Camber Castle

Camber Castle lies between Rye and Winchelsea, and was originally located on a shingle spit which protected the approach to these towns. See more photos here. It was taken into Guardianship in 1967, and initial consolidation work was carried out between 1969 and 1975. This involved structural work, particularly to the keep, hard capping the wall tops and extensive repairs to the brickwork. A further programme of consolidation, particularly to the courtyard surfaces and re-pointing of brickwork in lime mortars, was completed in 1995. This work has enabled a limited public opening of the castle, but you can visit the outside of the castle on any day - see map for location and footpaths. More photos here.

The castle is opened on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (2−5pm) in July, August and September (plus afternoons of bank holiday weekends March-Sept). Guided walks on various dates, there is a small charge for entry (£2 adults, £1 concessions, accompanied children free). Free to members of English Heritage and FRIENDS of the Nature Reserve.

School visits can be arranged for any date by arrangement with Miriam - phone 01797 227784

A leaflet about Camber Castle can be downloaded (900KB), and a leaflet about some of the items found in the castle can be downloaded (350KB)

A circular walk leaflet can be downloaded (300KB) that guides you to the castle and takes you around part of Castle Water and Castle Farm.

A 36 page, A6 colour booklet about Henry VIII's castle has been published and is available for £1 from Lime Kiln Cottage, or £1.60 plus an A5 sae from the Nature Reserve address. A downloadable version (2.3MB) is available by clicking here.

Other Henry VIII castles are:

Deal Castle, Walmer Castle and Yarmouth Castle

Further details can be found at ENGLISH HERITAGE web site, or in the book Henry VIII's Coastal Artillery Fort at Camber Castle, Rye, East Sussex: An Archaeological, Structural and Historical Investigation, by Martin Biddle, Jonathan Hiller and Ian Scott .