Bodiam Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bodiam Castle is a quadrangular castle located in East Sussex, England (grid reference TQ785256).
It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, supposedly at the request of Richard II in order to defend the surrounding area from French invasion. However, recent research suggests that the castle was built more for show than as an effective defense.
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[edit] Architecture
The water castle is completely surrounded by a spring fed moat, with approaches from the north and south. The castle itself is rectangular in shape, being longer in the north-south direction, and has large round towers at each of the four corners, and a square tower defending the centre of each side. The castle well is located in one of the corner towers, the chapel in another.
The main gatehouse is on the center of the North wall of the quadrangle, while the southern square tower has a postern gate. Both gateways had long bridges leading over the moat, of which the northern one turns at right angles an octagonal bastion before reaching the shore. This provided further defence to the main gate by exposing any attackers approaching along the bridge to arrow fire (and, by this time, gunfire) from the defenders in the north-west tower.
Within the bailey is a ruined range of domestic buildings which were probably once very grand. To the right of the postern tower is the castle's great hall. Most of the castle interior was destroyed by parliamentary forces during the English Civil War, following their policy of slighting potentially threatening fortifications.
The castle is typical of later-medieval castles in that much attention was placed on comfortable living quarters, and as such its value as a military fortification has been doubted. Though the moat is a good barrier, the walls of the castle are not very thick, and there is only one line of defence (unlike a concentric castle). When it was built, early cannon were already in use, but castles were still valuable as bases for troops even if they were becoming more vulnerable to direct attack.
[edit] History
At the time of building, England and France were fighting the Hundred Years' War, which had been going on since 1337. The south coast of England, where Bodiam was to be built, was in constant threat of French invasion. The castle defends the upper reaches of a river that was navigable as far as Rye in medieval times, when sea levels were higher. However, no such invasion ever came, and Bodiam was never involved in a medieval siege. During the centuries since its building, the castle was owned by a succession of powerful Sussex families, including the Levett family, for whom the lane in front of the castle today is named. After slighting in 1664 it fell into decay until the 20th Century, at one point its stones even looted by local builders.
The castle was acquired and restored by Lord Curzon and willed by him to the National Trust in 1926.
[edit] Popular culture
Picturesque, the castle has been seen in several films and videos. These include Monty Python and the Holy Grail , in an establishing shot identifying it as "Swamp Castle" in the "Tale of Sir Lancelot" sequence, the music video for Saxon's 1983 single "Power and the Glory", and the music video for Enya's song "The Celts".
[edit] References
- Nigel Saul, "Bodiam Castle", History Today, Jan. 1995
- John Goodall, "Bodiam Castle", National Trust, 2001 ISBN 1-84359-074-3
