Hill forts · South East England
Knepp Castle
Knepp Castle — castle ruin and scheduled monument in Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13.
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Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Christ's Hospital · 8.5 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Knepp Castle is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Built in the Norman architecture style. Constructed primarily of Horsham Stone. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Owned by John, King of England. Wikidata describes it as: "castle ruin and scheduled monument in Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13". Coordinates: 50.9757°, -0.3442°.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, in the parish of Shipley, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 (grid reference TQ163209). The castle was probably founded by the Braose family in the 12th century. King John confiscated the castle along with the Braose lands in 1208. Knepp was used as a hunting lodge, and John visited the castle several times. He ordered its destruction in both 1215 and 1216 during the First Barons' War. Knepp Castle continued to be used into the 14th century and hosted reigning monarchs on several occasions. The castle eventually fell out of use, and by the early 18th century was mostly destroyed. Later that century, stone from the castle was used to build a nearby road. The land around the castle is now the site of Knepp Wildland.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The name is thought to come from the Old English word cnæp, referring to the mound on which the castle stands. Knepp was a motte castle, probably founded by William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber, in the Rape of Bramber. His descendant, William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, a favourite of King John and often accompanied the king early in his reign. In 1208 John confiscated William de Braose's land, including Knepp. While John's motivation is uncertain, he came to view William de Braose as a threat; in historian Sidney Painter's view the treatment of the Braose family was "the greatest mistake John made during his reign ... it made his cruelty known to all his barons", and contributed to…
Architecture
The castle stands on an oval mound, modelled from a natural feature, surrounded by a ditch and ramparts. The ditch, fed from a nearby pond, formed a moat which still contained water at the beginning of the 18th century. The moat was crossed by a causeway which still survives, extending west from the castle. The causeway is part of the scheduled area. The above-ground remains of the castle consist of a single wall 11 metres high, 9.5 metres long, and 2.5 metres thick, with a doorway and another opening above it. This wall apparently formed the north end of the west wall of a tower or keep. The wall is faced with Horsham Stone, a type of sandstone found in the region. Thirteenth and…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.9757, -0.3442
- County
- West Sussex
- District
- Horsham
- Parish
- Shipley
- Postcode
- RH13 8LH
- Parliamentary constituency
- Horsham
- Nearest railway station
- Christ's Hospital — 8.5 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q6421967 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Knepp Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Knepp Castle, July 2021 (1).jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Knepp Castle?
- Knepp Castle is in West Sussex, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode RH13 8LH), in the parish of Shipley.
- Who owns Knepp Castle?
- Knepp Castle is owned by John, King of England.
- Is Knepp Castle a listed building?
- Knepp Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Knepp Castle free to visit?
- Yes, Knepp Castle is free to enter.
- How do I get to Knepp Castle?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode RH13 8LH. It sits within the Horsham parliamentary constituency.