GoldenEraPics

🔍 Exploring the world’s greatest historic sites | 🏰 From ruins to royal courts | 📚Fun facts & hidden tales every day

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🏰 MANOIR DE LA SAUCERIE
📍 Normandy, France

Built between the 15th and 17th centuries, the Manoir de la Saucerie is a rare fortified manor house in Normandy, blending medieval defensive architecture with early Renaissance design.

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🏠 THE SMALLEST HOUSE IN GREAT BRITAIN
📍 Conwy, Wales

Measuring just 72 inches (1.8 m) wide, this tiny red house on Conwy's quayside is officially the smallest house in Great Britain.

Remarkably, it remained a home until 1900 and is now a Grade II listed landmark.

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🏰 WALSINGHAM PRIORY
📍 Norfolk, England

Once known as "England's Nazareth," Walsingham was one of medieval Europe's greatest pilgrimage sites, drawing royalty and commoners alike for nearly 500 years.

Henry VIII destroyed it in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

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12/ BLAISE CASTLE TODAY

The surviving castle remains one of Britain's finest Gothic Revival follies.

Its round tower, turrets, battlements, Gothic openings and limestone construction perfectly capture the Romantic era’s fascination with medieval architecture.

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11/ ROOF VIEWING PLATFORM

Above the tower lies one of Blaise Castle’s most famous features.

The roof platform provides panoramic views across:
-Bristol
-Avon Gorge
-Severn Estuary
-South Wales
The viewpoint was a key purpose of the entire structure.

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10/ INTERIOR CHAMBER

Inside is a compact circular chamber contained within the central tower.

-Curved internal walls
-Stone construction
-Minimal decorative ornamentation
-Access to upper viewing levels
The interior was designed for visitors rather than long-term residence.

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9/ ENTRANCE ARCHWAY

The entrance is framed by a pointed Gothic arch.

Architectural details:
-Dressed limestone surrounds
-Symmetrical composition
-Medieval-inspired proportions
It creates an imposing first impression despite the castle's decorative purpose.

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8/ GOTHIC WINDOWS

Small Gothic-style openings punctuate the stone walls.

Features:
-Pointed arches
-Deep stone surrounds
-Narrow proportions
They reinforce the illusion of a medieval fortress while allowing light into the interior.

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5/ NORTH TURRET

One of three projecting turrets attached to the main tower.

Features include:
-Circular form
-Narrow slit-style openings
-Crenellated top
-Decorative medieval appearance
These turrets enhanced the castle’s romantic silhouette rather than its defenses.

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7/ BATTLEMENTS

The castle is crowned by crenellated parapets.

Architectural elements:
-Alternating merlons and embrasures
-Continuous stone parapet
-Elevated viewing platform
These battlements imitate genuine castle defenses but were built purely for appearance.

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6/ SOUTH TURRET

Mirroring the other corner turrets, the south turret creates balance in the castle’s design.

Its projecting form adds vertical emphasis and reflects the Gothic Revival fascination with medieval military architecture.

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4/ CENTRAL ROUND TOWER

The heart of Blaise Castle is its circular central tower.

Architectural features:
-Cylindrical plan
-Built from local limestone ashlar
-Thick masonry walls
-Battlemented parapet

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3/ THE SHAM CASTLE

The structure visible today is a Gothic folly designed to imitate a medieval fortress.

Architectural features include:
-Circular central tower
-Three projecting turrets
-Crenellated parapets
-Local ashlar stone construction
-Limestone dressings

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2/ A CASTLE OF WEALTH

Blaise Castle was completed in 1766 for wealthy Bristol merchant Thomas Farr.

Designed by architect Robert Mylne in the Gothic Revival style, it wasn't built for war—but as a status symbol, showcasing Farr's immense fortune from transatlantic trade.

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🏰 Blaise Castle
📍 Bristol, England

Overlooking the Avon Gorge woodlands, Blaise Castle is one of England’s most famous Gothic follies.

Built in 1766 as a decorative landmark rather than a true fortress, it was designed to resemble a medieval castle ruin

Let’s explore 🧵👇

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17/ LEGACY TODAY

More than 750 years after its construction, Balvenie Castle remains one of Scotland's greatest medieval ruins.

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1/ 🏰 Balvenie Castle
📍 Dufftown, Moray, Scotland 🇬🇧

Rising above the River Fiddich, Balvenie Castle is one of Scotland's finest medieval fortresses—a mighty 13th-century stronghold that later evolved into an elegant Renaissance residence.

Let's explore 🧵👇

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16/ THE STAIR TURRETS

Several stair turrets remain visible within the ruins.

These narrow spiral staircases connected different floors while minimizing the space required inside the walls.