Americans React to Bodiam Castle - England's Most Beautiful Castle?? 

Hey guys - Thank you so much for reacting to the video, it was a personal bucket list Castle of ours and it's quite close to where we live. Really do appreciate the reaction, it was interesting to watch your first thoughts to the first sighting of the castle, isn't it just BEAUTIFUL? Grateful for the reaction video and always enjoy your content, you both are awesome and lovely! xx

Warwick Castle is very fancy. Its massive too. I have a really good documentary up all about it and it highlights famous owners over the years and gives stories connected to the castle "Secrets Of Great British Castles - Series 1 Episode 3 - Warwick Castle - 2015 HD"

I live nearby and been to the castle many times. The building at the start of the video is a WW11 pillbox. Steam trains go to the nearby station from Tenterden. The neighbourhood as mentioned is a few houses and a pub. Glorious place.

Great to see you back and reacting to this type of thing! Alnwick Castle is great too

There’s national trust and English heritage who look after places like this. ❤

You're right Steve, the courtyard was like a mini town, so that once the drawbridge was up, the commoners were also safer. The stables were inside too. Way back, kitchens would be in an outside building, so the main castle itself was safe from a kitchen fire, which wasn't that uncommon.

To give some general info, the internal courtyard served as a source of light as the windows facing the outside were rarely anything more than slits for shooting arrows. Also horses or carriages could enter the courtyard if important visitors were coming to the castle. The moat served mostly to funnel incoming attackers towards a single, more easily defensible point, so the people inside the castle didn't have to man every single side with too many people (although a few were always left on the other walls and towers just in case). The moat also prevented assault stairs and climbing ropes from being used. Invaders could of course try to use little boats to get closer but they couldn't fit too many men on them and they were easily repelled. Eventually attackers would resort to sieging the castle until it became a matter of time to see if the defendants could get help or had enough food to survive until the attackers had to move away.

My 6yr old grandson went on a school trip to Warwick Castle on Wednesday. It might be one that you would find of interest. The castle was built around 1068 and over the years had extensive renovations. You can now tour many parts of the castle which display artefacts from the times. They also have many concerts in the grounds, along with other types of entertainment around the year!

Bodiam is quite a new castle and was pretty obsolescent by the time construction was completed... The small height doors, irregular, steep stairs are all defensive features.

We have castle ruins literally everywhere, and I am guilty of just driving past them without giving them a second thought. It’s seeing you watch these things that make me think I should take more notice of my surroundings.

I've visited Bodiam Castle several times and it's an amazing place. Also, within walking distance there is a Steam Railway from a town called Tenterden and it makes a great day out, arriving by Steam Train, walking to the Castle and even enjoying an English Cream Tea at the Cafe at the entrance. I would definitely recommend visiting this area.

Remember that the castle is older than probably all of the nearby trees so the original view may have been more open.

You guys might be interested in looking up videos of the Weald and Downland Living Museum at Singleton, West Sussex. It is a working medieval-style village that visitors can explore to see what life was like in Medieval England. I remember visitong as part of a school trip when I was little...

The toilet system also acted as a deterrent for the enemy to enter the moat. A drawbridge would also have a Portcullis, a large heavy wood and metal gate that would drop down. That slot at the top of the battlement could be for water drainage but also defence.

If you like this castle, maybe have a look at Leeds castle. It's pretty much the same, but it's not a ruin

I just came back from dover castle, Bodiam is on my way home and will deffo do a visit there on another weekend :)

Have a look at Bamburgh (Bamburra as we say in the North East, it's still lived in and visitors are welcome. It's stunning and right on the beach

My suggestion would be for you to look into Lincoln cathedral and the neighbouring castle home to one of the four remaining copies of the magna carter.

We went to East Sussex on our holiday in May and stayed in battle in our caravan and we visited Bodian castle, the original path from the most side was actually to the side of the castle to the gate house not from the front where the bridge is now. Yes there would of been roofs inside too, the grass in the central courtyard yard is a modern addition it would of most likely just been a dirt floor on the courtyard maybe covered with rushes xx

My favourite castles are: Kenilworth Conwy Chepstow Goodrich Beaumaris Ludlow Warwick Stokesay You should check out the "modern" Castle Drogo and Penrhyn, which were both built as country houses.

