Sight of Castles
Kenneth Adams

- Entrance to Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire, England,
Courtesy: English Heritage
As you approach the staircase you see the narrow entrance to the bulk of brick, you can’t help but look up. As you go you can easily see the impressive scale of the place and to think that it is all connected. That is when you notice; the opening into the courtyard. The courtyard is important; it is used for the gathering of the residents of the complex. It feels secure to stand among the large brick edifices. People moving through the courtyard look up as they enter. Just like you did.

The green far in the distance on the other side of the courtyard looks startling against the red bricks, seeming to emphasize the closed nature of the space. The sound of a helicopter echos off the walls so that you can’t tell where the origin of the noise is overhead. It is probably due to the sheer size of the space.
- Goodrich Castle Courtyard overlooking the Herefordshire countryside.
Courtesy: English Heritage site
Yes, the Engineering Quadrangle at the University of Kentucky is a fortress to engineering, connecting most all of the engineering majors into one place. The Tau Beta Pi monument shows the prestigious fraternity’s support of all engineers by placing their symbol in the public courtyard. The exclusive feeling and grand scale all seem to talk to the role of engineering, how being an engineer allows you to work in such a large structure and create one as well. Historically, the castle has long been know as fortress for defending a fiefdom. However most castles are placed for more than strategic military purposes but castles are also used to show power of the lord that lives there to the inhabitants of the land around the castle.
According to the British historian David Armitage “The castle…was a residential fortress, the residence of a lord, and in that sense was private as opposed to communal or public… Castles…are the perfect architectural expression of feudal lordship of which they were the conscious symbol of the substance.” (Wheatly, pg. 24) So the lord used the castle as an means to display his power. By the mere military power stationed at the castle and the more subtle use of architectural beauty. Turning the idea of the lord’s power over the land into an actual defensive structure.
The castle’s defense strategy differed from past forms of defense because of who the fort was meant to defend. The defenses previous to castles used to be hill-forts, hills carved to provide defense of an area, and Roman forts. Both were open to public compared to the castle. The hill-forts were occupied as needed for defense of the region by the local militia. Roman forts were built for communal use by the Roman military. So that the soldiers could have a safe permanent dwelling in a newly occupied territory. This means that both hill-forts and Roman forts had a purely militaristic use and origin. So rather than defending a group of residents. The castle’s design was to protect the interest of the lord as a primary concern. The castle’s greater political role than the construction a hill-fort or Roman fort. (Wheatly)
Likewise most buildings around UK’s campus are designed to be open and every communal. Most buildings are also for a purely educational purpose with very little decorative architecture. The arts buildings have architecture that is very open and engaging for the public. Not enclosed or part of the enclosure like the Quad. Most of the buildings are stand alone and can easily navigated once inside. The engineering facilities have gradually closed in forming the courtyard as the university’s engineering program expanded. Creating a large interconnected complex for all engineering majors. This leaves no separation between the engineering majors and creates a conglomerate of engineering. Many extras structures have been added too. Such as the Tau Beta Pi monument and the concrete pillars in the main entrance. The design of the Quad and the Quad’s use of monuments shows the interest and focus of the Engineering department.
Since castles are used as a show of power and dominate the landscape the Engineering Quad appears to fill the same role. (Wheatly) The complex is large and you must go around all seven buildings or go through the courtyard. The Quad has a large presence and it requires some navigation that is not typically required by other buildings on UK’s campus. Those who frequent the buildings mostly the engineering faculty and students all understand where everything is and which building is which in addition to knowing how to move through the buildings to access an adjoining building. This makes the space belong to those people, the engineers.
Therefore the engineers’ building has a very large presence. It is similar to a castle sitting a top a hill. The large building leads people to wonder who owns it and everyone in the area knows who it belongs to. This is the same for the Quad. Upon your arrival at UK a large brick building is sitting in the middle of UK’s campus with a courtyard and poses the question upon the sight of such a large building, “What is that?”. The response is typically, “The Engineering buildings” and locals and current students are often surprised that you don’t know about the Quad. That is the same as you if wondered who the name of a castle, the locals know all about it. Accordingly the Quad can easily represent the presence of the university’s engineering program like a castle representing a lord’s presence on a piece of land.
The Engineering Quad 