 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bramber castle whose name is taken from the Saxon 'Brymmburh' meaing fortified place, was
built shortly after the Conquest by William de Braose
to guard the then sizable port on the river Adur. Little remains of the castle except one
wall of the keep about 75 feet high (24 m) and portions of the perimeter wall in the NE of
the site. The mound on which it is built looks like a gigantic motte but is natural and
there is a pre-conquest motte within the walls, which dates back to saxon times. From the
site it can be seen what a very fine defensive position the castle occupied. During the
Civil War the castle was attacked and destroyed by Parliamentary forces, who used the
nearby church as a gun emplacement.
The church was originally built in 1075 as a chapel for the castle and housed a small
Benedictine college. Part of the original nave remains, but much damage was done in the
seventeenth century and the Victorian restoration is not good. The present chancel is
housed in the original tower and transepts. |
|
|
|
