Built in 1385,
Bodiam manages to be both a fairy-tale castle (complete with moat, crenellated
towers, and slits for pouring boiling oil onto one's visitors) and an educational
site providing a realistic insight into why such castles were built and
what life in them was like. The local lord received a license from
the king to fortify his manor house in case of attack by the French, but
he went further and replaced the house with this castle. In the 19th
century, it was partially restored to put floors in some of the chambers
and to provide safe access to the upper levels. We had a great time
exploring in all the corners and going up and down the spiral staircases.
|
|
As in most
places and time periods, life at Bodiam would have been not so bad, relatively
speaking, if you happened to be at the top of the social heap -- the principal
chambers had broad fireplaces, good windows, and private bathrooms (directed
to the moat, of course). If you were less fortunate, of course, you
were most likely stuck with the proverbial medieval life: "nasty, brutish, and
short."