Castle in East Sussex

Herstmonceux Castle is set in an estate of parkland and Elizabethan gardens, 12 miles west of Hastings on the south coast of England. The brick built Tudor castle gives the appearance of being built in the middle of a lake but in reality it is a very wide moat. The two storey castle is approached over a brick built bridge with a gatehouse opening out into an internal courtyard. The castle walls have octagonal towers with projecting galleries at each corner, with semi octagonal towers in between. The castle's gatehouse is set between two tall semi octagonal towers with a coat of arms above the entrance. Facilities Today the castle is the home to the Bader International Study Centre; part of the University of Canada, however visitors do have the opportunity to see inside parts of the castle with a guided tour. Tours giving an insight into life within the castle, tales of smugglers and family history are generally given once or twice a day between 11am and 2pm; visitors are requested to check as on some occasions tours may not take place. Visitors are also able to walk though the castle's gardens and woodland, stroll down to the lake and see the 1930's folly. The castle also offers visitors a tea room, gift shop, visitor and science centre, nature trail and children's play area. The castle is also licensed for civil wedding ceremonies; choose from the ballroom suitable for up to 180 guests, the Dacre Room for up to 70 guests or for a small intimate ceremony the Elizabethan Room for 30 guests. All rooms are beautifully decorated and have their own theme. Sir Richard Finnes; treasurer to Henry VI, started the brick built castle in 1441. The castle was not built as a stronghold more a luxury home and was kept within the family until it was sold by the Earl of Sussex in 1700. By the end of the century the castle had been demolished by its owner Robert Hare, leaving just the exterior walls, the other remains being removed to make a residence nearby. It wasn't until 1913 when restoration work was started by Colonel Crowther who transformed the castle back to one of the most significant and oldest brick buildings in England. After its restoration the castle passed through many hands and between 1957 and 1988 the grounds became home to the Royal Greenwich observatory. The observatory then moved to Cambridge but several of the telescopes remain at the castle today in the original buildings now called the Interactive Science Centre. In 1994, after a long restoration process the castle became home to the Bader International study centre which is used by undergraduate law students.

Camber Castle is located in Rye, East Sussex. The castle was an artillery fort built by Henry VIII to guard the port of Rye. The remains include an earlier central tower surrounded by four outer towers which used to be gun platforms. It is open to the public at weekends from July to September. There are also monthly guided walks round Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, including the castle. The first building on the site was a circular tower built by Sir Edward Guldeford between 1512 and 1514. The tower was built on a shingle bank, and defended the harbour at the port of Rye. In 1538, when there a threat of invasion from France and Spain, Henry VIII build a line of forts along the south coast. One of these was at Camber, where a new fort was built around the existing tower between 1539 and 1544. Four D-shaped gun platforms and a large semicircular gatehouse were built round the original tower, linked by an octagonal wall. Silting resulted in the shore line receding, and by the end of the 16th century the castle was largely obsolete and was abandoned in 1637. Camber Castle was taken over by the state in 1967 and is now owned by English Heritage.

Pevensey Castle is located in the centre of the village of Pevensey, 5 miles from Eastbourne in the south east of England. The ruins of Pevensey Castle are found within the walls of a Roman Fort, one of the largest remaining examples of its kind. The majority of the walls and towers are still standing at almost their original height in a shape which follows that of the peninsular. The castle site consists of a keep, bailey and twin towered gatehouse all surrounded by a curtain wall. Facilities Open to the public every day from 10am between April and October and during weekends only November to March. The entrance to the fort is free but a small charge payable for entry into the castle. An audio tour is available outlining the story of the castle and an exhibition with artifacts that were found on the site. There is also a tearoom where refreshments are available. The extremely well preserved Roman fort dates back to 290 AD and in the eastern corner the fort Robert of Mortain; half brother to William the Conqueror, built a stone keep and bailey enclosure castle. The site had been abandoned for over 600 years, but only minor repairs were needed to the walls that formed the outer bailey. A twin towered gatehouse and curtain wall were also added before the castle was granted Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt. At the beginning of the 1500's the sea had receded considerably and the castle was no longer considered useful. It was left abandoned once more until 1588 when it was strengthened and gun ports added to help defend against the invasion from the Spanish Armada. The castle was next refortified during World War II when a command post and observation platform were added and is now in the care of English Heritage.

