Secrets of the Castle

archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn set to work learning the skills of the medieval stonemasons to construct a beautiful spiral stair case Every stone is marked out using the most closely guarded knowledge of the medieval castle builders geometry Meanwhile historian Ruth Goodman lays a rush floor and commissions clay cooking pots and an oak grain arc to store their wheat and barley

Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn discover the secrets to building a castles defensive structure and explore the art of medieval combat Learn about the craft behind the weapons they had to resist from launching medieval missiles with a trebuchet to making and using one of the most feared weapons of the age the crossbow

Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn enter the surprisingly colorful world of medieval interior design The castles we see today are scarred by centuries of warfare and weather erosion Most of their original roofs carpentry and interior finishes have long since disappeared In their heyday however they were lavishly decorated

Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn discover how every aspect of construction at Guedelon castle requires masons blacksmiths and carpenters coordinate their efforts From making and sharpening tools to processing wood and securing timber scaffolding on the castle walls the team delves into the secrets of the skilled craftspeople who built medieval castles

As the teams time at Guedelon Castle in France draws to an end historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn look at the castles place in the wider medieval world Thirteenthcentury Europe was a busy developing connected place where work trade pilgrimages and crusades gave people the opportunity to travel across the continent and beyond