Anglo Saxon Landscapes During the Norman Conquest

The advent of the Normans in the latter half of the eleventh century substantially transformed The Anglo-Saxon ways of living. Architecture and gardening were attributes that the Normans excelled in, trumping that of the Anglo-Saxons at the time of the occupation. But before centering on home-life or having the occasion to consider domestic architecture or decoration, the Normans had to subjugate an entire society. Most often constructed upon windy summits, castles were basic structures that permitted their inhabitants to devote time and space to offensive and defensive strategies, while monasteries try this site were rambling stone buildings frequently placed in only the most fecund, extensive valleys. The serene practice of gardening was impractical in these dreary bastions. Berkeley Castle is most likely the most intact model in existence today of the early Anglo-Norman form of architecture. The keep is said to date from William the Conqueror's time. As a method of deterring attackers from tunneling beneath the walls, an immense terrace surrounds the building. One of these terraces, a charming bowling green, is covered grass and flanked by an aged yew hedge trimmed into the figure of crude battlements.