On my way home from Steyning last weekend I stopped off at the village of Bramber which takes its name from the Saxon 'Brymmburh' meaning fortified place. This was once an important port & very different to how it is today as the nearby River Adur was navigable up to this point.

Bramber Castle used to be our adventure playground but I haven't been here for many years. The castle was built on the site of a much older fortification by William de Braose, a Norman nobleman, around 1070, a few years after the Battle of Hastings. Its history is not well documented but it was probably destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's troops during the Civil War & very little is still standing. This is the entrance.



This is the church built in 1075 & the only part of the castle in use today. It was used as a gun emplacement by the Parliamentary forces & badly damaged. It was badly restored in Victorian times.


This solitary wall of the keep is all that remains of the actual castle.


A view from the base of one of the turrets on the outer wall looking eastwards towards the village of Upper Beeding.


This shot was taken looking in the opposite direction.


This is the biggest remaining part of the outer wall. It's most likely that most of the ruined castle was used for local buildings.


Finally a shot of the solitary wall standing like a monument to the forgotten events that happened here over many centuries. The motte of the original fortifications is on the left.


There are the usual ghost stories. William de Braose died in the Crusades & was succeeded by his son, also called William. He did some terrible things but later repented. He became respected locally but his wealth & importance didn't please King John (of Magna Carta fame). The story varies but it seems certain that William's wife & children were starved to death in the Tower of London by the orders of the king. A body was found walled up in the castle when it was destroyed. These were violent & cruel times.

Here's the ghost story. http://www.cotcpi.co.uk/bramber%20castle%20report.htm
The history is correct but I don't believe any of this paranormal stuff. Some of my photos came out just like the "ectoplasm" pic at the bottom of the page. This was a nuisance as they were otherwise good shots but there's a perfectly logical explanation. This often happens with my camera when I open the lens in a damp atmosphere. Condensation causes a temporary bloom on the lens that soon clears if you wait a few seconds before taking the pic. 8)

I never saw Ivanhoe but Bonnie Prince Charlie is reputed to have spent a night at St Mary's House in Bramber village while fleeing to France via Shoreham. I believe this is the oldest surviving house in the village & I'll take some shots next time I'm up that way. http://www.aboutbritain.com/StMarysBramber.htm

We didn't appreciate it at the time but imagine having a real castle to use as a playground. My friends & I used to spend the whole day there. It's all overgrown now but in my day you could walk round the dried up moat surrounding the castle.

This is the "ectoplasm" photo posted on the paranormal site.


This is one of my very own "ghost" pics. Judge for yourselves whether the mysterious cloud surrounding the turrret is ectoplasm or condensation on the camera lens. People tend to see what they want to see.

Quote:

That thought had occurred to me. LOL

I wondered what the people on that site would make of it if I sent them that photo without any explanation. I could take plenty more like it if they wished. I reckon it would make their day. I could become famous in my own lunchtime.