Castletown, Isle of Man - Rushen Castle 1903 - Frith repro postcard

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  Castletown, Isle of Man - Castle Rushen in 1903
• Publisher:  Francis Frith Collection [repro series from the c.1980s]
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Castle Rushen (Manx: Cashtal Rosien) is a medieval castle located in the Isle of Man's historic capital, Castletown, in the south of the island. It towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. The castle is amongst the best examples of medieval castles on the British Isles,^[1] and is still in use as a court house, museum and educational centre.

There is a certain degree of conjecture regarding the actual commencement of construction of the original fortification. A receipt of payment from the King of Wales to the King of Mann for oak timber used in construction of a castle bears the date 871.^[2][3] Bishop Wilson dated the construction to have commenced in 960, as a result of the discovery of pieces of timber during alterations.^[4][5] Therefore the castle cannot be dated to the nearest 50 years, although it is highly probable that the latter date refers to some subsequently erected addition to the early fortification, and not its original foundation. Further and more substantial construction is thought to have taken place during the reigns of the late 12th century and early 13th century rulers of the Isle of Man - the Kings of Mann and the Isles.^[6] The last such king, Magnus Olafsson, is recorded in the Chronicle of Mann to have died at the castle in 1265.^[7] The original Castle Rushen consisted of a central square stone tower, or keep.^[8] The site was also fortified to guard the entrance to the Silverburn River. From its early beginnings, the castle was continually developed by successive rulers of Mann between the 13th and 16th century. The limestone walls dominated much of the surrounding landscape, serving as a point of dominance for the various rulers of the Isle of Man.^[9] By 1313, the original keep had been reinforced with towers to the west and south. In the 14th century, an east tower, gatehouses, and curtain wall were added.^[8] Although parts of the castle were destroyed by Robert the Bruce in 1313, the damage was rebuilt by William Montacute, King of Mann by the year 1344.^[10]

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 were used for 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 one in the north rising to a height of 80 feet (24 m) and other three to around 70 feet (21 m).^[10]

The entrance to the keep is protected by a drawbridge and a fortified inner gatehouse entrance with two portcullis with a killing area between them 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 its time in the gatehouses. Inside the gatehouse is a lower level with a tide mill for grinding corn.^[11] 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,^[12] having been presented by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1597, while she controlled the island during a dispute.^[10] 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.^[12]

type=printed postcards

theme=topographical: british

sub-theme=isle of man

county/ country=isle of man

number of items=single

period=1945 - present

postage condition=unposted