INTRODUCTION

Architecture during the Medieval Period played a significant part in peoples lives, especially religious buildings. Materials for buildings such as houses would include Wattle and Daub, a mixture of mud framed with wood. Bigger buildings such as Castles were first made of wood, but as people realised this was open for attackers to set it on fire easily, they switched to stone which was more expensive but more sensible. Stone couldnt burn and it was strong and sturdy, reducing the chances of a building collapsing to a very low risk. Churches, Catherdrals ect..., were also made of stone. Every Town and Village was expected to have at least one church. The better the looking the church was, the richer the Town or Village would be. People devoted their lives to religion, which made it imperitave that Churches and Cathedrals looked as splendid  with beautiful carvings and colourful stained glass windows showing scenes from the bible. Below are several different types of architecture used in the Middle-Ages.

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WATTLE AND DAUB: Wattle and Daub was commonly used for buildings in Villages and Towns. The basic shape of the building was made using wooden frames linked together. Then it was covered in a mud like paste to keep it together. This is an early form of cement.

ROMANESQUE: Tornai Cathedral, Belgium (left) is a cathedral built in the 12th century in the Romanesque style. This style was smooth and easy to look at. Desgins were usually arches and domes.

GOTHIC: Reims Cathedral in France, (left) is a typical example of Gothic Architecture. This style replaced Romanesque architecture round about the 13th century. Gothic styled buildings were much more decorative and beautiful to look at. Finishing a Cathedral is this style could take more than 100 years! Other examples of this style include Notre-Dame in France and Ely Cathedral in England.

STONE BRICK: Bodiam Castle in England, (left) is made from stone and sits on a lake. Most Castles started as fortresses purely for housing soldiers and weapons. Later on they became extravagent homes for the nobility such as Knights and Barons and their family. Arrow slits can be found in castles, where archers shot arrows from them. A moat ran around the castle so attackers could not cross. A drawbridge was lowered otherwise. The moat was filled with waste and was very poisinous.