Why Were Medieval Blacksmiths Considered Magical? | Secrets Of The Castle | Timeline

The team delve deeper into the secrets of the skilled communities who built medieval castles. The stonemasons working on the castle walls are dependent on blacksmiths, whose metalwork was magical to the medieval mind-set.

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[mikereger]

YouTube is sometimes like a time capsule.

Documentaries like this, which might otherwise be lost, are being freely preserved for our enjoyment and education. Thank you for helping keep this series, it is well worth it.

[SoloAdvocate]

"Secrets of the Castle" did not prepare me for how much information would actually be in this series. This is easily one of the best I have ever watched

[larrysorenson]

In the mid 1960’s I studied at the Versailles Palace. At that time the sandstone blocks were showing surface deterioration. To correct that, each block was carefully removed one at a time. The joints were sawn out using long thin metal blades until all sides of the block were loose, except the back if course. The block was then shimmed and wiggled until it would eventually slide out leaving the empty pocket. The old stone, approximately, two feed deep, was set on a table next to a new matching piece of the same sandstone. Then young Portuguese stone cutters would hand chisel an EXACT duplicate using dividers, chisels and mauls. The only difference was that each stone was exactly a saw blade width larger than the original. The surface carving could be simple and flat or heavily carved. Whatever it was, they duplicated it. Then the new block was slid precisely back into position leaving no joint space whatsoever. It was a friction fit; no mortar was used. Then on to the next stone. The work was astonishing.

[holdenkindervater]

im a apprentice stone mason, 24, I re watch every segment of this series to learn from the masons. im currently re bulding a old home that has not been lived in in 80 years! no power or pluming have ever touched it. i found news papers in the door frames from december 1880 so i think it was built in the summer of 1880. we just re built a 3' wall today just like they built castles! they used very big stones on the farm houses! they had there kids help them for sure.

[bigPapabear]

I've seen the recent pictures of the site. It looks amazing. Its scheduled to be finished in three more years. Every last person involved in this project should be proud.

[macdameron]

The time and care presented in this series will encourage me to, in the words of Peter, "When ever I see a ruined castle, I wont be looking at the building itself. I'll be looking at the hundred craftspeople who were involved with that project. The thousands of hours of labor that went in to make it." This was truly remarkable. I feel saddened that there isn't more yet heartened that I can watch it again. I think I will always gain new insights watching this.

[brianxx]

One more skilled worker is the lord's cameraman.

[inkoftheworld]

I love this series!

Man, that oven was insane, lmao. Considering some of the other areas they seem more advanced, the oven relatively seemed more primitive? But perhaps the way they actually used it at the time wasn't as crazy as the way they did in the video. And the blackened bread was hilarious. I like how they laugh when they fail instead of getting emotional and frustrated...

[rohitisrealviewer]

It is so delighting to see them share a meal together and being close to each other. This kind of companionship is what makes life beautiful.

[GameDevNerd]

People who write stories based in a Middle Ages time period should watch this show. This has been an invaluable resource for me, personally. In most fantasy and historical fiction they portray commoners as having much easier lives than in reality, and having luxuries only the wealthy possessed (like peasants burning candles and fighting with swords).

[VarnasL]

You can't get any better with documentaries than this, down to earth charismatic bunch talking about everyday life.
This is what I always expected from history, not just politics! <3

[aldenheterodyne]

This is my entertainment. I've watched like 10 of these this weekend. I'm not a nerd, you're a nerd.

[gudgo]

I love this series on Medieval Castles. They answer all the questions I have always had about how people built and lived in them. Awesome stuff. Thank you all.

[theSnakeDoctor]

As a PM of a Masonic Lodge, I appreciate the clear distinctions of modern Free Masons and the architect of the crafts origin. A lot of false facts about Masonic Lodges get tossed around these days. Also really enjoyed the video. I am a builder too, so it is always fun to see different ways, or how modern ways evolved since 1000+ years ago. Good luck in your adventures!

[jkorshak]

Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. And that one sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that’s what you’re going to get, Son, the strongest castle in all of England.

[cynicalrabbit]

I must point out that as the stones grind the grain, they're also grinding each other. So along with the flour you're getting at least a small amount of stone dust, and occasionally small bits like sand. This wears the teeth of those that ate the bread.
Later fine screens were introduced to ensure the bread for the lords table used a finer flour with less sand sized grains. The peasants still made do with the rougher flour that did have sand sized bits of stone in it.

[markbernier]

No idea if anyone still reads comments, but, I have a greater appreciation of the progress in making steel. Using modern, relatively, only around a hundred years old, axes and adzes which cut so much cleaner and deeper than what is shown here. The blacksmith truly was magical.

[PaulKlinger]

I love the vibrational feed mechanism on the mill; so similar to modern industrial machines, and using the roughness of the millstone to generate vibrations is genius!

[mose]

Wish I could be involved in a project like this.

[Twzzlrs]

These two, Ruth and Peter, and as well Alex, have lived through so many life times! What a 21st century way to live and experience. I've enjoyed these time travelling series so much, esp the War Time farm as my grandad lived through that back in the 40s! Amazing documentaries, the best of anything Historic England :)