The keep towers over the walls
surrounding the inner bailey with King's Gate in
the centre of the picture.
Built under Henry II , the inner bailey
is surrounded by the inner curtain wall which was probably
begun in 1185. The bailey may be entered from the south
by Palace Gate, or from the north by King’s Gate, both
remodelled in the 1850s to their present form. Within
the gates the bailey is dominated by the massive square
bulk of the keep.
Against the eastern and southern walls
of the bailey stands a complex of buildings, which were
reconstructed and given new facades to serve as barracks
after 1745. The quarters for officers were distinguished
with round headed windows, while those in the soldiers’
barracks were square. These buildings are essentially
mediaeval in plan and in the walls that separate the
various blocks. They were originally residential apartments
for the King and his household, and, with the accommodation
in the keep formed the royal ‘palace’ within the Castle.
One of these blocks is on the site
of Henry III’s great hall, finished in 1240 and known
as Arthur’s Hall. The plan and the walling up to the
present (considerably raised) ground level are preserved.
The original doorways, which once gave access to the
kitchens, are visible at the south end of the hall.
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