insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 01 - March 2015 | Page 60

coversTory

© National Trust / Helene Marler

Bodiam Castle: A Castle of Wonder
With its spiral staircases, battlements and surrounding moat, Bodiam
Castle is the real thing. One of Britain’s most picturesque and evocative
medieval ruins set in the heart of an historic landscape, much of its 600
years of history can still be seen today – from the iconic stone exterior
rising dramatically above the moat, to the views across Sussex and its
original fourteenth-century wooden portcullis.
Bodiam Castle was built by Sir Edward
Dallingridge, a knight who made his name
and fortune in France fighting in the Hundred
Years War. Through his marriage to Elizabeth
Wardeaux, he inherited the manor of Bodeham,
as it was then called, upon her father’s death.
An influential figure in Parliament, Sir Edward
persuaded King Richard II in 1385 to grant
him permission to crenellate. Not satisfied with
merely improving the existing manor house, he
decided to build a brand new castle, which had
a working farmland, wharf and flour mill, as well
as elaborately landscaped ponds and pools.
After the English Civil War, Bodiam Castle was
abandoned and it gradually fell into disrepair.
Several people are responsible for its rescue
and conservation, the most notable being Lord
Curzon, Viceroy of India, who left the castle to

the National Trust in 1926 who have cared
for and conserved the castle and its grounds
ever since.
Today visitors can experience medieval life
inside the castle, enjoy walks and picnic
around the grounds to appreciate its
symmetry and imposing towers, or simply
photography the many ducks and enormous
carp in the moat.
Heather Packham, Visitor Experience Manager
at Bodiam Castle comments: “The castle
offers a fun packed event programme all year
round – from archery, an annual fair, a knight’s
and princess academy and even a visit from
Father Christmas each December. It really is a
place where you can relive your childhood and
let your imagination run riot.”

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© National Trust / Alpha Whiskey Photography