TLC Forum

narniac101 wrote:How long does everybody think it takes to rebuild a ruined castle?

Depends on how many who work on it.

Many Medieval castles were built in a few weeks or months.

And here we are talking of rebuilding on a foundation already laid - might mean some clearing off of rubble to prevent loose foundations, but one year would probably be enough, at least to make it habitable or if Caspian had some hut in the throne hall until the roof was remade.

Some Cathedrals took hundreds of years, but there the questions were:

1) when shall we next time be able to pay builders
2) will builders be around when we have the money
and
3) when shall that proprietor agree to sell off his land to the Church?

As to last point, one did not actually force people off their houses in order to make public buildings back then. One waited. Purely technically, a cathedral could possibly have been built on one or two years, and it was more complex as a building than a castle. (I feel horribly Eustace about knowing this ... OK, not really mean the "horribly" part).

Benisse wrote:...1000+ years. I have, however, visited israel and Turkey and I can tell you in that amount of time the flora would have taken over the structure and I believe the real castle would be buried under a mound similar to the one over the stone table...

You mean if Narnia had a climate similar to Holy Land and Anatolia?

What if they were less hot, like growing apples? What if even Archenland was less hot?

In that case ... it was pretty overgrown as it was. Apple trees all over one court, ivy all over the walls.

As to "repeninsulating" Cair, it might be a question of building bridges - that way Centaurs would be able to ride all the way in SC while it remained an island as in PC.

I defnitely imagine Narnia more like my own country in terms of climate; mild, that is. Or maybe England; when you think of the heaths in the north, that's just like England & North of England or Scotland.
It would still be pretty overgrown at the very least, going by the rate things grow e.g. on new banks along railways around here. It takes a few years, but there was much more than enough time for Cair Paravel to gain a new cover of flora. And for roofs to fall down. As a random example I've observed myself, second-hand: There's an abandoned church somewhere in Snowdonia (Wales) my father took a photo of when he was there at the end of the 90s or early 00s; the roof was fallen down, but the beams were still there. When a friend of his visited maybe ten years later, maybe even less, the beams were already fallen, too.

I wonder if Roumania fits better in Narnia or in Archenland - or perhaps a pleasant cool spot in Calormen (has been under Turkey, most of it) ... they do have days with warm weather in December, it seems.

I understood that Caspian took the throne of the telmarines, and Cair Paravel was left alone.

He would have at the beginning of his reign, but at least part if not all of the Cair had been repaired by VDT (Aslan told Lucy and Coriakin that He was heading to Cair Paravel where Trumpkin was waiting for Caspian's return). If Cair Paravel had not been restored to its full glory by VDT, then it definitely happened once Caspian returned as it was back in full swing by SC.

I have a feeling that Narnia is a very temperate place, probably similar to England or Scotland in weather.

As to the amount of time that it would take and flora and fauna ect,ect overgrowing things we don't know how long it was between the Pevinsives left and Talmar invaded. It's very possible that Narnia remained under a sort of rule and the Cair was maintained for centuries before Telmar invaded. Perhaps the Ram the Great was great because he cared for both Narnia and Archenland? I also find it highly unlikely that the Penvensives would all go hunting for the white stag without leaving a regent who would establish some sort of rule. It's even possible, though unlikely since they never mentioned it, that given how long they were in Narnia /one/ of the four could have married and left an heir.

As to the rebuilding of ruins, I do think that the castle was in a much better state than it was in the movie, there were probably some wings that were still structurally sound and could be rebuilt. And it's not unknown to have massive building projects done quickly, such as the Nehemiah example and they would have magic to help out, Aslan could have even given some aid after the coronation.

Also it's very possible that the Cair was far from finished with the exception of some necessary rooms when VDT took place and the builders were more than happy to see Caspian off and have him out of their hair

Valid last point there, Tooky. (ACK! Plot bunny! What have you done, Tooky?!)

Lucy Took wrote:I have a feeling that Narnia is a very temperate place, probably similar to England or Scotland in weather.

Wonder if there is consistency even.

In MN and PC, Narnia seems to be warmer than England - but that might be because Digs and Polly and the four Pevensies arrived in another season than the English one.

On the other hand, summers don't seem to be all that rainy in Narnia, unlike England.

It's why it actually always felt a lot like Czechia to me! Which is, in fact, a bit weird considering it sits right at the sea, whereas my country lies more on the border between sea and continental climate...

But I do remember from the descriptions in PC that it seems most of the walls of the castle are still standing, just the roofs and maybe the tops of the walls are fallen down?

marmota-b wrote:Which is, in fact, a bit weird considering it sits right at the sea, whereas my country lies more on the border between sea and continental climate...

Quite so.

Perhaps CSL was not quite as eager as JRRT in carrying out consequences in detail, when it comes to geography and such.

marmota-b wrote:But I do remember from the descriptions in PC that it seems most of the walls of the castle are still standing, just the roofs and maybe the tops of the walls are fallen down?

Roofs fallen down, doors rotten. Walls standing (or most of them).