Hi Steve and Lyndsey. I live close to Bodiam Castle and visit very often. A few other place's worth checking out are Batemans, Chartwell, Scotney Castle, Sissinghurst Castle, Ightham Mote and and the town of Rye in East Sussex where I do a lot of my shopping.

Most toilets in castles like this were literally just holes that dropped out through the walls down to the moat below. There is a few castles near where I live, Orford and Framlingham being the main ones, Framlingham is the Castle the Ed Sheeran most likely sings about in Castle on the Hill as Framlingham is his home town.

The best way to visit the castle is to park at the Town of Tenterden, go to the Kent and East Sussex railway station, take the steam train to Bodium station and the castle is just a short walk away. Two historic experiences in one visit 😎

The entrance to castle originally was from the side so that attackers would be an easy target. The original gate can be seen in the aerial footage

Always interesting,

There are bats all over the UK usually in places like this but also in church towers. We have some in the church tower behind our house and in the summer when there are lots of small bugs in the air you can see them swooping through the air at twilight to catch them, and they are pretty fast so can be difficult to spot

I only live about five or 10 minutes from this location. I visited a few times. One of the coolest views from the top of the towers is the Heritage Railway that is five minutes up the road. You can often see steam engines coming and going from Bodiam station.

If you want to see castles in the southeast of England that are still intact with rooms you can tour, try Leeds Castle and Hever Castle. Both have moats, and the gardens are magnificent. I don't know that either of them will cater to Steve's obsession with toilets, but you never know 😆

Loved Warwick castle. Fantastic day out... will never forget it.

Caerphilly castle might interest you both, second largest castle in the UK behind Windsor, quite iconic in Wales also Castle Coch looks like something from a fairy tale.

Doorway's were often short for two reasons. Less material used in the door, and to keep the heat in. As there is less air exchange with a small door.

English National Trust membership also gives you free access to National Trust Scotland properties, and in Scotland we also have Historic Scotland who own many of our ancient castles. Worth knowing if you ever visit north of the border 😉

Those grates you ask about at 20:05 are machicolations, and they are there for defence. You can't aim straight down from arrowloops or over the top of the battlements, so if someone is at the very base of the walls (in a boat or something in this case) you have the battlements overhanging the walls a bit and you have a hole you can shoot down through behind them. Shadiversity visited Britain not long ago, and he's a huge castle nerd and made a bunch of videos about some of the castles he visited while he was here. His older sit-down videos are great if you want to learn more about the medieval period too, though probably not ones to react to so much.

Warwick Castle is well worth looking at/visiting.

Ref the staircases(in most Castles) they were built like that as easy to defend,imagine as a attacker trying to climb them wearing a ton of armour,but they are shaped to help the defender,imagine,as a defender,shield on left arm sword etc in right the curve of the staircase helps you defend

Hi guys, Rochester Castle is my nearest it's an imposing castle very tall . Rochester cathedral is stunning too . 😊

If you're interested in sanitary engineering, have a look into Joseph Bazalgette, he built London's modern sewers in the mid-to-late 1800s after the Thames got so foul that Parliament couldn't sit due to the smell.

We have so many castles all of them special in there own way. thank you for showing me this one I will add it to my list.x

The small structure at the very start of the video was a WW2 Pillbox. These Pillboxes are scattered all around the UK. Used to play soldiers in one as a kid when I lived in Suffolk. And in regard to the smallness of the doorways, stairs and corridors. That's partly due to the fact that folks where generally shorter back then. And also as part of the defences, a thin tight corridor means that only 1 bad guy can get thru at a time creating chokepoints to help with the defense. 'edited as always because I still can't type🤣'

If you're interested in plumbing, look up the work that Joseph Bazalgette did in Victorian London with the sewer system!

One of many castles near me, I have grown up surrounded by such historical beauty.

I hope for those at home at the time, that that moat water diluted the toilet waste, and that the water filtered through the soil to the well .

The ' courtyards ' inside the Castles , was in case your lands were under attack , you would bring the near by farmers and civilians inside for protection , and they brought animals with them for food and drink in case of a long siege.

