The great hall and basement, the Keep interior Castle Rising.

Just think the owners sat in the middle arch with all their wealth only to dish out orders and see guess.

The great hall was the most important room in the whole castle. This was the public room where feasting took place and where the lord entertained. The recess in the wall on the south is the thrown niche where the lord sat his, presents commanding the whole room. The rare feature was copied by William De Albini II from the royal castle in Norwich it is difficult to imagine now what the hall would have been like in its heyday for the floor joists can still be seen and an originally the walls would have been plastered or decorated with wall hangings, there is no fireplace but the fire would have been on a great stone slab in the centre of the hall and this in turn probably rested on a bed of sand to prevent damage to the floor.

The hall was where the Lord would entertain his guests and household and conduct his business although drafty now we should imagine the hall snug and befitting a man of rank such as William De Albini the II or Edward the III at a time of a medieval feast with shuttered windows, a roaring fire, richly decorated walls and with food, wine and music.

Over the centuries the hall has seen many changes. the most visible of these is the side passage that leads to the kitchens, this was cut through in the 16th century, probably to aid movement around the rooms on this floor.

greathallinsidethekeepCastlerising1138AngloNormanArundeCastle Rising CastleEarlWest NorfolkWilliamarchitecturalarchtitecuralbritishbuildingbyd'Aubigny IIenglandenglishkingslynnmedievalnobilitynorfolkoldvillage