A walk across the sheep-filled fields to Camber Castle is always a pleasure. It is surprising that such a unique building sits on the marsh, unfenced and part of the landscape, so that walkers, birdwatchers and sheep can wander right up to its crumbling walls. Falcons nest on the walls and occasionally an adventurous lamb can be seen climbing, mountain goat-like on its jutting stones.
English Heritage and Sussex Wildlife Trust manage the castle and it has only been possible to visit the interior of the castle in a guided tour on the first Saturday of the month from August to October. Unfortunately, English Heritage recently surveyed the castle and found that the masonry has deteriorated substantially and so have cancelled any guided tours of the interior and it will remain closed to the public.
Henry VIII’s artillery fort was built to defend Rye and Winchelsea from possible attacks by the French and Spanish. It was built with a central keep and five curved bastions and installed with artillery. By the time that it was completed, it was already obsolete, as fort designs had adapted to more angular-shaped star forts and the silting of the harbours and receding of the sea meant that it stood quite far inland.
The castle continued to be operational until closed in 1637 by King Charles I and parts were dismantled by Parliamentary forces during the civil war to prevent it from being used by the Royalists. English Heritage undertook conservation work between 1968 and 1994.
It is still, of course, possible to walk up to and around the castle but hopefully it can continue to be preserved and that visits to the inside will once again be possible.
Image Credits: Juliet Duff , J. Minter .