Check out Conwy Castle and Conwy town in North Wales near Snowdonia. A beautiful medieval walled fishing town. It also has Britains smallest house. I live very close by in a beautiful town called Llandudno ( Queen of the Welsh resorts), also worth checking out. A beautiful seaside town with a typical Welsh pier and Victorian Hotels and houses.

King Henry 8th was more than 6feet tall - 1.88m and he was considered a giant of his time - the reason he was so tall was because he’d had a varied diet when growing up, the doorways you see are smaller because everyone was shorter in the 13th century due to lack of nourishment

Moat water would be filtered through the ground to fill the well!

Bodiam is one of my favourite places. When I was a class teacher I often used to take the children there. Sadly severe arthritis has put paid to my ability to walk, so I doubt I'll ever go there again :(. It is a very late example of a castle and it never saw any action - partly why it looks like an archetypical storybook castle. It's a lovely part of the world and I'd love to move to that area (from the horrors of South London suburbia).

The concrete structure you saw at the beginning on the right is a fortified WW2 gun emplacement (Blockhouse), coloquially known as a "Pill Box". Many were built at the start of WW2 to house machine guns, anti-tank rifles and cannon in the event of invasion. There are plenty still around, mainly inland from the East and South coasts. Most have just been left due to the strength of construction.

Lovely. Thank you!!

Just a couple of miles up the road from me. I have fired a longbow of the top of that over the moat. 😁

Most castles were taken in fights by beseiging the inhabitants until they ran out of food and disease took hold in the cramped conditions. Otherwise they may dig tunnels under the moat and walls and drop the towers by undermining them. Later, cannon were used to blast holes in walls through which troops would charge.

I used to go to Bodiam Castle for school trips in the 1960's.... (yes, I'm that old!) One girl used to fall in the moat every year at exactly the same place! 😂 You can get near there on an old steam train from the local town of Tenterden. Well worth a visit!

Im going there next week. It’ll be my first time too 🙂

Bodium Castle is definitely a beautiful place to visit, some people combine there visit here with the Kent and East Sussex Railway, which is a heritage Railway that runs from the village/town of Tenterden and Bodium, definitely something you may like to check out, will see if can find a RU-vid link. Am fortunate that this and a few other Castles are about an hour or less away in the car

thing about the beautiful stonework and the moss growing is that it didnt look like that at all in most cases the walls where plastered and painted in bright colors and its not the camera angle the doors are always tiny

Hi guys. No, there's a TON of other castles that can easily compete with Bodiam. I made a list of about 50. And some of them also have moats. The moat was for defensive purposes. Others were built on their own islands - an example is Eileen Donoon in Scotland. In England, you have Michael's Mount island in Cornwall, best approached at hide tide when you have to take the ferry to get there, and back.

Bayham Abbey was founded c. 1208 by the merger of two monasteries, Otham (Sussex) and Brockley (Kent). Went there in the early 70s. A local theatre used to have the stage in Sussex and the auditorium was in Kent, it's now all in Kent. Wikipedia: The name Kent is believed to be of Celtic origin. The meaning has been explained as 'coastal district,' 'corner-land' or 'land on the edge' In Latin sources the area is called Cantia or Cantium, while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as Cent, Cent lond or Centrice.[7][8] Julius Caesar described the area as Cantium, or the home of the Cantiaci, in 51 BC.[10] The extreme west of the modern county was by the time of Roman Britain occupied by a Celtic Iron Age tribe known as the Regni. Caesar wrote that the people of Kent were 'by far the most civilised inhabitants of Britain'.[8] Still holds true today, Okay I'm biased. An early mention of Kent is made in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle between 11th and 12th centuries.

You are pronouncing it correctly. It is one of our favourite locations near London where we take visitors. It is also near Hastings and Battle and the lovely seaside town of Rye. Also a nice pub opposite!

The moat is approximately 2 -2.5m deep and was re-lined with clay in places in 1919-20 (1). There are a number of springs in the NW area of the moat which feed the moat.

Doors were lower in the Middle Ages because people were smaller than today. With regard to plumbing, it was non-existent for centuries. It very much disappeared after the Roman era. Fresh water had to be collected by hand from wells and rivers. Effluence in Tudor times was thrown out of upstairs windows into the streets below, with the warning "Gardez l'eau" (mind the water). That's where the word 'loo' for toilet derives. Our current sewerage systems were built in the Victorian era.

