Winterfell



Winterfell is the seat of House Stark. It is a large castle located at the center of the North, from where Lord Eddard Stark rules over his people.

Notable residents of the castle

 * Lord Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, the ruler of the castle.
 * Lady Catelyn Stark and their five children, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon.
 * Jon Snow, Eddard Stark's bastard son.
 * Theon Greyjoy, Eddard Stark's ward and hostage for his father's good behavior.


 * Ser Rodrik Cassel, the master-of-arms at Winterfell, in charge of training fresh recruits with weapons.
 * Jory Cassel, captain of the castle guard and nephew of Rodrik Cassel.
 * Luwin, the castle's maester.
 * Mordane, a septa and governess for Sansa and Arya Stark.
 * Old Nan, a former retainer and servant, now retired. She still tells the Stark children stories about life in times gone by.
 * Hodor, Old Nan's grandson or great-grandson, a stableboy of limited wits.
 * Ros, a prostitute working in a brothel in Winterfell's outlying town.

Behind the scenes
For the television series, a variety of locations were used to create Winterfell as it appears on screen. For the pilot episode, Doune Castle in Scotland was used for some exterior shots and the great feast held when King Robert Baratheon and his party arrive. Castle Ward in County Down, Northern Ireland was used for the scenes of sparring in Winterfell's castle yard and the arrival of Robert's party at Winterfell's gates. The rest of the castle, including the other interiors and the scenes involving Bran climbing the walls, were filmed as interiors at the Paint Hall studio facility in Belfast.

For the first season itself, Castle Ward was the principle filming location for the Winterfell scenes. Doune Castle was not revisited.

In the books
In the books Winterfell is a huge castle complex spanning several acres, consisting of two massive walls with a ditch between them and a village located just outside. The complex consists of many buildings and keeps, some ancient and decrepit, some in good repair. It is located atop hot springs which keep the castle warm even in the worst winters.

The castle is located athwart the Kingsroad as it makes its way from the Wall to the capital at King's Landing, more than a thousand miles to the south. According to legend, Winterfell was built by Bran the Builder eight thousand years ago.