Secret Passages Were Rare or Late Additions

It makes sense—and in some cases, it was true—that they constructed castles upon a web of covert corridors and escape routes. Yet, they were not nearly as common as we might assume from media like movies.

It's interesting to note that many of the tunnels that currently exist were not envisioned in the initial plans. Instead, these were later additions to the renovations. A tunnel was later erected to Ashby de le Zouch Castle in Leicestershire as a supply path between the tower and the kitchen.

Both Nottingham Castle and Knaresborough Castle had tunnels, which may or may not have been used as a means of escape, but they both had some sort of hidden passageway. These were not, however, the norm in most cases. In fact, the garderobe, which was essentially a toilet hole and the closest thing to a secret tunnel you could find, was sometimes used by intruders to enter castles.