Bodiam is an archetypal moated castle with imposing crenellated battlements and a portcullis. It was built in the late 14th century by the English Knight, Sir Edward Dalyngrigge not only deter French raiders but also to provide a fortified home. A French invasion never came but the castle was to fall in 1484 after a siege by Richard III and again during the English Civil War, after which it was slighted. The ruins were entrusted to the National Trust in 1925.