The Castle — Its Architectural Features. 5 



entrances to the Castle, are to be seen long holes cut 

 in the walls, to receive sliding beams, by which the 

 doors were barricaded across. About nine feet from 

 the door the passage divides, the branch on the left 

 hand leading to the ground floor, and the one 

 in front to the staircase. By the former the visitor 

 enters a small chamber, limited in its dimensions 

 by the thickness of the wall, and from which he 

 passes into the large chamber on the ground floor. 

 This is vaulted by a loft}^ arch, beneath which there 

 was an intermediate floor of wood. The under floor 

 was divided by a partition wall into two apartments. 

 The upper chamber, evidently reached by a ladder, 

 was lighted by a window at each end, and had a door 

 of communication with the small chamber above 

 referred to. 



The staircase leading to the Great Hall has a peculiar 

 arrangement. It is a corkscrew stair, and after ascend- 

 ing about ten feet by a couple of revolutions, it suddenly 

 comes to a stop, when, turning abruptly to the left, 

 another staircase begins, by which the ascent is com- 

 pleted. If the first stair had been continued upwards. 



