 Along the inside of the curtain walls are the foundations of a yard, 200-foot by 100-foot (61 m by 30 m), and a large rectangular building, usually identified as a grange or a barn.This would have probably supported the administration of the Embleton estates, and have included the auditor's chamber and other facilities.Early analysis of Dunstanburgh Castle focused on its qualities as a military, defensive site, but more recent work has emphasised the symbolic aspects of its design and the surrounding landscape.