In a castle, what was a garderobe?
Garderobe In Latvian, it means "checkroom". Garderobe Garderobe is a historic term for a room in a medieval castle. The "Oxford English Dictionary" gives as its first meaning a store-room for valuables, but also acknowledges "by extension, a private room, a bed-chamber; also a privy". Its most common use now is as a term for a castle toilet. "Garderobe" derives from the French word for "wardrobe", a lockable place where clothes and other items are stored. According to medieval architecture scholar Frank Bottomley, garderobes were "Properly, not a latrine or privy but a small room or large cupboard, usually adjoining the
Garderobe seen in Norman and medieval castles and fortifications, for example at Bürresheim Castle in Germany, where three garderobes are still visible. They became obsolete with the introduction of indoor plumbing. A description of the garderobe at Donegal Castle indicates that while it was in use, it was believed that ammonia would protect visitors' coats and cloaks from moths or fleas. In European public places, a garderobe denotes a cloakroom, wardrobe, alcove, or armoire used to temporarily store the coats and other possessions of visitors. In Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian, the word can mean a cloakroom.