I have always wondered what represents the red door in the back the yellow castle. Is it the door of the dungeon? In this case, the set is only one half of castle, because this dungeon door opens on outside. If it is an external door, it is strange: the boards of red wooden are quite thin to protect people, compared to the real drawbridge! Two gates on a sigle castle, that's not secure!!! I have never seen a similar back thin door on pictures of real castles, then I have never found an aswer on the Web.
Most castles had more than one entrance. The big main gate with the drawbridge and portcullis was big enough for mounted knights and wagons. There were also several smaller doors called postern gates which were only big enough for one person at a time. They usually opened into a long corridor or small room so a few soldiers could hold off a big army if they had to.
Postern gates were for convenience, it was just too difficult to move supplies and firewood through the whole castle to get back to the kitchens. They also made it possible to be supplied during a seige, unless the attacking army divided their forces to guard the smaller gates.
Caernarfan Castle in Wales has 3 postern gates in addition to the 2 main gates. Harlech Castle, also in Wales, has 2 postern gates as well as the main gate.
Yes, I know postern gates, as small hidden and discrete gates. I have thought of that about the yellow castle, but I didn't think this double door -- as broad as the drawbridge!! -- is for a postern. But maybe you are right! I still don't know...
I think they added the red doors to the set to include as much play value as possible. If you rebuild the castle with your own design you might not want a drawbridge but just such a massive (well, as massive as those doors are able to look...) castle gate. Plus when you open up the castle at the hinges you get something like a townwall (if you add some more bricks to it for completion). A town has more than one gate.
Jojo wrote:I think they added the red doors to the set to include as much play value as possible. If you rebuild the castle with your own design you might not want a drawbridge but just such a massive (well, as massive as those doors are able to look...) castle gate. Plus when you open up the castle at the hinges you get something like a townwall (if you add some more bricks to it for completion). A town has more than one gate.
I think the idea of it being a castle gate is a pretty good one. Furthermore we see a similiar yellow castle structure in set 1592 ( http://library.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=489 ) - perhaps the Yellow Castle was made so it could be modified into a town setting?
-Lenny
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"The sound of laughter is like
the vaulted dome of
a temple of happiness. "
~-Milan Kundera-~
So, it would be a dungeon gate, the dungeon being the back hight tower (with two floors of crenels and small windows). In this case, the castle is one half of a castle, it is only made to be seen of front...
Jojo wrote:I think they added the red doors to the set to include as much play value as possible. If you rebuild the castle with your own design you might not want a drawbridge but just such a massive (well, as massive as those doors are able to look...) castle gate. Plus when you open up the castle at the hinges you get something like a townwall (if you add some more bricks to it for completion). A town has more than one gate.
I think the idea of it being a castle gate is a pretty good one. Furthermore we see a similiar yellow castle structure in set 1592 ( http://library.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=489 ) - perhaps the Yellow Castle was made so it could be modified into a town setting?
-Lenny
Nice explanation. The doors could be for the mailman.
