3 ms·

> They were an essential defence mechanism, as they allowed the castle to be organized when facing an ambush. How do you "ambush" a castle? Perhaps TFA meant "

• michaelt 2y ago
  One of the key features of a portcullis is because it drops into the closed position under gravity, it's very fast to close. Opening it is slow and involves a winch. That's in contrast to another iconic medieval castle feature, the drawbridge, which drops into the open position, and closing it involves a winch. And in contrast to simple doors, which are reasonably fast to both open and close, with no winches required, and which are widely used to this day. Presumably the article's authors then asked themselves under what circumstances a castle would need something very fast to close - faster than a door or drawbridge - and concluded it was for surprise attacks.
  • chasingthewind 2y ago
    I seem to recall that some drawbridges could be counter weighted and have supports that could be removed quickly that would then free the counterweight and close the bridge immediately.
• triceratops 2y ago
  Macbeth can tell you how.
• zardo 2y ago
  You sneak up at night, maybe with a few key people paid off ahead of time.