In the period from the mid 14th century onwards, castles were no longer built just by kings but also by newly rich noblemen. Keen to show off their new wealth, these noblemen built their castles as homes rather than fortresses. They were designed to impress and to declare the status of their owners.
Bodiam Castle in Sussex was built by Sir Edward Dallingridge (or Dalyngrigge), a nobleman who made his fortune in the Hundred Years War against France. It looks like the perfect fairytale castle, with its moat, towers and huge gatehouse. Castles of this time mimicked earlier enclosed concentric-type castles such as the one at Conwy in North Wales, but behind the traditional-looking exterior they had far more space for living quarters. Rooms were built around a courtyard and were the height of luxury at the time.
Experts have recently debated whether castles such as Bodiam were ever intended as defensive buildings at all. Despite the stone walls and huge gatehouse, some have argued that Bodiam was just built as a status symbol and would never have been under any threat. Marc Morris argues that, being so close to the English Channel during the wars with France, there was a real possibility of invasion and attack, and Bodiam was actually designed as a defence base as well as a home. Indeed, in order to build a castle in the late 14th century, permission had to be given by the King. Dallingridge obtained his ' Licence to Crenellate' from Richard II in 1385, which shows that the King felt there was some threat from attack on the south coast of England.
Bodiam Castle is highly significant because it stands at the turning point in the history of castles, being in between the fortresses of earlier times and the grand stately homes of the future.
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