CASTLES & FORTIFICATIONS of East & West Sussex

 

 

With its long coastline and closeness to the continent, Sussex has for many centuries played a strategic role in Britain's defenses. Almost every age has added to these fortifications and examples from the Norman Conquest to the Second World War can be seen.

NORMAN PERIOD

Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Sussex was divided into six administrative areas called Rapes, each protected by a strong castle.

Arundel Castle.

The castle was originally built by Roger de Montgomery at the end of the eleventh century. For over seven hundred years it has been the home of the Dukes of Norfolk, the hereditary Earls Marshal of England. In 1644, during the Civil War, the castle was very badly damaged by the Parliamentary forces under General Waller, and most of what is seen now is a nineteenth-century reconstruction. The overall Impression, however, is very striking, with its towers and battlements rising above the valley of the Arun. Among the treasures are a fine collection of tapestries, furniture and paintings.

 

Arundel Castle from the air looking towards the north

 

Bramber Castle.

Though it played no great part in the history of England, it has it's own stories to tell of local and Sussex history. For more details, see the Bramber Castle pages.

The remains of Bramber castle can be seen peeping above the tree tops with the church tower to the left .

 

Chichester Castle

All that remains of this castle is the motte.

Hastings Castle

Hastings Castle was the first to be built after the Conquest. William had apparently already chosen the hill overlooking Hastings as the site for the prefabricated wooden fortress which he brought with him. After the success of the Invasion, a stone castle was planned and started in 1070 by Robert of Eu, who included a church of St Mary within the walls. The castle was enlarged and strengthened by the addition of a keep early in 1170s by Henry II.

The ruins of Hastings castle

Following the great storms of the late thirteenth century which more or less finished Hastings as a major port, the castle fell into disrepair. Since then erosion of the cliffs has destroyed much of the site and a large part of the walls and the keep are in the sea, so that only a segment of what must have been a very large castle remains. Outside the walls, by the present entrance is a series of narrow tunnels under the mound. They are called dungeons but were probably storerooms.

 

Lewes Castle

Lewes Castle was built in 1077 by William de Warrenne to defend the vital river crossing over the Ouse and must have been one of the strongest castles in England. The design is unusual in that in addition to the normal motte and bailey a second mound was built and both were surmounted by a shell keep, a plan not known anywhere else; only the south-western keep remains. In the thirteenth century two polygonal turrets were added to the existing keep and in the fourteenth century the southern gateway was fortified by the addition of the 'mightiest barbican in England', which still remains.

The castle was attacked only once, in 1263 during the Battle of Lewes, when Simon de Montfort and his barons defeated Henry III and imposed conditions on the king which are regarded as the starting point of parliamentary democracy in England.

 

 

See the Lewes Castle Pages for more information on the castle.

 

See the Mount Harry Page for more information on the Battle.

 

 

 

 

 

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