So we all see castles and palaces etc in contemporary TV shows and movies like Game of Thrones for example. However, I always feel we are missing a lot of what these structures would have looked like when they were built and then used. Were they painted? Was there a great deal more wood? What are the wrong impressions we have?
Cheers
Castles then looked a lot like a well preserved castle does today. (Of course, they would have looked "newer".)
The main difference might have been the presence of more wooden hoardings along the tops of walls and towers. These were meant to enhance the defenses by making it harder for ladder men to attack, providing more space for defenders, providing roofs to protect defenders from high arching missiles. These, however, were often temporary structures, erected in times of danger, but taken down in peaceful times.
If you scroll down through this website:
http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/architecture_03_walls.htm
you will see some pictures of reconstructed hourdes at Carcasonne.