Although Bodiam Castle is not one of Mad Jack's Follies but was the reason that Mad Jack built the Tower.
Bodiam Castle is one of the most iconic Norman Castles in the Area and possibly the world, as its picture is in most books on English Castles. It was built by Sir Edward Dallingridge and his wife Elizabeth Wardedieu around 1385AD. Sir Edward recieved Bodiam Manor from his wife, and converted it to the castle we see today.
It is not known if it was just built as a mansion, or as a defense for the Rother and the Forest of Andredsweald ship building area, due to the Rother still being sea navigable upstream of Bodiam towards Salehurst at the time.
The Castle itself has four tall round corner towers, three square side towers, a magnificent moat with the most enormous carp, and a double towered gatehouse which was accessible from the north via a drawbridge.
The interior was destroyed when it was sold to Parliament during the English Civil War to avoid any further use by the Royalists sometime between 1642AD and 1651AD.
In 1828AD Mad Jack Fuller bought the castle at auction to prevent a Hastings builder buying it and demolishing it for construction work in the area. The builders may have been the Evesfield family who had sold land to James Burton and his son the architect Decimus Burton to construct St Leonards between 1827AD and 1837AD, and were looking to copy the Burton's success. The Castle would have provided a great deal of stone to be used as building materials.
Mad Jack partially restored the castle before being sold on his death to George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe, and later to Lord Curzon, both of whom undertook further restoration work.
This is a fabulous castle and it is one of the most visited attractions in East Sussex, it is run by the National Trust.
![Norman Crossbowman](javascript:launch_resize("/images/1066AD/norman_crossbowman_lft.png", 900, 1000);)
![The incredible Bodiam Castle](javascript:launch_resize("/tour_guide/images/mad_jack/bodiam.jpg"))
