A Walk to a Ruined Castle

Paul Stoneman and I take a walk across the country side to visit whats left of this iconic castle. The old Knepp Castle was an early Norman keep built by William de Braose as a dependency of Bramber Castle and used as a hunting lodge. It stands along now like a broken tooth on the small motte adjacent to the busy London to Worthing road, the A24. The ruins which for years was fenced off on private land owned by the more mordern Knepp House.

History of the Castle

The Castle and its estates were confiscated by King John in 1210 and given to one of his sons. It was thought that he was was plotting against the King. It was restored to the de Braose family after John's death. In the 14th Century the Castle fell into disrepair, and much of its stonework was used in other local buildings as was typical in those days.

The Other Castle

Another Knepp Castle was built at the beginning of the 19th Century, not in the same place, but a short distance to the north-west which is not really visible from the A24. It was damaged by fire, and rebuilt early in the 20th Century. Now it is a private estate and not open to the public. They play a lot of polo in the grounds too.