The kitchen of the Castle was always situated near to the inner bailey so that the cooks could serve the food quickly to the Baron before it became cold.

You will see part of the daub has been left off the walls to reveal the wattle construction. You will also notice a hole in the roof which allowed the smoke to escape.  The food would have been served on slices of stale bread which would have been used as platters.

You will also see a selection of wild game, fish and vegetables, which would have formed part of the diet of the Normans.

Outside the kitchen you will see a hazel frame which was used by the Castle inhabitants as a "clothes-dryer".  On wet days a fire would have been lit within the frame to assist the drying.  Hawthorn bushes were also grown in the Castle for the same purpose.

The garden would have been well-stocked with various plants and produce, supplying the alchemist with herbs for medicinal cures and the kitchen with herbs and vegetables for cooking.  Herbs from the garden would be used mainly in the Baron's food, with the peasants' diet being very basic.

A catapult like this would be able to fire a missile weighing 56lb a distance of 200/300 yards.  The catapult in the Castle would have been in a permanent position directed at the ford crossing the river below the Castle.

Armies attacking the Castle would have built a catapult on site and moved it towards the Castle mounted on rolling timber trunks pulled by oxen.