By Lyn Funnell
I’d never been to Pevensey Castle, even though I live quite near it. So when my friend Jennifer came to visit, we decided to go there.
Walking through the gate, the castle is on the left and the original Roman walls encircle the castle on the right.
When the Roman fort was built, the sea lapped against its walls, although it’s a mile away now.
Excavations have shown that the level of the ground has risen through the centuries as a lot of the base of the walls were deeply buried, like icebergs.
The fort’s age has been accurately dated from the AD 290s to the late 4th century, through dendrochronology (the dating of wood) and also through Roman coins found on the site.
The castle still has a moat round it with water in. Apparently the moat wasn’t just there for protection; it originally had plenty of fish in it to feed the castle’s inhabitants.
On the 28th September 1066, William of Normandy landed at Pevensey and immediately began to build the castle before marching on to Hastings, where he beat Harold at the Battle of Hastings. He was crowned King on Christmas Day.
We were given an audio guide, which really helped the tour, and brought the castle’s remains to life. You can press the next number as you walk round the castle, so you can take as long as you like.
I’ll just tell you some of the highlights of the tour; I won’t tell you the whole history. You can read that online.
In the north gatehouse tower there is a grid in the ground. This was a Medieval prison known as an oubliette, which is French for To Forget. Prisoners were lowered into the deep dark hole or thrown in and left there. Their pitiful cries and screams must have been heard all over the castle, including in the private rooms above as they descended into madness and death.
The south gatehouse has a spiral staircase descending to the dungeons. I wanted to see it as it’s known to have a creepy atmosphere. But the steps were steep with nothing to hold on to. So I turned round with difficulty and came up again.
A grassed area covers inside the castle walls, which is the inner bailey.
Clearly visible are the foundations of the old chapel. They were discovered in 1852. It dates back at least to the 13th century and it had a thatched roof.
The font is in the centre. Six graves, including three children, were found during the excavations.
Next to the chapel is the castle well. It provided fresh water for the whole castle, including during sieges.
A windlass was built in around 1290 to draw up water-filled buckets, and it probably had a roof over it.
Excavations at the down-sloping postern gate in 1902 found bits of a Roman brick that said HON AUG ANDRIA. These showed that the area was known as Anderida, as it still is.
In 1907, a Sussex antiquarian called Charles Dawson (do you recognise the name?) produced a similar brick which he claimed he’d found at Pevensey.
But in the 1970s it was exposed as a hoax.
And Charles Dawson? He was involved in the Piltdown Man scandal, near Uckfield. He claimed to have found a skull that filled the missing link between apes and man.
The hoax was only officially announced in 1953, 41 years after its supposed discovery.
Dawson must have been Britain’s biggest hoaxer. But why did he do it? That has never been revealed.
At first glance there isn’t much left of Pevensey Castle. But the site has a rich history dating back to Prehistoric times. And as you walk around, listening to the commentary, the layers of history are peeled away and you begin to notice carved stones, narrow slits for shooting arrows at the enemy and other signs of a rich, bloody history.
Pevensey Castle is maintained by English Heritage.
PEVENSEY CASTLE
Address:
Castle Road, Pevensey, East Sussex, BN24 5LE
Telephone:
Book in advance.
| Members | Free | Free |
| Adult | £9.50 | £8.60 |
| Child 5-17 years | £5.50 | £5.00 |
| Concession | £8.50 | £7.70 |
| Family | £24.50 | £22.20 |
| 1 adult, 3 children | £15.00 | £13.60 |
| – | Buy now |
| On the day tickets | ||
| With donation | Without donation | |
| Member – Join now | Free | Free |
| Adult | £11.50 | £10.40 |
| Child (5-17 years) | £6.50 | £5.90 |
| Concession | £10.50 | £9.50 |
| Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) | £29.50 | £26.70 |
| Family (1 adult, up to 3 children) | £18.00 | £16.30 |
Castle and grounds open 10am_1700pm.
Many thanks to Alison Slade, the Visitor Services Assistant in the Ticket Office & Gift Shop, for all her enthusiastic help & advice.
English Heritage is a charity, and by adding a small voluntary donation to your ticket, you can do even more to help us keep the story of England alive for future generations to enjoy. If you’re a UK taxpayer and choose to add the donation, we get an extra 25p for every pound of the total ticket price through the Gift Aid scheme. If you’d prefer not to donate, please ask for your ticket ‘without donation’.
