Secrets of the Castle

Secrets of the Castle

5 Episodes

The team takes part in the medieval construction project at Guédelon Castle in Treigny, France. During their stay there, they reveal what kind of skills and crafts were needed to build a castle in the 13th century, by using the techniques, tools and materials of the era.

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Secrets of the Castle
  • Secrets of the Castle - Ep1

    Episode 1

    The team arrives at Guédelon, in the Burgundy region of France, to join the world’s biggest archaeological experiment - a 25 year project to build a medieval castle from scratch, using only the tools and materials available in the 13th century.

  • Secrets of the Castle - Ep2

    Episode 2

    A look at the ingenious features medieval castle-builders came up with to withstand attack from an ever more formidable array of siege engines.

  • Secrets of the Castle - Ep3

    Episode 3

    The surprisingly colourful world of medieval interior design. The castles that we see today are in fact scarred by centuries of decay. Most of their original roofs, carpentry and interior finishes have long since disappeared, but in their heyday they were lavishly decorated.

  • Secrets of the Castle - Ep4

    Episode 4

    The team delve deeper into the secrets of the skilled communities who built medieval castles. The stonemasons working on the castle walls are dependent on blacksmiths, whose metalwork was magical to the medieval mind-set.

  • Secrets of the Castle - Ep5

    Episode 5

    A look at the castle’s place in the wider medieval world. 13th century Europe was a busy, developing, connected place, where work, trade, pilgrimages and Crusades gave people the opportunity to travel across the continent and beyond.