Gatehouse

High school (ages 12+)
Making & Design

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gatehouse

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key defensive elements?Inclusion of features such as portcullises, murder holes, drawbridges, and flanking towers
2. Why were gatehouses built?They were built to keep attackers out and to protect the most vulnerable point of a fortification. A small group of defenders could stop a larger army at the gate.
3. How did gatehouses change over time?Early gatehouses were simple towers. Later they grew more complex with twin towers, many portcullises, and special openings to drop missiles. When guns appeared, walls became thicker and angled to resist cannon fire.

Machicolations: Projecting parapets with openings through which defenders could drop missiles or liquids.
Curtain Wall: A defensive wall connecting towers and other fortifications around a castle or town.
Siege Warfare: Military tactics involving the encirclement and attack of a fortified place over an extended period.