Cactuscafé sent us this excellent photo with no information other than that it was 'Pevensey Castle'. Obviously, we were supposed to know what a Pevensey Castle was when it was at home. In Pevensey, presumably. Hm, time to Do Research. Lucky thing the Post Editor isn't too lazy….

First stop: the Edited Guide. Type in 'Pevensey' and get The Battle of Hastings. It says,

William embarked for Pevensey with an army of 7,000, including 2,000-3,000 of the giant Destrier cavalry, able to carry men in full chain armour at exceptional speeds. Legend has it that upon arrival, William leapt from his boat, stumbled and slipped onto the beach. The soldiers saw this to be a bad omen, yet William, grabbing a hand of the shingle proclaimed: 'See how I have already taken England, and how quickly England has taken to me!' He quickly established defences in Pevensey and Hastings in the form of a motte and bailey at each town.

So far, so good: Pevensey must be not too far from Brightling, where our Nigel lives. But is this castle the one built by William the Unspeakable? Let's see what else we can find.

During the century after the Conquest a full-scale Norman castle, with a great square keep and a powerful gatehouse, was built within one corner of the fort. In the 1250s the towered bailey wall was constructed, and soon put to the test during the great siege of 1264.

English Heritage.org

English Heritage goes on to urge visitors to 'Explore the dark dungeons!' and 'Look out for the ghost of the Pale Lady of Pevensey!' Sounds like an exciting place.

Keep sending these artistic photos. We'll try to keep up with the background research.

Cactuscafe

06.05.19 Front Page

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