Bramber Castle

This free-to-visit, ruined castle is a delight. Built in 1070, it remained in the de Braose family until 1208 when King John demanded the children as hostages to guarantee their father’s loyalty. They fled to Ireland but Matilda and her eldest son – the heir to the family’s great power – were captured and starved to death in the dungeon at Windsor Castle.

By the late nineteenth century, the castle – or what was left of it – hosted tearooms and a fairground with a coconut shy, and by 1935, a model railway took glum-looking day-trippers around the motte. Today, just one of the gatehouse towers remains at its full height.

Parking: BN44 3EW

More info: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/bramber-castle