I live in Dover, uk, and we have a beautiful Castle. You get great views across the English channel and on a clear day can even see across to France.

Something you may not have caught is you can see where the lines of where the flooring would have sat and the huge number of fireplaces. I loved visiting Bodiam when I lived in the UK. The thing I loved most about this castle is it was built mostly all at one time and really showcases the medieval castle. Unlike many of UK's other castles which were added and adapted over time. Hamburger, Arundel and some of the Welsh castles are also highly recommended too. By the way there are several reasons the doorways were much smaller than we are used to. People were often smaller height during the medieval ages partly as they didn't have an abundant amount of food especially for the lower and mid classes. Secondly there is defense which castles were built in mind for. Restricting how many and how fast an attacker can make there way through a castle could make a huge difference and small doors are choke points. 3rd is resources and structural integrity. The weight of these down walls need to be carries through from top to bottom. The more openings and bigger openings lead to more strain on walls carrying this weight. Unlike today's buildings they don't have steel rods and beams forming the basic architectural bone structure. Also space was at a premium big doors equal large space needed which takes up more space on which storage or hearth could be utilized etc. Last but not least heating is a major factor as well the more openings and the larger they are means more loss of heat and light. Builds were meticulously planned in the past from the location to orientation, defense, material and labor availability and cost, intended use ages, taxes, fire and heating all playing major factors in how and what was built. Hope that helps

One castle to put on your must see list is Arundel Castle in Sussex. It was used as part of the harry potter films. Very scenic

That was great Steve and Lindsay , im not too far from Warwick Castle which is awesome , but then they all are lol , Warwick was my house name at school , so we got to go there , thanks , keep up the great work 👍💪

Some of my favourites in the UK are the North Welsh coast castles.. Conway, Harlech Caernarvon for example are all stunning and are set in beautiful surroundings. You can't go very far in Wales without finding a castle, there's over 600 of them in various states of repair.

Not sure if this has been mentioned but the reason for the tower staircases to be spiral was because most soldiers and knights were right handed so when defending facing down the staircase the stairs spiralled to the left so you can swing your axe or sword and anyone coming up stairs they couldn’t use their sword or axes because the stairs spiralled to the right which made it possible to swing a weapon in your right hand

20:21 The cover was obviously a modern addition in order to prevent tourists from stepping into the hole. But originally it was most likely an opening of one of the Machiculi, which were visible from outside at the beginning of the video. Machiculi are holes beyond the massive castle walls, through which projectiles can be fired straight down. Without them, attackers can be pretty safe, once they are directly unter the walls.

Down here in East Sussex we say Bojam.

Should have a look at lowther castle, it’s a castle in the north of England that was the home to my grandmothers family quite a few generations ago! Her maiden name was Lowther

Hi Steve , you mentioned the height of the doors , i think its because people were much shorter then due to their lifestyle , i might be wrong but hey why would the doors be short . regard and best wishes , P.S take a look at Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire , its about 30 mins drive from my Town called Horncastle which is a very old town and we even have roman walls here

The filth in the moat put invaders off of swimming in the moat to find a way in ,with no antibiotic entering the water could be deadly .

Went here a few years ago it is very beautiful.

All those candles are sitting in a set of wrought iron concentric circles because back then, there was no power source for lighting, just candles. It could be lowered for lighting the candles and raised up to illuminate the whole room. There would also be sconces on every wall in every room and in all the corridors.

Carrickfergus Castle in the north of Ireland is one to see. Used to go there when we had school trips. Apparently, it's "haunted"

You mentioned the state of the well water but in medievil times people didn't drink water it was too dangerous, thats why they had a brew house to brew beer as a daily drink. It obviously has the same ingredients as bread. Even the children would drink beer (small beer) a weaker form.

Haldon belvedere also known as St lawrence Castle is the best not because its the best, but you can have a short weekend stay and have the run of the place when the weddings aren't going on. Amazing

Right on our doorstep, I must visit it soon with Doggy BooBoo in tow❤

Castles were generally the place to retreat to when attacked, the entire town could end up having to stay in there. If you were surrounded, you'd appreciate having any water source I would imagine.

