How to Build Model Castles

Castles provided shelter and protection for rulers and their people for thousands of years. They are an important part of world history and beautiful examples of sophisticated design. Building a model castle can teach you a great deal about castle architecture and the people who inhabited them. Follow these basic step-by-step instructions and you can build a beautiful and realistic model castle.

Draw the floor plan of your castle on a large, sturdy piece of cardboard or plywood. Include all details such as towers, gates, and exterior defenses such as moats. It might help to take a look at real castle floor plans and pictures of castles.

Select cardboard tubes for towers and cut them at the appropriate length. Attach the cardboard tubes to the appropriate locations on the floor plan with wood glue. Allow the glue to dry before constructing any other portion of the castle.

Connect the towers with walls cut from pieces of thick cardboard. Measure the distance between towers and cut accordingly. Before attaching walls between towers cut out battlements (the alternating square pattern on the top of castle walls). Glue walls to the towers and add masking tape to strengthen.

Build conical roofs for the towers by twisting sheets of construction paper on themselves. Attach the resulting cones to the tops of the towers with glue.

Construct the main gate with a tall, rectangular cardboard box. Cut a hole in the box for a castle gate. A single, rectangular piece of cardboard can serve as a drawbridge.

Decorate the castle by painting it. For further realistic detail cut small doors and windows into walls and towers. Place Lego men and women around the castle to serve as guards.