The English heritage Trust has done a remarkable job of restoring the inside of the Great Tower and recreating a medieval atmosphere.

The main entrance to the Great Tower is through a forebuilding, over an internal drawbridge, then up a flight of steps. Here’s the entrance through the forebuilding, taken from within the inner bailey, that is, from within the interior defensive walls:

This model will help you understand the layout of the interior of the Great Tower; compare it to the photo, above, taken from the same perspective.

The top floor contains the King’s Hall (right) and his Chamber, that is, his bedroom (left). The floor below the top floor contains the Guest Chamber (left) and the Guest Hall, that is, the banquet room (right). Below that floor, essentially, the basement, and out of view in the model, is the Kitchen and Brewery. The forebuilding consists of the three short towers to the right of the entrance door.

Here’s the King’s Chamber. Lucky for us, he was in residence when we visited (of course, neither the King, his Lady, nor the furnishings are original).

And here’s the King’s Hall, where the King would receive visitors.

We didn’t go into the Guest’s Chamber, but here’s the Guest’s Hall with a group of students being instructed on medieval etiquette.

And, finally, the Kitchen.

And now, we’ll leave the Great Tower and exit through the Palace Gate on our way to the Roman lighthouse and the Church of St. Mary-in-Castro.