Trim Castle
Trim Castle, Trim, County Meath, Ireland has an area of 30,000 m². It is the remains of the largest Norman castle in Europe. It was built primarily by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter.
It was England's King Henry II who encouraged Hugh de Lacy, his first Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, to construct castles. Henry perceived Richard de Clare, also known as "Strongbow", who led the Norman invasion of Ireland, as a threat to the throne, and wanted to keep his rival in check. Trim Castle became de Lacy's base. From here, he could guard movement along the River Boyne, receive supplies directly into the castle from the port of Drogheda and control the region as far west as Athlone, which overlooked the River Shannon.
After withstanding an assault on the castle by Connaught's High King, Rory O'Connor, in 1173, de Lacy recognized the weaknesses in the ringwork's timber defences. He swiftly embarked on a building programme that ultimately converted the simple stronghold into a formidable enclosure castle. In its final form, Trim Castle consisted of a triangular curtain wall, its southernside fitted at intervals with D-shaped towers. The blocky Dublin gateway and barbican also faced southwards, towards Ireland's capital city. The main gatehouse bisected the western curtain wall, and the now ruined eastern side, which commanded the river, supported the royal mint, three square towers, an impressive great hall and storage facilities. Two watergates opened to slipways and allowed access to the river below.
Planted inside the ringwork castle's earthen embankments, Trim's imposing Norman keep exacts attention. A variant of the classic rectangular keep, this massive cruciform building is the only one of its kind in Ireland. Centred by a 23m high square core that stretches 19.8m across, the remarkable structure featured four square towers, each of which projected outwards midway along each side. When completed, the great keep was three storeys high, contained living quarters with fireplaces, a chapel and a hall on the third floor which was accessed by a wooden stairway.
A deep ditch carved from the underlying bedrock provided a substantial obstacle to any enemy attempt to undermine the keep. Direct assault was possible only if attackers managed to breach the heavily defended main gateway, cross the drawbridge that spanned the ditch and then storm the forebuilding, which opened into the first storey of the keep.
It was England's King Henry II who encouraged Hugh de Lacy, his first Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, to construct castles. Henry perceived Richard de Clare, also known as "Strongbow", who led the Norman invasion of Ireland, as a threat to the throne, and wanted to keep his rival in check. Trim Castle became de Lacy's base. From here, he could guard movement along the River Boyne, receive supplies directly into the castle from the port of Drogheda and control the region as far west as Athlone, which overlooked the River Shannon.
After withstanding an assault on the castle by Connaught's High King, Rory O'Connor, in 1173, de Lacy recognized the weaknesses in the ringwork's timber defences. He swiftly embarked on a building programme that ultimately converted the simple stronghold into a formidable enclosure castle. In its final form, Trim Castle consisted of a triangular curtain wall, its southernside fitted at intervals with D-shaped towers. The blocky Dublin gateway and barbican also faced southwards, towards Ireland's capital city. The main gatehouse bisected the western curtain wall, and the now ruined eastern side, which commanded the river, supported the royal mint, three square towers, an impressive great hall and storage facilities. Two watergates opened to slipways and allowed access to the river below.
Planted inside the ringwork castle's earthen embankments, Trim's imposing Norman keep exacts attention. A variant of the classic rectangular keep, this massive cruciform building is the only one of its kind in Ireland. Centred by a 23m high square core that stretches 19.8m across, the remarkable structure featured four square towers, each of which projected outwards midway along each side. When completed, the great keep was three storeys high, contained living quarters with fireplaces, a chapel and a hall on the third floor which was accessed by a wooden stairway.
A deep ditch carved from the underlying bedrock provided a substantial obstacle to any enemy attempt to undermine the keep. Direct assault was possible only if attackers managed to breach the heavily defended main gateway, cross the drawbridge that spanned the ditch and then storm the forebuilding, which opened into the first storey of the keep.
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