Under Henry II, the Castle was totally
rebuilt, and the walls of the inner
bailey and the eastern part of the outer
curtain wall erected. Most impressive is the monumental
keep, built by Henry II's great architect, Maurice
the Engineer, in the 1180s, which stands at the heart
of a concentric ring of defences.
The keep was designed to serve many
functions: as a storeroom, occasional residence of
the monarch and his court, and perhaps most importantly,
as a stronghold. Throughout, the internal arrangement
of the keep is ingeniously designed. Its three-towered
fore-building, carrying the entry staircase and two
chapels, is an elaborate and magnificent approach
to the main apartments. The upper chapel, richly decorated
and reserved for the royal family's use, is especially
fine. The former royal apartments are still most impressive
in their monumental scale, despite having lost most
of their original decoration.
