Editing Blockhouse (section)

== Age of exploration ==
Originally blockhouses were often constructed as part of a large plan, to "block" access to vital points in the scheme. But from the [[Age of Exploration]] to the nineteenth century standard patterns of blockhouses were constructed for defence in frontier areas, particularly [[South Africa]], [[New Zealand]], [[Canada]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Young|first=Richard|title=Blockhouses in Canada, 1749–1841: a Comparative Report and Catalogue|series= Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History, Canadian Historic Site|isbn=978-0-660-10298-6|year= 1980}}
</ref> and the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Spence|first1=W. Jerome D.|last2=Spence|first2=David L.|title=A History of Hickman County, Tennessee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sIE7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA271|year=1900|publisher=Southern Historical Press|isbn=978-0-89308-242-0|page=271}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Morrison |first=Hugh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dk1qhPyIPfQC |title=Early American Architecture: From the First Colonial Settlements to the National Period |date=1987-01-01 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-25492-0 |pages=156 |language=en}}</ref>

Blockhouses may be made of [[masonry]] where available, but were commonly made from very heavy [[timber]]s, sometimes even [[Wooden log|logs]] arranged in the manner of a [[log cabin]]. They were usually two or even three [[Storey|floors]], with all storeys being provided with [[embrasure]]s or loopholes, and the uppermost storey would be roofed. If the structure was of timber, usually the upper storey would project outward from the lower so the upper storey defenders could fire on enemies attacking the lower storey, or perhaps pour water on any fires. When the structure had only one storey, its loopholes were often placed close to the ceiling, with a bench lining the walls inside for defenders to stand on, so that attackers could not easily reach the loopholes.

[[File:FortYork-Blockhouse.jpg|thumb|A 19th-century-era blockhouse in [[Fort York]], Toronto]]

Blockhouses were normally entered via a sturdy, barred door at ground level. Most blockhouses were roughly square in [[plan]], but some of the more elaborate ones were [[hexagon]]al or [[octagon]]al, to provide better all-around fire. In some cases, blockhouses became the basis for complete forts, by building a [[palisade]] with the blockhouse at one corner, and possibly a second tower at the opposite corner. Many historical stone blockhouses have survived, and a few timber ones have been restored at historical sites. In New Zealand, the [[Cameron Blockhouse]], near [[Whanganui]], is one of the few blockhouses to survive from the [[New Zealand Wars]].