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Whether on the mote, inside the walls of the keep, or as a separate building, the living space of a castle were very basic. The hall, was a large one room structure with a loft ceiling, the hall was sometimes on the 1st floor, but sometimes it was raised to the second story for greater security. Early halls were ailed like a church, with rows of wooden posts or stone pillars supporting the timber roof. …

…was the first to be rebuilt in stone. The transformation of the gatehouse into stone protected it from attack by fire, but also from other kinds of assault. Putting the gatehouse near a moat, keep, or other towers gave it more protection. Most of the time, a tower was built into the gatehouse. Earlier gatehouses were small square towers, with doorways at the middle of the bottom story. Bibliography Encarta99 Life in a Middeval castle