Grehan John - Battleground Sussex : a military history of Sussex from the Iron Age to the present day

S ussex has many sites of military interest, though most of these sites are in the southern half of the county particularly along the coast and across the South Downs. Almost all of these places are readily accessible to the general public.

The Causewayed Enclosures of Neolithic man are now barely discernible though the camp at Coombe Hill, near Willingdon (map reference TQ 575023) can still be accurately traced. Far more rewarding are the Celtic structures of the Iron Age.

The towering ramparts of Cissbury Ring (TQ 140080) are impressive reminders of the importance that our Celtic forebears placed upon defence. Like all the Downland forts, Cissbury is situated on the top of a steep-sided hill with magnificent views along the Downs. All the hill forts offer great walks and breath-taking scenery. Chanctonbury Ring (TQ 139121), Wolstonbury Hill (TQ 284138), Devils Dyke (TQ 260121), Hollingbury Castle (TQ 322078), Highdown (TQ 093040), Mount Caburn (TQ 445089), Harting Down (SU 807185) and The Trundle (SU 877110) are all worthy of a visit.

Each one displays the same characteristics of a ditch and rampart though some, such as Hollingbury and Harting Down, have suffered severely from the ravages of time. Mount Caburn was also used as a lookout post by the Home Guard in the Second World War and the army built huts on the summit of Highdown Hill in 1940. Many of these sites are preserved by the National Trust and all are free to the general public.

At the coastal hill forts at Seaford Head (TV 495978) and Belle Tout (TV 560958), little is to be seen of the defensive works. Originally a mile or two from the coast, these forts, and the chalk cliffs upon which they sit, are crumbling into the sea. The views along the cliffs, however, are amongst the finest in England.

The most accessible, and certainly the most remarkable, of the Wealden promontory forts is High Rocks. Situated on the border with Kent, near Tunbridge Wells (TQ 561381), the fort was formed on top of a sandstone outcrop which has eroded into a maze of gullies and fissures. The earthen ramparts which secured the rear of the fort were excavated but have now been re-covered and are no longer obvious to the eye. There is a small entry fee to High Rocks.

Another series of Celtic remains which may have had a military purpose are the Chichester Dykes. Although they run intermittently all the way from near Halnaker (SU 880095) to beyond Mid Lavant (SU 835081) the Dykes are now reduced to a shallow cutting.

The Romans have left us the great castle at Pevensey. Encompassing more than 1,700 years of military history, this is one of the premier sites in Sussex. Much of the old Roman walls, with their D-shaped bastions, still remain and it was within these defences that William of Normandy established his first base camp before passing on to Hastings.

William later built a typically Norman motte and bailey castle here. The visitor today, however, sees an imposing inner bailey of a medieval castle which was besieged four times but never taken by assault. Amongst its attractions are collections of large catapult stones that were found around the site and may have been used in the sieges of the castle in the middle ages.

In the grounds of the inner bailey is one of two demi-culverns that were placed in a battery on the south side of the outer bailey where the sea once lapped up to the foot of the walls. These cannon were listed as the armament of the castle in 1587, the year before the Spanish Armada. The castle was reoccupied in the Second World War by units of the British, Canadian and United States military as well as the local Home Guard. The towers of the castle were converted into barracks and an anti-tank gun embrasure and pillboxes for machine guns, which can still be seen, were integrated into the ruins of the keep.

The other principal military site of Roman times was the fortified city of Chichester. It is possible to walk round the old city walls (restored in the Middle Ages) along the top of an earthen rampart which was formed against the insides of the walls in the eighteenth century. The D-shaped bastions, which were added to the walls at some time during the fourth century, were designed to carry ballistae. Only five of the original bastions are now above ground. All that remains of Chichester Castle is the motte which stands inside the north-eastern quarter of the city. The heights known as The Broyle, where the Parliamentarians established their camp during the siege of 1642, can be seen beyond the walls to the north of the city.

The Saxons have left little to remind us of their military prowess. However, the remains of one of Alfred the Greats burgs can be seen at Burpham to the north-east of Arundel (TQ 039085). The burg, now a cricket pitch, commands a bend in the River Arun and its ditch and steep rampart still represent a formidable obstacle.

Saxon England was swept away in the Norman conquest, though the visible remains of their oppressive feudalism can be seen across the county. As well as Pevensey, the castles at Hastings, Lewes, Bramber and Arundel all date from the eleventh century.

There is still something to be seen at Hastings. The castle sits high above the town (TV 822094) and has suffered considerably from the ravages of coastal erosion. Hastings was a promontory castle, built upon the top of a steep cliff made inaccessible from the landward side by a large ditch cut through the rock. The great tower has disappeared but parts of the main bailey wall still stand as well as the remains of the east gatehouse towers.

Bramber Castle (TQ 184107) is free to the public as most of the stonework was taken to construct roads in the area. The central motte can still be seen with a few scant pieces of the bailey wall. One side of the gate-tower stands high above the bailey indicating just how imposing this structure once was.

Much more remains of Lewes Castle (TQ 414101). With the aid of an audio tour the visitor can examine the remains of the shell keep and part of the bailey. Its most notable feature is the fourteenth century barbican which is still a public thoroughfare. Behind the barbican is the original Norman gatehouse. The larger part of the bailey, which was formerly a tilting-ground for the medieval knights, is now a bowling green and the castles second motte, the Brack Mount, stands empty and isolated to the north-east. Short sections of the old town walls can still be seen, particularly to the north and west of the castle.

Arundel Castle, ruined in the Civil War, was restored to its present magnificent state in the nineteenth century. The most important remains from its medieval past are a Norman keep and gatehouse and a thirteenth century barbican. These can be viewed from the castle grounds (TQ 017074). Inside the castle is an armoury. Sadly few of the exhibits in the armoury have any connection with Arundels history, though pikes, bills, swords, muskets, crossbows, suits of armour and Civil War helmets can be seen at close quarters. In one of the other rooms the South Passage pole arms and breastplates are also on display. Like Pevensey Castle, the military occupied Arundel Castle in the Second World War. An Observer Corps post was set up on the keep and the east wing of the castle was used for officer accommodation the troops were under canvas in the grounds.

At Church Norton on the south-western edge of Pagham Harbour (SZ 870959) is a Norman ringwork. It consists of a large mound with a ditch that embraces its front and sides. It may have been topped with a wooden tower. It was used as a lookout post at the time of the Spanish Armada. Access to English Heritage site is denied to the public but it can be viewed from the footpath leading to the harbour.