By Lyn Funnell
We chose Bodiam Castle for our next National Trust visit.
Bodiam Castle was built in 1385 and amazingly its whole history, stretching over nearly 800 years, has been recorded.
They had no computers or course then, and most people couldn’t read or write, but the castle’s complete records are known.
I won’t bore you with the list of its history. I’ll just pick out a few interesting facts.
Sir Edward Dallingridge and his wife Elizabeth had the castle built. He was a soldier in King Richard ll’s Court and he fought in France.
His wife’s family owned land in Bodiam. The castle was self-sufficient with farmland, a watermill and a wharf beside the river. It wasn’t heavily fortified.
The apartments on the East side were for Lady Elizabeth and her ladies. The morning sun gave plenty of light so that the ladies could see to work on their embroidery.
During the Civil War, Bodiam Castle’s interior was dismantled, probably carefully.
This happened to several castles to prevent them being re-used. This was known as slighting.
In 1829 Mad Jack Fuller bought the castle for £3,000 to prevent it being destroyed.
Mad Jack Fuller was a local MP and a well-known character. He created a lot of work for local people so that they had an income.
Bodiam Castle was given to the National Trust in 1925 and has been carefully protected and maintained ever since.
We walked over the bridge to the castle. On both sides of the bridge, the moat was full of large pike hopefully looking up. Although there is a sign saying Please don’t feed the fish or the ducks, it was obvious that some people do!
A lot of the carp are over 50 years old and around three ft long.
Moats were an important part of castles’ food supply as well as protection and they usually had fish in them.
Bodiam had around 30 toilets and they all emptied into the moat. They were used by the family, their guests and all the hundreds of servants.
Yuck.
Although there is just a shell remaining, it’s amazing how much history can be discovered from it.
https://unknownkentandsussex.co.uk/pevensey-castle-layers-of-history/
Bodiam is built of sandstone, which is quite soft. It has acquired a lot of interesting graffiti through the centuries.
The marks carved by the masons are still clearly seen. They probably couldn’t write, so they left a mark to show how much work they’d done so they got paid.
There are also marks to give protection against witchcraft and demons.
Disfigurement by tourists isn’t new. JCB 1691 was carved by a 17th-Century tourist.
James Bryan 1818 35th Regiment was cut into the wall by a soldier.
Nowadays graffiti on the ancient building is a serious form of vandalism.
We climbed up the spiral staircase in the Postern Tower.
There is only one way up and down so you have to shout Coming up or Coming Down as there’s no room to pass.
Then we climbed up the North West Tower, where there are two flights of stairs.
On one level there are three types of bats. Bodiam Castle is one of the most important places for them and you have to be quiet as you pass them.
If you stand still and quiet, you can hear them muttering to each other high up in the walls.
There is a lovely view in all directions from the battlements.
Then we climbed down – literally.
The steps are big and I’m only 5ft tall. I had to walk down sideways, hanging on to the banister rail tightly.
As we walked away I could feel my thigh muscles tightening up and by the time we reached Reception, I could hardly walk!
It’s been two days now and the muscles above my kneecaps are still painful.
Next week we’re going to Ightham Mote near Sevenoaks. I’ve never been there before, but I do know that it hasn’t got a spiral staircase!