Great vid guys. I went to a school which you could see castle ruins . It was a great place to burn off energy. It's probably literally dilapidated now.

Bodiam is a restored castle, mainly in the 19th Century, so it has the 'romantic' feel to it. For a true Medieval Castle look at Harlech Castle...........

20:05 they are for firing arrows and rocks down onto an enemy at the walls

Why did you think they put Human Waste in the Moat? It was not unusual for fish to be in the Moat. Remember there was no Polution back then so the water was clean.

If there was danger to locals the people in charge would call everyone in to go into the castle courtyard for protection

The low, flat topped building right at the start of the video is actually a Second World War "Blockhouse". This is a defensive position which would be manned by several men armed with rifles and machine guns in the event of a Nazi Invasion. There were literally thousands of these positions right across the country, and all the way up to the north of the country. There are still many of these structures to be found across England, most of them now being designated as "Listed Buildings" to be preserved as part of our history. By the way, the soldiers manning these positions during any invasion would not be expected to survive.

They should put you pair in charge of History lessons in UK Schools.. I was never interested back then like I appear to have become 😅

Castles were built for siege warfare. The attackers would need a larger force than the defenders to impose the siege. If they were unable to take the castle by force, then the winners would be who had enough supplies to sit out the siege. So a good castle had a water supply and enough space to take in the livestock in the area to feed the defenders & deny the attackers . Castles were also how the monarch controlled the country. The lords had to show their loyalty & worth to keep their castles & they did that by collecting taxes. The taxes were collected through controlling trade. Trade was only allowed under royal charter, given to the castle owners. If a town's name ends in borough then it most likely had a castle & a market.

Nottingham castle is better... because i live in that county lol

Just checked for you, the moat is 6 ft deep. 👍

Dover Castle is a REAL Castle!

I enjoy your videos, I thought you might enjoy if you Google The Kings Guard serving the Crown , it just as we say in Britain, 'just your cup of tea "

Another thing to keep in mind when looking at castle ruins. When lived in, they would have been whitewashed inside and out. The interior rooms would have been to us, garishly painted. In 2009, English Heritage remodelled Dover Castle into what some of the major rooms would have looked like, when first built. Time Team followed the transformation. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cjpOclgkIwA.html 50 minutes. So you could do a two parter, should you react to it.

Try Conwy castle . With its town walls

Have a look at Beaumaris Castle (beautiful Marsh) on Anglesey North Wales. Built By Edward 1 English King. Never finished it is said that it would have been the best design as Castles go. Kind of low in the landscape but a massive castle all the same.

National Trust membership would be £160/ year for the 3 of you. If you were here for several weeks it might still save money rather than pay individually. There’s a lot of free stuff in the UK though and not all castles / homes are National Trust.

I live close to Bodiam - I forget people don't have ancient castles everywhere!

FOOD The castle would have had some chickens, ducks and maybe a few pigs for food. However most of the food would of been grown or raised on fields near by / farms. Farmers would sale their veg and meats at open air markets near to the castle. However the lord of the castle would get free food for the soldiers within, as the farmers would be on the lords land.

If and when you get to visit the U.K. maybe book a nights stay in one of the castles

Hiya Steve hello from Newton Abbot Devon UK, have you or Lindsey ever done your family tree with ancestry 🤔

Do some research on what a 'garda robe' is, basically a toilet that overhangs the walls, also' the 'keeper of the stool' was a very important person, probably the closest to the king and well paid The slots in the battlements were where defenders could drop stuff from if the enemy was climbing the walls Many castles would also have a 'keep' in the middle of the courtyard, if the enemy got through the outer defence wall, the keep was the strongest defense Castles would also attract a community outside the main walls, sometimes with their own walls, it was a community of shops or stalls, a 'castle town' which is where we get names like castleton The moat is just over 6 ft deep The national trust isn't free, you can either pay per visit, or pay a yearly membership, though there are many NT places that are free.

Can anyone else hear Leeds Castle shouting out “nooooo!! it’s meeeeee I’M the prettiest castle in England …. Not Bodiam 😲😡 I’ve been VOTED as the “prettiest castle” alll the time!”