Situated 8 miles from Brighton, Lewes Castle sits on a chalk mound at the highest point of the town overlooking the valley of the River Ouse on the edge of the South Downs Much of the castle site has been lost due the developing town, but parts of the oval bailey, two mottes, barbican and keep survive. Facilities The castle is open daily is open daily from 10 am until 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and from 11am Sunday and Monday (closed Monday's in January) The castle site and the adjacent Barbican House are run by the Sussex Archaeological Society, together they offer visitors interactive models, a visitor pavilion at the foot of the castle with photographs and information on the history of the castle and town and a new walkway to the top of the castle with seats along the way so visitors can stop and admire the view. The original wooden keep was rebuilt in stone by William, Earl of Surrey in 1087. The design was unusual because it had two mottes; one of only two castles with this feature remaining in the country. Around 150 years later two semi octagonal towers and a range of other buildings including a gate tower were added to the original shell keep. The Earl of Surrey, John de Warenne was responsible for adding the barbican and on his death in 1347 the castle was left to decay. The castle became a source of building material for local houses. By the 17th century what remained of the domestic buildings were demolished and during the 18th century the keep converted to a summer house. Since 1846 the castle has been owned by Sussex Past another name for the Sussex Archaeological Society.

Hastings Castle stands as one of England's most dramatically positioned historic ruins, perched high on a sandstone headland at the western end of Hastings seafront in East Sussex. Despite the database entry noting "South West England," this location is firmly within the South East of England — specifically on the East Sussex coast. The castle occupies the top of West Hill, jutting dramatically above the English Channel, and represents the remains of one of the first castles built by William the Conqueror following his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and draws visitors both for its deep historical significance and its extraordinary views across the sea and the town below. The castle's origins lie directly in the Norman Conquest, making it one of the most historically resonant sites in British history. William ordered its initial construction even before the famous battle was fought, as a forward base for his invading forces. The original structure was a motte-and-bailey castle built in timber, erected in 1066. It was later rebuilt in stone during the 12th century and expanded over the following decades, becoming a royal castle under Henry II and later Henry III, who added significantly to its fortifications. The site also housed an Augustinian collegiate church, the Church of St Mary Within the Castle, the ruins of which remain visible today. By the 14th century, coastal erosion — a persistent and dramatic force on this sandstone headland — had already begun claiming large sections of the castle, and it fell into disuse and ruin. The sea has literally swallowed parts of what was once a considerable fortification. Physically, Hastings Castle today is an evocative and picturesque ruin rather than an intact fortification. The most prominent surviving feature is the partial arch of the twin-towered gateway, which rises against the sky with haunting elegance. Sections of curtain wall cling to the cliff edge, and the exposed stonework speaks to centuries of weathering, erosion, and neglect. The grounds are open and grassy, with the ruins scattered across the hilltop in a way that rewards slow exploration. On a windy day — which is most days on this exposed promontory — the sound of the sea and the gusting air create a genuinely atmospheric experience. Seagulls wheel overhead constantly, and on clear days the views extend far out across the Channel towards France. The surrounding area is rich in character and things to see. Directly below the castle to the east lies the Old Town of Hastings, a densely packed medieval streetscape of timber-framed buildings, narrow lanes, independent shops, and the famous Hastings fishermen's net shops — tall black wooden structures unique to the town. The seafront itself stretches along the shore, with fishing boats still launching from the beach in a tradition that has continued for centuries. West Hill itself can be reached via the West Hill Cliff Railway, a funicular lift dating to 1891, which adds a charming old-fashioned element to the visit. The East Hill Cliff Railway and Hastings Country Park are nearby for those wishing to explore more of the dramatic coastal landscape. The site contains a visitor experience called "The 1066 Story," a small underground attraction built into a surviving dungeon or vaulted chamber beneath the castle grounds. This offers a dramatised retelling of the events of 1066 using models, recorded narration, and period artefacts, giving context to what the ruins represent. It is run by Hastings Borough Council and is particularly aimed at younger visitors or those wanting a more guided introduction to the site's history. The attraction is seasonal and may not always be open, so checking ahead is advisable. Admission is charged for access to the castle grounds and the 1066 Story experience, though the views from the surrounding hilltop area can be enjoyed for free from adjacent public paths. One of the more unusual aspects of Hastings Castle's story is the sheer scale of what the sea has taken. Historical records and archaeological evidence suggest that a substantial portion of the original castle — including sections of wall, towers, and the full extent of the collegiate church — has long since fallen into the sea as the sandstone cliffs eroded. What visitors see today is genuinely only a fragment of the original complex. This ongoing relationship with erosion and coastal change gives the site a melancholy grandeur that purely intact castles cannot match. There is something deeply compelling about standing on the cliff edge beside a medieval arch and understanding that the ground beneath your feet is slowly, inexorably disappearing into the Channel below — just as it has been for seven hundred years.

