Castle Rushen - Make-up of The Castle

Make-up of The Castle

The keep of Castle Rushen's first line of defence is an outer wall, 25 feet (7.6 m) high and 7 feet (2.1 m) thick. Attached to the wall are five towers, which in the post-defensive era of Castle Rushen saw use in civilian, administrative, functions. The keep itself has walls 12 feet (3.7 m) thick at the base and 7 feet (2.1 m) thick at the top. Four towers sit atop the keep, the main in the north rising to a height of 80 feet (24 m) and other three to around 70 feet (21 m).

The entrance to the keep is protected by a drawbridge and a fortified inner gatehouse entrance with two portcullis with a killing area in between covered by three so-called murder holes through which the defenders could attack any intruders trapped between the two portcullis. On either side of the gatehouse are located guard houses, which were converted into prison cells in the later history of the castle. When on duty the garrison would spend most of their time in the gatehouses. Inside the gatehouse is a lower level with a tide mill for grinding corn. The castle also included a medieval chapel, housing Castle Rushen's clock mechanism. The still functioning Castle Rushen clock is a notable landmark in Castletown, having been presented by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1597, while she controlled the island during a dispute. The outer parts of the castle is protected by a moat and a glacis, with the glacis originally extending as far as the moat, around the entire land front of Castle Rushen.