MP gets set for English Tourism Week with a visit to Bodiam Castle

Kieran was given a tour of the castle by Karen Stafford, General Manager, and Beatrice Rapley, Visitor Experience and Programme Manager. Both Karen and Beatrice manage Bodiam Castle and Bateman’s House and Garden in Burwash. These local National Trust properties are key visitor attractions for East Sussex and play an important role in the local visitor economy. Bodiam attracted over 150,000 visitors in 2023/24 and Bateman’s over 120,000.

During the tour of the castle, Kieran learned about the history of the castle and was shown some highlights including the original portcullis gates, ancient graffiti marks, climbed the towers for amazing views across the Rother valley and found out about the significance of the castle bats – the site is home to one of the most important bat roosts in the UK. He also heard about the extensive programme of visitor events coming up this year, including a special ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ May half-term activity which will coincide with the release of the film based on the best-selling children’s novels later this year.

Speaking after the visit, Kieran said “I really enjoyed my visit to Bodiam Castle. Not only is it a great place to explore with lots of activities and special events running throughout the year, it also has the most amazing views of the local landscapes. We are very lucky to have two National Trust properties in the Bexhill and Battle constituency alongside two historically significant English Heritage properties at Battle Abbey and Pevensey Castle. As well as these historic buildings there is so much for local residents and visitors to enjoy including vineyards, craft breweries, picturesque towns and villages, glamping and camping sites and many pubs and restaurants offering local food and great hospitality.

“Tourism is a very significant part of our local economy. Hospitality and tourism-related businesses in East Sussex support thousands of jobs. Recent data from Visit Britian showed that the visitor economy spend in East Sussex was £287M in 2022. I am therefore keen to support all our local visitor destinations and businesses and encourage both residents and visitors to enjoy and discover all that the beautiful Bexhill and Battle constituency has to offer.”