How large is the Red Keep (especially the throne room)

[Lord Varys]

Yeah, I know that it must be pretty big, especially in light of the actual size of the Iron Throne as per the pictures that depict it the way it is supposed to look.

But I just thought about how, well, large the throne room must be if the skulls of Vhagar, Meraxes, and Balerion once supposedly fit in there, hanging at the walls of the room (possibly across from each other) without impeding anybody's movements nor completely dominating the room.

Has anybody ever done any numbers how large the throne room along must be for this thing to make sense?

[Ylath's Snout]

I don't have the math for you but I'd like to make an observation.

Some people (well mostly PJ) think that all the really old huge castles and the like point to Westeros being a lost colony of a space faring civilization as only they would have the ability build things like storms end.

Both Harrenhal and the Red Keep were built in historical times (as opposed to some passed legendary era) and are ludicrously huge. Seems like Westeros has that whole megastructure thing down to a t.

[Megorova]

The Great Hall, where the Iron Throne is, can seat 1,000 people. That's the only known measurements. All the rest, we can only assume.

I think, that Great Hall is at least 20 meters wide and 100 meters long. 2,000 square meters, or 21,500 square foot.

I'm basing this numbers on article how to calculate sitting capacity of a restaurant. According to it, sitting space per person for fine dining is 18-20 square feet, full-service restaurants 12-15 square feet, fast food operations 11 square feet. Obviously, that people, that dine at Red Keep, need at least 20 square feet per person. All those ladies in their ballroom dresses with fluffy skirts, lords with their long capes, knights in armor or chain-mail, they need lots of space not to hinder each other's dining. So 20 sq.f. per person is justified number. That's at least 20,000 square feet of space.

Though in restaurants tables are smaller/shorter than in dining halls, and there's lots of space between tables, where customers and waiters are walking to and from tables. Probably seating in Great Hall of Red Keep is more like in Harry Potter movies, where there are long rows of tables with benches/chairs on both sides of it. This sitting arrangement requires less walking spaces between tables, so instead that freed space could be used for other purposes, like dance floor, and placement of Iron Throne, and space for holding King's audiences in front of Throne.

I think, when GOT TV-show was made, GRRM did consulted showmakers how Red Keep should look. Google Red Keep picture, Great Hall there is rectangular structure with "spikes" on sides of it going above its roof.

[Ylath's Snout]

@Megorova well that some impressive mathing right there. Seems like a reasonable number but it could be a fair bit larger to accommodate all the servants and the like that nobles are liable to bring along.

[Megorova]

10 minutes ago, Ylath's Snout said:

Seems like a reasonable number but it could be a fair bit larger to accommodate all the servants and the like that nobles are liable to bring along.

20,000 sq.f. is only space of Great Hall alone. In Red Keep there are servants in there, like maids, cupbearers, pages, foodservers, etc. So if guests of royal family will be bringing their own people to eat with them there, then those people are someone like ladies-in-waiting, maesters, septas, master-at-arms, castellans, someone above level of stableboys. So those people will also be sitting at the same tables as other guests. So that sitting capacity of 1,000 people, is already including upper tier "servants", that royal guests can bring with them to Great Hall. 

[Ylath's Snout]

Just now, Megorova said:

20,000 sq.f. is only space of Great Hall alone.

Ahh sorry, I mean that the nobles might want servants near the dining table or along the walls, should have been clear about that. Just a guess TBH but keeping a chaperon on hand to take care of unruly kids seems handy.

[Damsel in Distress]

On 6/11/2018 at 7:39 PM, Lord Varys said:

Yeah, I know that it must be pretty big, especially in light of the actual size of the Iron Throne as per the pictures that depict it the way it is supposed to look.

But I just thought about how, well, large the throne room must be if the skulls of Vhagar, Meraxes, and Balerion once supposedly fit in there, hanging at the walls of the room (possibly across from each other) without impeding anybody's movements nor completely dominating the room.

Has anybody ever done any numbers how large the throne room along must be for this thing to make sense?

Balerion was large enough to swallow cows.  That means the room was large enough to display his skull.  But the real clue to the size of the room to us was the cooking of Rickard Stark.  The ceilings were high enough to avoid the heat of the cooking fire.  Very high.  And the room was large enough to contain the smoke without driving away the onlookers.  

[The Sleeper]

Martin compared the throne room to Westminster Abbey. 

As for the Red Keep as a whole, the only reference that we get in regards to its size is that it is smaller than Winterfel. It gives the impression that it is more densely built. Or perhaps it is the case that more of it is currently in use.