The walls of the Great Hall are a bit of a mystery. The big question that remains unknown is whether they were bare for all of its life or did they have some sort of wood panels.

It is possible that they may have had a coat of arms displayed on them along with some paintings, carpets or tapestries hanging there.

Lighting would have been pretty primitive too, the walls would have held simple candles made of animal fat and also wooden torches. The torches were usually pieces of highly resinous larch or pine wood, 10-15 cm long and cut into flat or rectangular strips, often impregnated with wax.

Rush Dips were also used as lights. These were tapers made out of the stalks of rushes which had been dipped in melted fat and then dried. The rush dip was then placed into a receptacle called a 'Nip'. It provided a weak light which lasted about half and hour.
Wood torches would have been primative. They may have been slightly more elaborate like the image to the right, however they would more than likely just been a piece of wood with a rag soaked in fat, similar to viking torches or those seen in moves like Indiana Jones.
HUNTERSTON CASTLE
© 1999 - 2021