21. The Trebuchet

This wooden construction is a replica of a trebuchet; a medieval siege engine that takes the form of a giant catapult, and which was once used to attack enemiesin their own castles. Using gravity, a trebuchet could send a projectilewith great force, speed and accuracy over, or even through, a fortified stone wall quite some distance away. In medieval times it is said that rotting animal carcasses or even human remains could be hurled at the enemy, causing terror and, of course, spreading disease.

This is a fully working replica, and, on special occasions, a team of eight people load the box and activate the sling. When the trebuchet is used today, it hurls missiles that may look like a stone but are, in fact, artificial. This particular trebuchet is based upon one at Caerphilly Castle, and was acquired by Cardiff Castle from the set of the film ‘Ironclad’. It was installed here in 2009. The trebuchet is mostly made of green cedar, an oily wood that requires little in the way of preservative, whilst the pivots are made of oak.

By the fifteenth century, gunpowder was increasingly used in warfare and trebuchets such as this became obsolete but, in their day, they were fearsome and powerful weapon of war.