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Why do castles have moats? |
Buildings & Structures
A moat is a big trench or ditch that surrounds a castle or other building. Usually we picture them filled with water, but a moat can just be an empty ditch too! The reason they are there is to protect the castle.
When we think of castles, we usually think of big beautiful stone buildings with towers and drawbridges. They are very beautiful, but old stone castles were built to be strong fortresses. The high stone walls helped protect the people inside. The high towers gave archers (the people who use bows and arrows) places to stand and use their weapons if anyone was attacking.
Moats helped too! Many soldiers had swords and rode horses. If they were attacking a castle, a big hole in front of them would be a big obstacle! It would slow the attackers down, especially if they had to swim. This gave the people inside the castle more time to protect themselves.
Design Your Castle!
Imagine that you were a king or queen living hundreds of years ago, when there were still knights that wore suits of armor. Imagine that you were designing a castle that you want to last so long that people alive in modern times could come visit it. Grab a piece of paper and draw what it would look like.
How would the design of the castle protect it? Are the walls high? Is there a moat? Are there big windows or small ones? Is there a secret escape tunnel if you need to get out of there quickly? Are there trap doors? Get creative, and don’t forget to design yourself a very comfortable throne room (and any other fun rooms you think your castle should have!)
