Photo: Antony McCallum / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
About this place
Bodiam Castle stands on a moated site near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge with licence from Richard II.
It has no central keep.
Instead its rooms sit within a square ring of outer walls, with a tower at each corner and a gatehouse guarding the entrance across the water.
The National Trust has cared for the castle since 1925, and the wide moat remains one of its most recognisable features.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
The castle passed down through the Dalyngrigge family for several generations before the line died out and ownership moved by marriage to the Lewknors. Sir Thomas Lewknor backed the House of Lancaster, and after Richard III took the throne in 1483 a force was sent to besiege Bodiam. The castle was confiscated but handed back to the Lewknors once Henry VII became king in 1485.
Architecture
Bodiam is built to a quadrangular plan with no keep, its chambers set into the thickness of the outer walls around a central courtyard. Corner towers and a fortified gatehouse carry battlements throughout, and the whole structure sits within a broad artificial moat designed as much to impress visitors as to defend the site.
Worth knowing
The castle owes its survival to Lord Curzon, who bought the ruined site in 1917 and restored it before leaving it to the National Trust on his death in 1925.
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Bodiam (Kent & East Sussex Railway) (0.8 miles)
Nearby properties
1066 Battle of Hastings, Battle Abbey and Battlefield
View 1066 Battle of Hastings, Battle Abbey and Battlefield on heritage mapBattle Abbey
View Battle Abbey on heritage mapHole Park
View Hole Park on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Bodiam Castle (TN32) there are 1 historic properties, including 1 garden.
Within 10 miles of Bodiam Castle (TN32) there are 12 historic properties, including 5 historic buildings, 3 castles and 2 gardens, across National Trust, English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Bodiam Castle (TN32) there are 23 historic properties, including 8 historic buildings, 6 castles and 4 historic houses, across English Heritage, National Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Facts
A textbook moated castle built for show as much as defence, rescued from ruin by a former Viceroy of India.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- East Sussex, England
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