My Adventures 3: Bodiam Castle

On Sunday the 11th February 2018 , I met up with Siobán to drive up for another Walking For Pleasure Team South East meet.

GPX here

Viewranger file here

We arrived at Station Road car park in Robertsbridge at TN32 5DA where you can park for free.

We met the rest of the TSE group, 23 of us in all! A record for TSE I believe.

At just after 10am we set off walking through Robertsbridge. We turned left onto the High Street.

Robertsbridge is thought to date back to 1176 when a Cistercian abbey was founded there by the Abbot, Robert de St Martin. When a market charter was granted in 1198 by Richard I to 'Robertsbridge' (Pons Roberti in Latin) it was the first recorded use of the name. The abbey was dissolved in 1538; however, the town flourished, and many of the oldest existing houses in the village date from the 14th and 15th centuries,including The Seven Stars Inn on the historic High Street. Robertsbridge is also home to the Robertsbridge Codex (1360), a music manuscript of the 14th century. It contains the earliest surviving music written specifically for keyboard.

Andrew Stopping at the URC to take a picture

Robertsbridge United Reformed Church (originally Robertsbridge Congregational Chapel) is a former United Reformed Church place of worship in Robertsbridge, a village in the district of Rother. Built for Congregational worshippers in 1881 following their secession from a long-established Wesleyan Methodist chapel, it was the third Nonconformist place of worship in the village, whose nearest parish church was in the neighbouring settlement of Salehurst. Like the former Strict Baptist and Methodist chapels in the village, which have both closed, it no longer serves Robertsbridge as a place of worship. Local architect Thomas Elworthy's distinctive design—a "rich" and highly decorated blend of several styles—has divided opinion amongst architectural historians. English Heritage has listed the church at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.

We turn right and walk up Fair Lane.

At the end of Fair Lane we cross the A21 via a footbridge before taking a footpath.

Now the mud begins, we were warned to wear gaiters, but none of us were quite expecting the extent of the mud today!

We walk on through Park wood and up the muddy and slippery path with a stream of water running down.

We walk on into a field with a small flock of sheep, dogs on leads time.

A short stretch through Maynards Wood.

We leave the wood behind and head down a path with gorgeous views to our right.

We pass Salehurst Park Farm.

Views to our left up to Salehurst Church.

At the end of this lane we turn right up a flooded track.

The path heads uphill through yet more gloopy mud.

We walk along the edge of Lordship Wood.Lordship Wood is 23 acres of ancient woodland with a 2-acre field.

We take another path that leads us up to an old dis-used railway line and alongside the River Rother that was in a flooded state.

Here at the Pillbox we stopped for a coffee break.

Andrew pointing out the bridge over the Rother that the railway used to use.

Andrew informs us that the Kent and East Sussex Railway are in plans to re use the line and connect the line to Robertsbridge again in the near future.

A bridge on the abandoned and unrestored section of the Kent and East Sussex Railway.

"Pillboxes" were military bunkers built during World War II in 1940 and into 1941. They were built in strategic places near Rivers, Railways and road junctions, creating a network of defences across Great Britain. 28,000 pill boxes were built, and about a fifth still survive. The construction was typically in concrete, sometimes with bricks externally which was used as shuttering during the construction. They came in different shapes and sizes; most common in hexagonal and octagonal shapes.

We walk on across the field and out onto a road before crossing onto a path a short way up and following the River Rother again.

End of the line for the Kent and East Sussex Railway.

The River Rother flows for 35 miles (56 km) through the English counties of East Sussex and Kent. Its source is near Rotherfield in East Sussex, and its mouth is on Rye Bay, part of the English Channel. Prior to 1287, its mouth was further to the east at New Romney, but it changed its course after a great storm blocked its exit to the sea. It was known as the Limen until the sixteenth century. For the final 14 miles (23 km), the river bed is below the high tide level, and Scots Float sluice is used to control levels. It prevents salt water entering the river system at high tides, and retains water in the river during the summer months to ensure the health of the surrounding marsh habitat. Below the sluice, the river is tidal for 3.7 miles.

The river has been used for navigation since Roman times, and is still navigable by small boats as far as Bodiam Castle. It flowed in a loop around the northern edge of the Isle of Oxney until 1635, when it was diverted along the southern edge. Scots Float Sluice was built before 1723, when the engineer John Reynolds made repairs to it, and later extended it, to try to keep the channel clear of silting, but it was criticised by John Rennie in 1804, as it was inconvenient to shipping. The river became part of a defensive line to protect England from the threat of invasion by the French in the early 1800s, when its lower section and part of the River Brede formed a link between the two halves of the Royal Military Canal. Scots Float Sluice was again rebuilt in 1844. Some 31 square miles of the valley were inundated by floodwater in 1960, which resulted in the Rother Area Drainage Improvement Scheme being implemented between 1966 and 1980. The river banks were raised, and 20 pumping stations were installed.

