Sedgwick Castle

Sedgwick Castle stands in Nuthurst, West Sussex, as the remains of a medieval fortress. The ruins lie on the western edge of Sedgwick Park, surrounded by two concentric moats. The inner moat measures 70 metres across, while the outer one spans 140 metres. The castle’s walls, built of Horsham stone, now stand only as fragments. Two large ponds to the west were dug in the 13th century. The site also includes earthworks and an outer enclosure. The castle’s history begins with the Le Savage family, granted the land after the Norman Conquest. They used it as a hunting ground for two centuries before John Maunsell acquired it in the 13th century. Maunsell added a keep and outer wall with a moat in 1258. A manor house was built in 1498, and the castle remained in use until the early 16th century. By 1600, its stones were taken to build Sedgwick Lodge nearby. Visitors today see the ruined walls and moats set in a quiet park. The remains of the keep and outer wall mark the castle’s former strength. The two ponds to the west add to the scene, their banks lined with centuries of growth. Earthworks outline the original boundaries of the fortified enclosure. The site is peaceful, with no modern structures to distract from its medieval past.