Coordinates: 51°00′08.28″N, 00°32′36.67″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Bodiam Castle, Sussex.

Bodiam Castle is a quadrangular castle located near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England (grid reference TQ785256). It is said to be a perfect example of a late medieval moated castle. Bolton Castle A quadrangular castle is a type of castle characterised by ranges of buildings which are integral with the curtain walls, enclosing a central courtyard, and typically with angle towers. ... Robertsbridge is a village in East Sussex, England. ... East Sussex is a county in South East England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ...

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 defence. There is evidence supporting that research, as the walls of Bodiam Castle are only a couple of feet thick. This article is about the King of England. ... Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. ...

Architecture

Bodiam Castle from the South

The 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, and has large round towers at all 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 moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England Moats (also known as a Fosse) were deep and wide water-filled trenches, excavated to provide a barrier against attack upon castle ramparts or other fortifications. ...

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 on 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. There were also machicolations in the gatehouse and in the postern to drop scalding water and tar on invaders. A gatehouse is a feature of European castles and mansions. ... Postern, Manila. ...

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. A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle. ... A great hall was the main room of a royal palace, a noblemans castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. ... The Roundheads was the nickname given to the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. ... For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ... A slighting is the deliberate destruction of a fortification without opposition from its builders or its last users, respectively. ...

Bodiam Castle interior from the South Tower

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. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 208 pixelsFull resolution (1664 × 432 pixel, file size: 216 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Sean Hamerton I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 208 pixelsFull resolution (1664 × 432 pixel, file size: 216 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Sean Hamerton I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Krak des Chevaliers: a concentric castle A concentric castle (or multiple castle) is a castle within a castle, with two or more concentric rings of curtain walls and, in cases, no central keep. ...

Bodiam Castle from the North

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 Bodiam in medieval times. 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 Lewknors and the Levett family, for whom the lane in front of the castle today is named.^[1] After slighting in 1664 it fell into decay until the 20th Century, at one point its stones even looted by local builders. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1544x1024, 584 KB)GFDL - This picture was taken on March 22/2005 by myself. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1544x1024, 584 KB)GFDL - This picture was taken on March 22/2005 by myself. ... Belligerents House of Valois Castile Scotland Genoa Majorca Bohemia Crown of Aragon Brittany House of Plantagenet Burgundy Brittany Portugal Navarre Flanders Hainaut Aquitaine Luxembourg Holy Roman Empire The Hundred Years War (French: Guerre de Cent Ans) was a prolonged conflict between two royal houses for the French throne, vacant with...

The castle was acquired and restored by Lord Curzon and bequeathed by him to the National Trust in September 1926. George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (January 11, 1859 - March 20, 1925), was a conservative British statesman and sometime Viceroy of India. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Wildlife

The reedbeds and moat of Bodiam Castle are home to moorhens, chaffinches, mallards, and a Muscovy duck. Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) European distribution of the Common Moorhen. ... Binomial name Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 The Chaffinch, (Fringilla coelebs), is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... For other uses, see Mallard (disambiguation). ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The Muscovy Duck, Cairina moschata, is a large duck which is native to Mexico, Central and South America. ...

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". It also appeared in the Doctor Who episode, The King's Demons ^[2]. Bodiam Castle was also used for the exteriors of Huntington Castle in the third season of Robin of Sherwood in the two-part episode "Herne's Son", and as an unnamed rural castle in Joe's Palace. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin), and directed by Gilliam and Jones. ... In film and television, an establishing shot sets up, or establishes, a scenes setting and/or its participants. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Saxon are a British heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. ... For the letter Ñ pronounced Enye, see Ñ. Enya (born Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin[4] on 17 May 1961, Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal, Ireland), sometimes presented in the media as Enya Brennan, is an Irish singer and songwriter. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... This article is about the television series. ... The Kings Demons is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in two parts on March 15 and March 16, 1983. ... Joes Palace is a BBC television drama, (co-produced by the BBC and HBO) and written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. ...

References

1. ^ Bodiam and Its Lords, Sussex Archaeological Collections, Sussex Archaeological Society, 1857
2. ^ Bodiam Castle - The Locations Guide to Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures

• Nigel Saul, "Bodiam Castle", History Today, January 1995
• John Goodall, "Bodiam Castle", National Trust, 2001 ISBN 1-84359-074-3
• Bodiam Castle information from CastleXplorer

External links

• Bodiam Castle information at the National Trust
• Map sources for Bodiam Castle
• Castle's secrets yet to be fully uncovered. Hastings Today. 6 February 2007.