The fashion for polygonal keeps began towards the end of the twelfth century (1160 onwards). The trend for this new type of keep began in Europe and was soon copied in England by Henry II. Polygonal castles were designed to overcome some of the problems with the square versions. Because there are many more sides there are less blind-spots meaning defenders could see attackers approaching from any angle. Polygonal keeps are more difficult to undermine. Most of these keeps are roughly circular or geometric in shape. Some are hexagonal or even octagonal. Some have enlarged buttresses into which rooms and staircases are built. As with square keeps polygonal keeps have the main halls at the centre of their designs.

Shown on the left and above is the polygonal keep at Orford Castle. This castle was built on the order of Henry II in 1165.

When seen from above the shape of the keep becomes apparent. A roughly circular core with three square turrets. The section at the bottom shows the position of the forebuilding with the main entrance and portcullis. The forebuilding extends only up to the first floor. The main staircase, shown as a segmented circle, extends from the basement to the top floor of the castle.

The lowest of the six floors is the basement and this was used for storage. There are two main halls in the keep and each hall spans two complete floors. Entrance to the keep is via a doorway with portcullis and lobby built into the forebuilding on the first floor. The chapel is located on the second floor above the main entrance, also built into the forebuilding.

Go to next page to see each floor in detail