As a loyal supporter of King Richard II, Dalyngrigge sought to defend his lands and secure his family’s position by building a strong fortress on the site. In 1385, he received a license to crenellate—a royal permission to fortify a residence and build battlements. This was an important legal step, as fortifying a house without royal approval was illegal and could be seen as a challenge to royal authority.
The castle Dalyngrigge constructed was unlike many typical military castles of the time. Rather than a heavily fortified stronghold designed solely for defense, Bodiam was designed both as a military fortress and a grand residence, blending practicality with status and aesthetics.
Architectural Design: A Blend of Defense and Display
Bodiam Castle’s design reflects the changing nature of castles in late medieval England. By the late 14th century, the threat of large-scale siege warfare was diminishing, but castles still served important military, administrative, and social functions.
Bodiam Castle features a near-perfect square layout with corner towers and a wide moat surrounding it on all sides. The moat itself was an effective defensive barrier, preventing attackers from easily approaching the walls and serving as a deterrent to siege engines. The castle’s walls were thick, but the design emphasized symmetry and grandeur as much as pure defense.
One of the castle’s most famous features is its six towers—four corner towers and two gate towers flanking the main entrance. The towers were equipped with arrow slits for archers and machicolations—stone projections with openings for dropping stones or boiling oil on attackers.
Inside, the castle contained comfortable living quarters, a great hall, a chapel, kitchens, and storerooms. The presence of large windows, ornamental details, and spacious rooms indicates that Bodiam was meant as much for comfortable living and entertaining as for resisting attack. shutdown123