Archaeology at Bodiam Castle

Visiting Bodiam can be like travelling in time, across a landscape that has been managed and altered by people over thousands of years. In the National Trust collection at Bodiam Castle are items from all periods, such as a Neolithic polished stone axe and a late Iron Age cremation urn, Roman tiles, a medieval pilgrim badge and fragments of pottery and leather, and more recent artefacts like clay pipes and coins, all of which help to tell the tales of those who lived, worked and visited this place. 

‘Bodiam Dig: the road to 100’ is a three-year project to explore the buried archaeology of this iconic site leading up to the 100th anniversary in 2026 of the site being bequeathed to the National Trust. While the 14th-century castle forms the central focus of the site, the wider landscape has been less well explored. With this project, we hope to uncover more information about the history of the landscape around the castle, focusing on the potential for Roman activity and of the land management and use of the area close to the River Rother over time.

We are delighted to be partnering with the Institute of Archaeology University College London and Archaeology South-East, with support from the Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group and the Wealden Archaeology Group. We will be digging at Bodiam for three weeks this summer – from late July to mid-August with a team including students from University College London and National Trust volunteers, many of whom have honed their skills over the years working on archaeological projects at Knole and Smallhythe. This year, we will be opening trenches in Doakes Field to the north of the castle, to explore the line of the Roman road that runs through the field and excavating in Freren Mead to the south of the river. We’ve already undertaken geophysical surveys using magnetometry and ground penetrating radar, which have returned some intriguing results and given us some interesting targets to explore.

We also have a series of events running at Bodiam during the project, including guided tours and opportunities to meet the team, as part of the Festival of Archaeology. We’re excited to learn more about the archaeology of Bodiam and looking forward to sharing our discoveries.