BODIAM CASTLE ROBERTSBRIDGE EAST SUSSEX CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN for THE NATIONAL TRUST Drury McPherson Partnership Historic environment policy and practice Part 1: UNDERSTANDING AND SIGNIFICANCE June 2016 Bodiam Castle Conservation Management Plan Drury McPherson Partnership 23 Spencer Road Strawberry Hill TWICKENHAM TW2 5TZ Tel: +44 (0)20 8894 6247 Email: [email protected] June 2016 2 Bodiam Castle Conservation Management Plan Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 11 1.1 The purpose of the conservation plan ...................................................... 11 1.2 The structure of the plan ............................................................................. 11 1.3 Sources and abbreviations ........................................................................... 13 1.4 Spellings ......................................................................................................... 13 1.5 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... 14 2 UNDERSTANDING .......................................................................................... 16 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 16 Location .................................................................................................................. 16 Geology and topography ...................................................................................... 17 Objective ................................................................................................................ 17 2.2 Period 1.1: Prehistoric ................................................................................. 17 2.3 Period 1.2: Roman........................................................................................ 20 The road and its associated features ................................................................... 20 The settlement ....................................................................................................... 23 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 25 2.4 Period 1.3: Post-Roman .............................................................................. 26 2.5 Period 2.1: The emergence of the late Saxon landholding ..................... 26 2.6 Period 2.2: The medieval manor before 1377 .......................................... 31 The descent of the manor .................................................................................... 31 The emergence of the parish of Bodiam ........................................................... 34 The Battle Abbey lands ........................................................................................ 36 The river, bridge and Freren Mead ..................................................................... 38 The moated site near the church ......................................................................... 40 The medieval landscape before Dallingridge .................................................... 42 2.7 Period 3: Sir Edward Dallingridge and his heirs: 1377-1470 .................. 46 2.8 Period 3.1: The putative moated house .................................................... 47 The earthworks ...................................................................................................... 47 2.9 Period 3.2: The construction of the castle, c1385-95 .............................. 54 2.10 The form and planning of the castle ......................................................... 58 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 58 Materials ................................................................................................................. 65 Plan and exterior ................................................................................................... 65 The bridges ............................................................................................................ 66 The Octagon, Barbican and the final approach to the gatehouse .................. 67 The process and sequence of construction of the castle ................................. 70 The courtyard and internal plan .......................................................................... 73 The courtyard and tower roofs ........................................................................... 76 The gatehouse ........................................................................................................ 79 The entry ................................................................................................................ 84 The postern tower ................................................................................................. 84 The hall ................................................................................................................... 86 The hall undercroft ............................................................................................... 88 Service spaces west of the screens passage ........................................................ 89 The east range apartments and chapel ............................................................... 92 June 2016 3 Bodiam Castle Conservation Management Plan North-east range and tower ................................................................................. 97 The north-west range and tower ......................................................................... 99 The west range and tower .................................................................................. 100 Endnote ................................................................................................................ 105 2.11 The castle in its landscape setting ............................................................ 105 Concepts ............................................................................................................... 105 Placing the castle in the landscape .................................................................... 106 The Gun Garden and Court Lodge .................................................................. 108 The ponds ............................................................................................................ 110 The mill and the river ......................................................................................... 111 The frontage tenements and plots .................................................................... 114 Approaches to and setting of the Castle .......................................................... 117 The park ............................................................................................................... 119 St Giles’ Church .................................................................................................. 120 The wider estate .................................................................................................. 121 2.12 Period 3.3: 1393 - 1470: Sir John, Alice and Richard Dallingridge ..... 122 2.13 Period 4: Post-medieval decline: 1470 – 1722 ........................................ 123 2.14 Period 4.1: 1470 - 1623 Lewknor and Rigby .......................................... 125 The estate ............................................................................................................. 125 The mills ............................................................................................................... 126 2.15 Period 4.2: 1623 - 1645: Tufton ............................................................... 127 The estate ............................................................................................................. 127 The marshes ......................................................................................................... 128 2.16 Period 4.3: 1645 - 1723: Powell ................................................................ 128 Court Lodge ......................................................................................................... 130 2.17 Period 5: Rediscovery and reinvention: 1723 - 1925 ............................. 135 2.18 Period 5.1: 1723 - 1829: Webster ............................................................. 135 2.19 Period 5.2: 1829 - 1864: Fuller ................................................................. 139 2.20 Period 5.3: 1864 - 1917: Cubitt ................................................................ 144 2.21 Period 5.4: 1917 - 1925: Curzon .............................................................. 148 2.22 Period 6: 1926 to present day: the National Trust ................................. 151 2.23 The collections............................................................................................ 155 2.24 Ecology and habitats .................................................................................. 156 2.25 Hydrology .................................................................................................... 159 3 SIGNIFICANCE................................................................................................ 163 3.1 Introduction: Significance and values ...................................................... 163 3.2 Grading significance .................................................................................. 163 3.3 Statutory and