Knepp Castle

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  Knepp Castle was built in the late 12th or early 13th century. The ruins stand in Knepp Wildland, a rewilding project open to the public.
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  The castle was built on top of a natural mound, just north of the River Adur. The mound is surrounded by a moat.
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  The medieval castle had fallen into ruin by the 18th century. Stones from the castle were used to build a nearby turnpike. When Francis Grose visited the ruin it was in much the same state as it can be seen in today.
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  All that remains of the castle is a single, 11m-high wall. It is generally attributed to the early 13th century, possibly when the castle was held by King John.
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  John gave orders to demolish (slight) the castle in 1215 and again in 1216, though it is unclear whether his orders were ever followed.
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  In 1788 Sir Charles Raymond bought the land and it passed to the Burrell family. It has stayed in their ownership since. Sir Charles Merrik Burrell built a mansion nearby, also called Knepp Castle, in the early 19th century.
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  In the 21st century, the Burrell family changed how the land around the castle was used. Instead of being used for agriculture, they established a rewilding project with free roaming animals.
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  At the medieval castle, nettles grow on the slopes of the mound and common mallow grows on ruined wall. A study of plants at castles and abbeys in Wales found that common mallow was amongst the more frequently occurring plants to appear growing on castle walls.