Recently we directed you to an explanation of the Stately Home vs. a Manor House, because you want to be accurate in describing the mansion you are going to buy. Number One London is continuing the series with the information you need to distinguish a castle from a palace, although the terms are not altogether mutually exclusive. And the terms apply mostly in Britain, where such edifices flourished in the medieval period. In America, a man's home is his castle, and a woman is queen of her palace.
A castle in the classic sense was built as both a home and a military installation to defend the home. A palace is where the king and/or queen lives, although the term has also come to be used for the biggest and fanciest homes for upper nobility and clergy, and in modern times, the president of some countries. Palace is not an English term, and has been used around the world. There are a lot more details within these definitions, and you'll find the particulars of each of these terms, and the many exceptions throughout history, at Number One London. -via Strange Company
(Image credit: Antony McCallum/WyrdLight.com)
