Barnard Castle
The town takes its name from the castle built by Bernard de Billiot and extended by his son of the same name. In between them they put up an effective rock castle in the second fifty percent of the twelfth century, strongly located on a rock above the River Tees.
Today the castle is a substantial but extremely crippling pile. It has an outstanding 4 baileys, all walled in rock during the duration of both Bernards. From the community of Norman arc – once part of a lodge – introduces the northern external bailey, referred to as the Town Ward. Much of its drape still stands in addition to the vaulted undercroft of the Brackenbury Tower. The southerly external bailey increases the dimension of the castle however its defenses are currently fragmentary.
Found to the west of the Town Ward exists the inner bailey’s ditch and drape wall surface, accompanied by two towers created by the Beauchamps.
Accessibility to the inner bailey involves travers and after that making a sharp right turn, going across a deep, rock-hewn ditch.
This complex series of defenses showcases an advanced layout for the 12th century. Upon entering the internal bailey, the noticeable Balliol Tower, or maintain, stands out, prolonging from the curtain wall surface. This cylindrical ashlar tower, although an early enhancement to the castle, may have the second Bernard, that lived up until 1199.
The keep, although not completely different from the rest of the castle, is taken into consideration rather deceptive. It came from the missing out on solar at the initial flooring, a duding triangular spur is not for protection but functions as a splitting up. Regardless of these factors, the maintain is the only intact area of the castle and features a distinct domed safe on its ground floor.
