Originally built in 1385, Bodiam Castle has spent centuries as one of the best loved and best known castles in England. Perhaps it is the design of the building, with an iconic moat and beautiful lush green scenery, or simply the amazing history of the building, which makes it so popular? The castle was built by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, who is known to have once been a knight of Edward III. With his knowledge of battles, he designed the castle with the intention of defending the beautiful area of Easts Sussex, from a possible invasion by the French, during The Hundred Years Wars. Sir Edward Dalyngrigge was the youngest son within his family and this meant that he was the last in line to inherit anything from the estate. However, he married into a family that owned land, and it was during 1378 that he found himself owning the manor of Bodiam. During is knighthood, which spanned from 1379 to 1388 he found himself with enough money to build himself a home, which was the beginnings of Bodiam Castle.
Walking into the Bodiam Castle was overwhelming! The courtyard was full of green grass that Cletus Jr. loved to run in. Clawdette loved the tower. If only she had long hair to toss out the window like Repunzel!
My favorite part was the mote…and yes, we did some swimming where we ran into come English crawdads! They showed us all the ins and outs of the castle that only a critter our size can see. We even got to crawl into a Knight’s armor! Can you find us in the armor?
