Ring motte and bailey first mentioned 1160, with later stone keep probably built between 1152 and 1217. Only foundations of the keep survived in the early 19th century but partial reconstruction has occured since. Outworks have been partly damaged by modern building. Excavations have identified a Medieval hall. It has been suggested that it was […]
Ypres Tower
The Ypres Tower is thought to have been built in 1249 as part of the town’s defences and is the oldest building open to the public in Rye. The Tower has had a chequered history (see History of Ypres Tower) and as you look round the inside you can see some of those changes in […]
Verdley Castle
Earthworks and masonry remains of a probable 13th century hunting lodge, ruined in the 16th century. The topography of the site means that it could not have been moated, but the thickness of the walls suggest that the building may have been fortified. This ruin consists now of the small remains of a quadrangular building, […]
Sedgwick Castle
Sedgwick Park House is a privately owned home, set within 100 acres of rolling countryside and the gardens and ground floor are occasionally open to the public. The gardens include breathtaking views of the South Downs and Chanctonbury Ring. The house in its current state was built by Mr and Mrs Robert Henderson, and was […]
Scotney Castle
Scotney is not one but two houses. At the top of the hill is the new house, designed by Anthony Salvin in Elizabethan style and built in 1837 for Edward Hussey III, who took the Picturesque style as his inspiration. At the bottom of the valley are the romantic ruins of a medieval castle and […]