A Tale of Two Towers

A tale of towers, moats and castle beds Kids love our castle-shaped cabin beds and towers. In fact, our customers tell us that the castles often provide the setting for fairy tales involving kings, knights and battles at bedtime! Sound familiar? If your little ones love being the king or queen of their very own castle, why not share some of these fun castle facts with them? Towers Towers are defensive structures that were built into castles as vantage points, helping to spot the advancing enemy at a distance. European castles typically have two towers flanking the gate for protection, which is why our cabin bed towers sit perfectly next to the bed ladders! Castle towers come in different shapes, which are suited to particular purposes. Square towers are better for storage, while round towers perform better under siege, protecting the castle’s structure from attack by cannons. The castle gates A fortified main gate is a key feature of a castle and these gates were the first things to be remade in stone when wooden castles were rebuilt. As the main point of entrance, the castle gates were a weak point in the castle structure and subject to attack. For this reason, separate gatehouses were developed, which controlled the flow of traffic and worked alongside towers to help oversee any blind spots. Moats Moats were originally built as a line of defence and not all were filled with water. Tales of dragons and other creatures inhabiting moats helped ward of unwanted visitors and the moat itself made it harder to use siege weapons like battering rams to attack the castle. The word moat comes from the French ‘motte’ for mound or hillock. Why not make your own moat out of carpet or coloured paper to fit around your castle bed? Feeling royally inspired? You can enhance existing beds with the help of our add-on towers. There are hundreds of castles in the UK, many of which are open to visitors. Why not plan a family day out and learn more about the history of castles? English Heritage lists all of the castles it manages on its site here. Where is your family’s favourite castle? Is it in the kids’ bedroom or a little further afield? Share our tips below!