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> Centuries of alternative use have resulted in the loss of any internal decoration and none of the original plaster remains. We must imagine that the heavy stone chancel arch (partly reconstructed) was surrounded with a painted decorative scheme in a palette of earth colours, somewhat like the schemes that survive in early post-conquest churches such as Kempley in Gloucestershire and Houghton-on-the Hill in Norfolk (illustrated below).
Are there any medieval buildings that have been restored with actual decorations? Or perhaps, are there recreations to present a living medieval castle?
One of my favorite places to visit is a small building in the middle of Colorado called Bent's Old Fort [0], maintained by the National Park Service. It's a near 100% recreation of a fort that had been reduced to the foundation. They painstakingly rebuilt the fort based on historical records, going so far as to plant cactuses on the wall as deterrent, and allowing a peacock to roam around. The place really does feel alive, more-so than a room with some plaques and a roped-off display of what a room might have looked like. I've always wanted to visit a castle with the same feel.