When was Raventree Hall Built?

[HouseFossoway]

Raventree Hall is the keep of the Blackwoods. We know that the Blackwoods were driven out of the north by the Starks, and that the Starks had Winterfell since basically the beginning, so we can assume that the Blackwoods left the north after Winterfell was built.

However, we are told that "Drum towers and half-moons held up better against catapults, since thrown stones were more apt to deflect off a curved wall, but Raventree predated that particular bit of builder's wisdom", so Raventree has square towers, not round ones. But from all the descriptions of winterfell (and for that matter Storm's end which is also supposed to be as old as Winterfell) have round towers. So Raventree Hall must have been built before Winterfell and Storm's End, which would mean that the Blackwoods didn't build Raventree Hall, someone else did.

We are also told that the weirwood in Raventree Hall is enormous (like freakishly big), but that also it hasn't shown a leaf in a thousand years because it was allegedly poisoned by the Brackens. However, the weirwood in Winterfell is nowhere near that size. Which means the weirwood in raventree hall must be thousands of years older than the tree at Winterfell. (This is assuming that Weirwoods grow like other trees, in that the longer they are alive, the larger they grow).

So I can think of two explanations:

1. After the Blackwoods were expelled from the north, they built their castle tree around the greatest weirwood they could find (that for some reason wasn't already claimed). Then at a later date the Starks decided to update all of their towers in Winterfell (they were kings, so they might have had the money to do so, and we are told that Winterfell had changed since Brandon the Builder), but the Blackwoods didn't have the ability to do so.

2. Raventree Hall was a castle long before Winterfell existed, and the Blackwoods took it from someone. Which of course begs the question, who built it, who lived in it, and why did the Blackwoods take it?

[kissdbyfire]

I think it's option 1 or a variation of it. It's what makes the most sense with the info we have at this point.

[TMIFairy]

In a work of such magnitude I would not expect 100% consistency

[The Fattest Leech]

38 minutes ago, HouseFossoway said:

Raventree Hall is the keep of the Blackwoods. We know that the Blackwoods were driven out of the north by the Starks, and that the S

~snipped~

So I can think of two explanations:

1. After the Blackwoods were expelled from the north, they built their castle tree around the greatest weirwood they could find (that for some reason wasn't already claimed). Then at a later date the Starks decided to update all of their towers in Winterfell (they were kings, so they might have had the money to do so, and we are told that Winterfell had changed since Brandon the Builder), but the Blackwoods didn't have the ability to do so.

2. Raventree Hall was a castle long before Winterfell existed, and the Blackwoods took it from someone. Which of course begs the question, who built it, who lived in it, and why did the Blackwoods take it?

I'd say some variation on option 1. Yeah, in the early Bran chapters when he is climbing he describes the different parts of the buildings and gives a skosh of history about them. I like the details that say something like the second floor in one building enters the fourth floor in another building. Very M.C. Escher. http://artdiscovery.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/3-IMG_1871.jpg

[kissdbyfire]

31 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

I'd say some variation on option 1. Yeah, in the early Bran chapters when he is climbing he describes the different parts of the buildings and gives a skosh of history about them. I like the details that say something like the second floor in one building enters the fourth floor in another building. Very M.C. Escher. http://artdiscovery.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/3-IMG_1871.jpg

It is! I always think about Escher when reading/listening to that chapter.