Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/44

 INTRODUCTION MODIFICATIONS OF appears to have been painted the alternate stones of different colours, like a chess-board and in order to carry this idea out the masonry was frequently plastered. This may perhaps have been a tradition from the Saxon times, when the wooden buildings then in use were undoubtedly painted externally. In all the civil buildings of the period (twelfth century) there are abundance of characteristic Norman mouldings and enrichments, corre- sponding in style with the ecclesiastical edifices of the same date. The Norman style of castles continued till the close of the twelfth century. In that century considerable advancement had been made in the military art. During the Crusades the soldiers of the West had been taught many valuable lessons in the East, and in particular the use of improved military engines for the attack and defence of places. From about 1150 there were introduced powerful machines for throwing great stones, strong cats, or sheds on wheels, for defending the miners during their operations at the base of the walls, moveable towers for attacking the parapets of the curtains, etc. It was then found that the angles of the square keeps were weak, and presented a tempting point for the attack of the miners w T hile there were no flanking works to defend them. This led to the adoption of various modifications of the form of plan with the view of overcoming these de- fects. Of these modifications of plan we have a fine example at fitampes, between Paris and Orleans. This keep is built on plan (Fig. 1 8) in the form of a quatrefoil. The keeps of York and Warwick were also of that form. Sprint/in^ fffatktt FIG. 18. Chateau d'Etampes. Plan. Ktampes belongs to the latter half of the twelfth century. The details of the caps and bases of the columns of the upper story are of that