Across the river was a sign for Kayak hire, could have done with one today!

Views to Bodiam and its vineyard

Bodiam Castle comes into view, our next stop.

We approach the elegant Bridge over The Rother at Bodiam.

We arrive at Bodiam Castle, where we stopped for a toilet break and lunch outside the tearoom.

Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War. Of quadrangular plan, Bodiam Castle has no keep, having its various chambers built around the outer defensive walls and inner courts. Its corners and entrance are marked by towers, and topped by crenellations. Its structure, details and situation in an artificial watery landscape indicate that display was an important aspect of the castle's design as well as defence. It was the home of the Dalyngrigge family and the centre of the manor of Bodiam.

Possession of Bodiam Castle passed through several generations of Dalyngrigges, until their line became extinct, when the castle passed by marriage to the Lewknor family. During the Wars of the Roses, Sir Thomas Lewknor supported the House of Lancaster, and when Richard III of the House of York became king in 1483, a force was despatched to besiege Bodiam Castle. It is unrecorded whether the siege went ahead, but it is thought that Bodiam was surrendered without much resistance. The castle was confiscated, but returned to the Lewknors when Henry VII of the House of Lancaster became king in 1485. Descendants of the Lewknors owned the castle until at least the 16th century.

By the start of the English Civil War in 1641, Bodiam Castle was in the possession of Lord Thanet. He supported the Royalist cause, and sold the castle to help pay fines levied against him by Parliament. The castle was subsequently dismantled, and was left as a picturesque ruin until its purchase by John Fuller in 1829. Under his auspices, the castle was partially restored before being sold to George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe, and later to Lord Curzon, both of whom undertook further restoration work. The castle is protected as a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Monument. It has been owned by The National Trust since 1925, donated by Lord Curzon on his death, and is open to the public.

Dalyngrigge's licence from Richard II permitted him to refortify his existing manor house, but instead he chose a fresh site to build a castle on. Construction was completed in one phase, and most of the castle is in the same architectural style. Archaeologist David Thackray has deduced from this that Bodiam Castle was built quickly, probably because of the threat from the French. Stone castles were usually time-consuming and expensive to build, often costing thousands of pounds. Dalyngrigge was Captain of the port of Brest in France from 1386 to 1387, and as a result was probably absent for the first years of the castle's construction. It replaced the old manor house as Dalyngrigge's main residence and the administrative centre of the manor. It is not recorded when Bodiam Castle was completed, but Thackray suggests that it was before 1392; Dalyngrigge did not have long to spend in the completed castle, as he was dead by 1395.


Andrew informed me that the original bridge went across to the gatehouse you can see above and not straight over liek it is today.

The whole group walking today

The outside of Bodiam Castle has featured in various TV programmes and films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

After a walk around the perimeter of the castle we make our way back out and pass the Castle Inn and along a footpath.

An old split screen Morris Minor

Vineyard

We walk on and pass through Bodiam Business Park with landscaped gardens.

We walk along a footpath cross a road and up another muddy hill.

A picture that sums the day up perfectly!

We walk up a road passing Haiselmans Farm on Bourne Lane.

We take a footpath off Bourne Lane and into Romney March Wood where a crocus was flowering.

Here was an amazing tree-house complete with spiral staircase, lucky kids!

A sandstone stonerock gill

We head on over fields and stiles for a few more miles.

We reach a busy road that took a while for the whole group to negotiate over.

Up a track and along another footpath.

Wrong way boys!"

We reach Northstreet Bridge and the remains of an old mill.

Hodgson's Mill, originally known as Scat's Mill in Robertsbridge, Sussex closed in 1999 after work took a dive. The modern extensions have all been demolished, the land and the grade II listed old mill and workshop are up for redevelopment.

A website where someone has been inside and taken pics, worth a look here.

S.C.A.T.S.Animal Feed Mill Local History There has been a mill on the site since 1380 using water power.There is still a water wheel under the present mill.The old mill building was rebuilt in 1880 following a fire.

The site has stood empty for almost 17 years, but now developers Stiles Harold Williams have unveiled ambitious plans to rejuvenate the derelict eyesore.

As well as 95 homes - ranging from five bedroom houses to retirement flats to starter homes - the development will include commercial space, to be used for offices or healthcare.

The Oast House has been earmarked for use as a potential art gallery or museum and there are hopes to reinstate the traditional roof, which was previously damaged by fire.

We are now back in Robertsbridge after a 10.5 mile walk. We make our way to the cars to remove muddy boots and dump our bags before moving onto the George PH for a de-brief.

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We pass the Seven Stars PH , that has sadly closed.

There are old pubs and then there is the Seven Stars – dating from 1177.

Apart from the ancient architecture (a Wealden Hall with medieval crown posts) the pub has a gruesome history and as a result is reputed as one of the most haunted pubs in England. Listed by English Heritage. “The red monk, ‘e shall a’walk and a’rattle when the moon is new”.