| Summary : Medieval castle probably built in the years after 1385 when Sir Edward Dalingridge was licensed to crenellate, containing 6 gunports. Comprising a court yard with four corner round towers and projecting square towers in the centre of the south, east and west sides, the whole is set within a wide moat. The main entrance is on the north side and is flanked by two projecting square towers, outside of which but still within the moat are a barbican and octagonal outwork. The castle was partly dismantled during the Civil War, but was restored and presented to the National Trust in 1919. Formerly regarded as a 'textbook' example of a Medieval castle, field investigation in 1988 revealed that rather than being a defensive work the castle was probably the centrepiece of an elaborate designed landscape involving sheets of water, the whole designed to be passed through and also viewed from above. |
More information : [TQ 785256] BODIAM CASTLE [GT] (1)
Bodiam Castle was built by Sir Edward Dalingridge in the years following 1385, when he was licensed to crenellate. It takes the form of a hollow court-yard with four corner round towers, and projecting square towers in the centre of the south, east and west sides - the whole being set in the wide moat. The main entrance on the north side is flanked by two projecting square towers, outside of which but still in the moat are a Barbican and octagonal outwork. The latter is now joined to the north bank by a supposed 16th century causeway - the original wooden bridge to the west bank being now destroyed [A0:63:84:4].
Partly dismantled during the Civil War, the Castle was restored and presented to the National Trust in 1919. Scheduled. (2-4)
Bodiam Castle is as described and illustrated in the National Trust pamphlet. (5)
The moat was drained in 1970 and an excavation was carried out by D Martin for the Robertsbridge and District Archaeological Society (an interim report is pending). The 'Harbour' and 'Millpond' are also described in the pamphlet (p6). Published survey (25") revised. (6)
Bodiam Castle Grade I. See Listed Buildings System. (7)
The moat is approximately rectangular in plan averaging some 115m by 155m, and covers about 1.5ha including the central island on which the castle stands. It is constructed at and truncates the east tip of a pronounced sandstone spur, with the result that the moat's west side is formed by a massive cut scarp rising some 3m above the level of the water. The south and east sides of the moat have been substantially dammed to counter the corresponding fall of the ground in those directions. The dam is up to 3m high externally and 25m broad at its base, with a wide flat top 5m-6m broad. The moat is fed by ground springs to the north, and overflows through sluices on its south and east sides into other ponds (TQ 72 NE 25 and 26). (See TQ 72 NE 25 and 26 for the millpond and alleged harbour of authority 5).
The castle sits slightly south of the centre of the moat, the north end of which 'turns' slightly towards the west, effectively making it seem one of the string of ponds that guard and ornament the north side of the castle. Access across the moat is now from the north, but was originally from a point just south of the north-west corner, and it seems that visitors would originally have approached from the south and been led along the eastern edge of the moat, around the north and partly back south again for a short way, and would thus have enjoyed fine views of the castle across water from all sides, with further ponds running away to east and west. The kick in alignment of the northern end of the moat also has the effect of pulling it into alignment with the rising ground to the north and more specifically with the Gun Garden (TQ 72 NE 3) which is probably an ornamental garden viewing platform or pleasance.
The castle and moat therefore would seem to be the centrepiece of an elaborate modelling of the landscape involving extensive sheets of water (TQ 72 NE 25), the whole designed to be passed through and also to be viewed from above. Such contrivance is most familiar from the late 16th and 17th centuries. However, the lack of documentary evidence for Bodiam as a major residence at this time, plus archaeological evidence such as the apparent medieval date of the Gun Garden and the encroachment on the castle's western curtelage by a row of crofts in the 16th century (TQ 72 NE 27), favours an earlier, medieval date for the design, perhaps as an integral part of the castle's very conception.
Moat surveyed by RCHME at 1:1000 scale as part of the survey of Bodiam Castle Gardens; see plans, level 3 descriptive text and other archive available in the NMR for further details. (8-12)
Brief historical account and concise architectural description. (13)
Report on 1970 excavations. (14)
Excavation and examination of the timber access bridges plus account of earlier excavation. (15)
Brief description, plan and aerial photo. (16)
Additional references. (17-18)
Review of the military substance of Bodiam castle using historical and architectural evidence which comes to a similar conclusion to the RCHME view. (19)
A section was cut through the moat bank in 1998. (20)
An additional reference. (21) |