Scotney Castle in the Kent Weald is one of the most romantically picturesque country house gardens in England, a mid-nineteenth-century landscape garden designed by Edward Hussey around the ruins of his medieval moated castle that created one of the finest examples of the Picturesque aesthetic in British gardening, using the old castle as a deliberate eyecatcher and focal point in a composition of exceptional beauty. The National Trust manages the estate and the combination of the old castle ruin, the new house above it and the garden they were designed to complement makes Scotney one of the most rewarding and most distinctive garden visits in the southeast. The garden was created between 1837 and 1843 when Edward Hussey demolished much of the old house within the moated castle enclosure in order to provide picturesque ruins as the centrepiece of his new landscape garden. The decision to demolish a perfectly functional building to create ruins illustrates the strength of the Picturesque aesthetic in the early Victorian period, and the resulting composition of tower, moat, reflected water and richly planted garden slopes fulfilled Hussey's vision completely. The garden slopes above the castle are planted with an exceptional collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and other acid-loving shrubs that provide spectacular colour in spring. The new house built above the garden by Hussey is a handsome Victorian mansion by the architect Anthony Salvin that provides the domestic anchor for the designed landscape below. The estate extends through woodlands and farmland in the characteristic Weald landscape of Kent and the walking through the estate provides pleasant countryside of great charm. The castle ruins reflected in the still moat water on a fine day provide one of the most photographed garden compositions in England.

Bodiam Castle in the East Sussex Weald is one of the most complete and most romantic medieval castle ruins in England, a late fourteenth-century moated fortress whose four corner towers, battlemented walls and wide surrounding moat create a composition so perfectly preserved and so visually satisfying that it has become one of the defining images of the English castle in the popular imagination. The castle was built between 1385 and 1388 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a veteran of the Hundred Years War who obtained a licence to crenellate from Richard II on the grounds that the castle would defend against French invasion up the River Rother, though historians have debated whether this was the true purpose or a useful justification for building a status symbol of great personal ambition. The castle is widely considered to be designed as much for display and aristocratic prestige as for genuine military effectiveness, its regular plan, large windows and symmetrical towers reflecting the aesthetic preferences of a successful knight who wished to project an image of authority and culture as much as military power. Dalyngrigge had fought in France and would have been familiar with the French castle architecture of the period, and the design of Bodiam shows an awareness of Continental military fashions filtered through the requirements of an English country gentleman who wanted a beautiful house as well as a defensible one. The moat, wide and still and perfectly reflecting the castle walls and towers on calm days, is one of Bodiam's most celebrated features and gives the site its characteristic photograph. The National Trust, which has managed the castle since 1925, maintains the moat and the castle fabric and provides interpretive displays in the interior that explain the castle's history and architecture. The interior is largely roofless and ruined but the wall walks and towers can be climbed, providing good views over the Rother valley and the castle's setting in the Weald. The surrounding countryside of the High Weald, with its ancient oak woodland, hop gardens and weather-boarded farmhouses, provides good walking and a beautiful landscape context for the castle visit.