Herstmonceux Castle

Coming to the end of the Anglo-Saxon era

corridor

Picture it! It's 1066, the Norman conquest of England is in full flow “this was to be the last successful invasion of Great Britain” we won’t count the Dutch invasion in 1668, we invited them to overthrow King James II but that’s another story.
The Battle of Hastings rages and King Harold II the last Anglo-Saxon King of England before the Norman Conquest is crowned but killed at the battle, coincidentally he was one of only three Kings of England killed in battle the other two were Richard the Lionheart and Richard III.
Meanwhile, Halley’s Comet reaches its closest to the earth and is recorded on the Bayeux Tapestry, along with accounts of the battle, a busy lot those French tapestry workers weren’t they?
If you want to have a get a cup of coffee while you take that all in I can wait.

Edward the Confessor

The Castle from the moat

To continue, Edmer, a priest, in the time of Edward the Confessor (Now he was the king before Harold) are you keeping up with me? He is living in a manor at Hurst a little hamlet nestling within the East Sussex countryside, and then, according to the Doomsday Book, one of “William I”, better known as “William the conqueror” but he was also called "William the Bastard" because of the illegitimacy of his birth, I prefer that one.
Anyway back to the story, one of William’s closest supporters a man named Wilbert was then granted a tenancy to the manor.
By the end of the twelfth century, the family at the manor house had built quite a considerable status. Accounts mention a lady called Idonea de Herst, now she married a Norman nobleman called Ingelram de Monceux., the manor soon began to be called the “Herst of the Monceux”, and this name eventually became Herstmonceux.

Fiennes fought at the Battle of Agincourt with King Henry V

The drive

In 1440 Roger de Fiennes was given permission to make the manor into a more fortified building and unusually he built it in brick, now this was a time when castles were already out of date, Fiennes fought at the Battle of Agincourt with King Henry V. So he was no fool, he knew just what he was doing and so continued to add to the castle building an impressive gatehouse, with a drawbridge.
Some critics have described Herstmonceux as a folly, but with its 4 ft thick walls it could have mounted quite a resistance. It would probably be better to call it a fortified manor than a castle.
By 1777 the castle was being dismantled. But is now restored beautifully and stands as a fine example of a Tudor castle
The castle passed through the hands of a number of private owners until it was sold in 1946 to the Admiralty, and in 1957 became the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory and remained so until 1988 when the observatory moved to Cambridge.
If you get the chance to visit you won’t be disappointed

You must make a point to visit

The Castle gate

A castle with history and fine dining

Castle Entrance

Sitting in the south downs of the Sussex countryside sits the small picturesque village of Amberley, the land was owned by The Saxon King Caedwalla and in 672 he gave the lands to St Wilfred he was the first Bishop of Selsea.
It was later passed on to the See of Chichester a cathedral city nearby and in the 12th century Bishop Luffa built a Manor house which was to be the beginning of Amberley Castle.

In 1377, King Richard II granted Bishop William Rede a "license to crenellate, he raised the great curtain wall and gate-towers as protection against the pirates of the day.
The wall comprised of a parapet with arrow firing slits and a walkway behind
He then built the Great hall more building was done and by 1383 the castle was almost finished.

Queen Elizabeth, I held the lease at one time

another view

The castle is built as a quadrilateral with the curtain wall being surrounded by a dry moat; a drawbridge was never built, although it does have a working portcullis
It was occupied by the bishops of Chichester the last one being Bishop Sherbburn after he died the castle was leased out.
There were many leaseholders including Queen Elizabeth I she held the lease between 1588 and 1603. In September 1648 James Butler of London, a merchant, purchased Amberley Castle

During the Civil War, Amberley Castle along with Arundel Castle was attacked by the forces of Oliver Cromwell, the then tenant had unpaid taxes and in ensuing battle the castle was badly damaged, evidence of the destruction the Cromwellian forces wrought exists to this day.
Today Amberley Castle it is a hotel, along with its beautiful landscaped gardens and lakes 19 luxurious hotel bedrooms and suites, and its two restaurants one situated in the great hall, it’s got to be classed as a Castle worth a visit, I have been lucky enough to have dined in the great hall.

One of the best places to eat

Large view

There are as many as 50 castles in England the have been converted into hotels or holiday complexes today and much more in Scotland Ireland and Wales. If it takes this to keep these lovely monuments of history then I am all in favour of it.
I often wondered what the Lords and Kings of yesterday would have made of how the fortresses and castles they so proudly defended against the hordes and invaders of their day are being used today.
And so as I sit and sip my earl grey tea and take a bite out of my cream bun, sitting in the gardens of this magnificence Castle I close my eyes and allow myself to be transported back to the days of old.

Arundel Castle

The majestic Castle looks down upon its mother Arundel

A view from the street

One of the most spectacular castles in England, looking down on the dreamy town of Arundel and the river Arun

Arundel (Pronounced Aow-ren-del ) is a small quaint English town built on a hilltop, the two main churches are St. Nicholas Church this is a unique church in that it is both Roman Catholic and Protestant, the soaring spire of Roman Catholic Cathedral the other main point of religion in Arundel was designed by Joseph Hansom, it was he who invented the Hansom cab.

Arundel is the quintessence of an old English town it has an amazing mixture of medieval and Victorian architecture, the cobbled streets and narrow lanes are full of antique shops, Arundel has several small museums and tea-rooms and of course no British town would be seen dead without its array of quaint and cosy pubs. The town nestles in the South Downs twixt the rolling hills and the sea.

Sitting right at the top of the hill is the Castle it sits in 40 acres of downland

Looking from the outside

Arundel Castle holds nearly 1000 years of history from the days of King Henry 1st to the present Queen.
Looking over the river Arun which winds its way down to Littlehampton and the English Channel the castle was built by the Earl of Arundel Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century

The Castle now the seat of The Dukes of Norfolk (The Howard family), houses priceless works of paintings, furniture, tapestries and stained glass, china, clocks, sculptures and carving, heraldry and Armour all set in stunning rooms it is open to the public and no visit is complete without a visit to the Castle.

It's one of the castles Cromwell knocked about

under the wall

Some famous members of the Howard family are Lord Howard of Effingham, who with Sir Francis Drake helped beat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk (1473-1554) was the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both later became wives of King Henry VIII (1491-1547).

The motte, an artificial mound was built in 1068 King Henry I (1068-1135) left the Castle and lands to his second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, during the Civil war, in 1643 the original castle was badly damaged by the cannons of Oliver Cromwell’s army he used the steeple of St. Nicholas’ Church to fire cannon shot, the Castle was later restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Full of history it’s a must place to visit

The castle from the south

Arundel Castle now stands in its entire magnificent splendour looking over the town and its churches, it is one of the many majestic Castles found in the British Isles and stands as a reminder of the days of old when Knights were bold, and fought for lady's honour.

All the pictures are by the author.

Coming Soon

Bodiam Castle
Londons Castle,The Bloody Tower
A Short history of the Castle Drawbridges
Watchtowers