Odd Details About Medieval Castles That Weren't In The History Books

Castles are magnificent. They stand atop high hills or difficult terrain to deter potential invaders, and they take years to design and build. And, thanks to fairy tales and Game of Thrones, you might think a castle's insides match the beauty and splendor of its outside. But the reality is that castle life included scenes unfit for even the most horrific movies, and these little-known details prove they were actually not very pleasant places to live.

What's That Smell?

Castles were smelly. With a general lack of running water and extreme difficulty in obtaining it, most servants and other lower-class residents couldn’t clean themselves. And the types of toilets they used definitely didn’t help.

The Porcelain Throne

Toilets weren’t fancy. When you needed to go, you’d likely have to do it on a wooden bench with a little hole in it. Your waste would fall into a vast poo pit or straight into a moat. Outside the bathroom, life wasn't much better.

HGTV's Best Tips

When you were using this gross, dirty toilet, you probably wouldn’t have any privacy either. Castle makers followed the HGTV network's sage advice and went with an open floor-plan. Unless you were a noble, you probably didn’t have a room to call your own.

Crowded Hallways

Generally, more than 100 people would live in a castle, meaning you’d never feel alone. There was so much square footage that needed to be maintained, so royalty required an enormous staff for upkeep.