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Secrets of the Castle

Season 1
Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold go back in time a few hundred years - figuratively, at least - as they learn how to build a medieval castle using only tools, techniques and materials that were available in the 13th century. It is an extensive project, which is part of a large archaeological experiment expected to take 25 years to complete
20145 episodes
TV-14
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Episodes

  1. S1 E1 - Why Build A Castle?
    November 18, 2014
    59min
    13+
    Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold turn the clock back to learn the skills of the medieval castle builders - by joining the largest archaeological experiment in the world. Although Britain has some of the finest remaining castles of the medieval period, many of their secrets have been lost in time.
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  2. S1 E2 - Defending The Castle
    November 25, 2014
    59min
    13+
    This week historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn discover the secrets to building a castle's defensive structure, and explore the art of medieval combat
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  3. S1 E3 - Inside The Castle
    December 2, 2014
    59min
    13+
    Ruth, Peter and Tom enter the surprisingly colourful 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. But in their heyday they were lavishly decorated.
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  4. S1 E4 - The Castle's Community of Skills
    December 9, 2014
    59min
    7+
    The team delve deeper into the secrets of the skilled communities who built medieval castles. The stonemasons working on the castle walls are dependent up on blacksmiths, whose metalwork was magical to the medieval mind - set, and upon carpenters employing sophisticated geometry.
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  5. S1 E5 - Beyond the Castle Walls
    December 17, 2014
    59min
    ALL
    As the team's time at Guedelon Castle in France draws to an end historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn look at the castle's place in the wider medieval world. Thirteenth-century Europe was a busy, developing, connected place, where work, trade, pilgrimages and crusadesgave people the opportunity to travel across the continent and beyond.
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Details

More info

Content advisory
Violence
Audio languages
English
Subtitles
English [CC]
Directors
Stuart Elliott, Lindsay Hill, Blythe Tinker, Giulia Clark
Producers
David Upshal
Starring
Ruth GoodmanPeter GinnTom Pinfold
Studio
All3 Media
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