. 



The portal, nine feet eight in width by twenty in height, was defended 

 by gates, a portcullis, and a stockade ; two loops on either sides command 

 it, and just within these a door leads into either lodge : the lodges measure 

 twenty feet by ten, are floored with timber, and furnished with fire places. 

 Each of them, besides the two loops looking inwards, has one in front 

 towards the bridge, and that on the north has twOj that on the south one, 

 looking in a contrary direction along their respective curtains. The outer 

 walls of these chambers are nine feet thick. 



Passing onwards through the gate-house we arrive upon a 

 Gate-home plot of swar(^ behind it, which will be mentioned as the terre 



Tower. plein. On our right hand are two doors in the wall of a tower, 

 into which the northern part of the gate-house is prolonged 

 westward. 



From the first door, a hexagonal well stair, nine feet in mean diameter, 

 ascends to a number of apartments upon two stories, and terminates in 

 a quadrangular turret. In the lower story are chambers for working the 

 portcullis and other defences of the principal and a subordinate portal, and 

 a small fire place and oven, apparently for heating pitch, lead, &c. for the 



