Bodiam is everyone's idea of the perfect 'bucket and spade' castle. But for the man who built it, Sir Edward Dallingridge, Bodiam was deadly serious. Veteran of the Hundred Years War, he wanted not only to counter the threat of French invaders, but also to impress his fractious neighbours. Today, Bodiam Castle survives as a romantic ruin.

Bodiam is everyone's idea of the perfect 'bucket and spade' castle. But for the man who built it, Sir Edward Dallingridge, Bodiam was deadly serious. Veteran of the Hundred Years War, he wanted not only to counter the threat of French invaders, but also to impress his fractious neighbours. Today, Bodiam Castle survives as a romantic ruin.