Bodiam Castle in Kent was built in about 1385 by Sir Edward Dallinridge… what a magnificent name… except it sounds like a hero from a Mills and Boon historical romance! He was, however, a soldier, an MP and a King’s Knight.
He built the castle ostensibly as a defence against a french invasion… or was it a local rebellion by those pesky peasants? However, in truth it was actually an ostentatious home for him and his family and kin, very much to show off to everyone and anyone that he was a powerful and very rich knight of the realm.
It was built with the fine moat, which actually is really splendid, but he also had pools and ponds created to add to the appearance of the place, but there was also a wharf, essential in the middle ages for trade and transporting goods and people when roads were difficult and dangerous. One of the ponds however was very functional, it was a mill pond to provide a sustained flow of water t drive the watermill. The castle stood for centuries, but suffered as many others during the Civil War
Lois Elsden 