Round Stone Keep Castles

The round keep, is astles with round towers, the typical castle of the beginning of the Early English period. It succeeded the square and shell keeps during the long reign of Henry II.
The round keep is more closely related to the square keep than to the shell keep. Most of the round keep castles examples stand on natural foundations, whether on the level or on rocky prominences.

It is in fact a cheaper and less commodious variety of the square keep, losing due to the limitations implied by the round plan, but gaining immensely in the passive strength and in the possibility of using the domed vault instead of timber as a roof. The limitations in respect of accommodation mattered less, as most of the castles built in the period had separate residential buildings, and the round keep was needed only for defensive purposes.