Bodiam's windows, walls, and drainable moat

Morris frames Bodiam as a long-running battleground between admirers of its military appearance and critics who test whether its features would work. Large windows pierce two walls, the smaller openings are not arrow loops, and the parapets are only about twenty inches thick. The six-foot moat looks substantial but sits on sloping ground behind an unreinforced earth bank. Attackers with picks and shovels could drain it toward the River Rother, then use branches and planks to cross the mud, so the castle's imposing outline did not guarantee strong passive defense.