Camber Castle
Encyclopedia
Camber Castle is one of Henry VIII's
Device Forts
, also known as Henrician Castles, built to protect the huge Rye
anchorage .
It is approximately 2 km south of Rye and 2 km northeast of Winchelsea
.
Between 1512 and 1514 Sir Edward Guldeford built a circular tower to defend the harbour. This tower was incorporated into a new fort which was built between 1539 and 1544. It was expanded to become a highly symmetrical artillery fort. The original tower was augmented with four outer towers linked by an octagonal wall concealing a covered passage. Part of this construction was directed by Stefan von Haschenperg
. Finally, four large D-shaped bastions serving as gun platforms were placed in front of the earlier towers. As the shoreline receded south the height of the central tower was raised in order to maintain the range of the castle's cannon
.
However by the end of the 16th century the silting of the Camber made the castle largely obsolete and in 1637 it was disbanded.
It is now owned by English Heritage
after being taken over by the state in 1967. There are guided walks round Rye Harbour Nature Reserve most months in the summer, which include the castle and local farm; but it is best to call before visiting to check that it is open. It is managed by Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
Device Forts
Device Forts
The Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, are a series of artillery fortifications built to defend the southern coast of England by Henry VIII. After his divorce of Catherine of Aragon England was left politically isolated, and the peace of Nice between France and Spain in 1538 aroused...
, also known as Henrician Castles, built to protect the huge Rye
Rye, East Sussex
Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...
anchorage .
It is approximately 2 km south of Rye and 2 km northeast of Winchelsea
Winchelsea
Winchelsea is a small village in East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles south west of Rye and seven miles north east of Hastings...
.
Between 1512 and 1514 Sir Edward Guldeford built a circular tower to defend the harbour. This tower was incorporated into a new fort which was built between 1539 and 1544. It was expanded to become a highly symmetrical artillery fort. The original tower was augmented with four outer towers linked by an octagonal wall concealing a covered passage. Part of this construction was directed by Stefan von Haschenperg
Stefan von Haschenperg
Stefan von Haschenperg was a Czech military engineer employed by Henry VIII of England in the 1540s.-Career:Very little is known of Stefan's career, however he was mentioned as a gentleman of Moravia, and subject of Bohemia, in a letter from the Regent of the Netherlands to Henry VIII in 1544. He...
. Finally, four large D-shaped bastions serving as gun platforms were placed in front of the earlier towers. As the shoreline receded south the height of the central tower was raised in order to maintain the range of the castle's cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
.
However by the end of the 16th century the silting of the Camber made the castle largely obsolete and in 1637 it was disbanded.
It is now owned by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
after being taken over by the state in 1967. There are guided walks round Rye Harbour Nature Reserve most months in the summer, which include the castle and local farm; but it is best to call before visiting to check that it is open. It is managed by Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.
See also
- Eastbourne RedoubtEastbourne RedoubtEastbourne Redoubt is a fort on what is now Royal Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex, England.-History:The Redoubt was built between 1804 and 1810 to support the associated Martello towers in defending against the threat of an invasion by Napoleon. It has defended the Eastbourne coast for nearly 200...
- Pevensey CastlePevensey CastlePevensey Castle is a medieval castle and former Roman fort at Pevensey in the English county of East Sussex. The site is a Scheduled Monument in the care of English Heritage and is open to visitors.-Roman fort:...
Further reading
- Biddle, Martin, J. Hiller, I. Scott and A. Streeten (2001). Henry VIII's Coastal Artillery Fort at Camber Castle, Rye, East Sussex: An Archaeological Structural and Historical Investigation. London: Oxford Archaeological Unit for English Heritage.
- Colvin, H.M. (ed) (1982). The History of the King's Works, Vol. IV, 1485–1600, Part II.
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1980). The David & Charles Book of Castles. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
- Harrington, Peter (2007). The castles of Henry VIII. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 9781846031304
- Morley, B. M. (1976). Henry VIII and the development of coastal defence. London: H.M. Stationery Office. ISBN 0116707771