Camber Castle, Rye (East Sussex)
The ruins of an unusually unaltered artillery fort.
Introduction
The ruins of an unusually unaltered artillery fort, built by Henry VIII to guard the port of Rye. There are monthly guided walks round Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, including the castle.
History to the present day
Camber Castle is remarkable in that it has experienced little moderation, and the original Henrician design remains largely intact. The site's active life as a Castle was very short and it was abandoned within 100 years of being built. It is this early abandonment which has meant that unlike other forts of a similar age it was not the subject of extensive alterations and reconstruction.
Until the late 16th century, most of the low lying ground between Rye and Winchelsea was a shallow harbour, called the Camber. It was on this site that Sir Edward Guldeford built a circular tower between 1512 and 1514. In 1538 the continued threat of a naval invasion from the Catholic France and Spain led Henry VIII to order the construction of a chain of artillery forts at strategic points along the the south coast. The existing tower at Camber was incorporated into a new fort built between 1539 and 1544. By the end of the 16th century the silting of the Camber made the castle largely obsolete and in 1637 the garrison was disbanded and Camber deserted.
Arrival information and how to find us
Address: Camber Castle, East Sussex, , United Kingdom
Opening times: 1 Jul-30 Sept: 2pm-5pm Sat & Sun (last entry 4.30pm)
Opening times subject to change
Admission prices:
Adult:£2.00
Children: Accompanied children free
Concession:£1.00
Photographs copyright English Heritage Photographic Library.
