Engineering students have Trebuchet project displayed at Bodiam Castle

Level 3 Mechanical Engineering students from East Sussex College Hastings, contributed to the design and construction of a Trebuchet (medieval style catapult) which is now on display to visitors at the National Trust’s Bodiam Castle near Robertsbridge.

The students, together with their tutor, Peter Wheeler, evolved the designs of the Trebuchet in computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D printed models. Peter described building the medieval weapon as a great opportunity for students to put study into practice.

“Students were tasked with investigating and designing a medieval siege engine in CAD and producing a scale model with 3D printers. A bigger Trebuchet was fabricated and is now on display in Bodiam Castle,” said Peter.

“The Trebuchet uses Gravitational Potential Energy to generate Kinetic Energy, an ideal opportunity for students to see engineering theory put into practice. This theme will continue to be developed by students in co-operation with the National Trust at Bodiam Castle, which is a world famous heritage site.”

Higher Education (HE) students will be embarking on another exciting design project where they will be making small scale Trebuchets for the Bodiam activity area.

Beatrice Rapley, Experience and Visitor Programming Manager at Bodiam Castle said, “Bodiam Castle experienced a bumper summer season this year with visitor numbers exceeding all of our targets and expectations. It was a real joy to see families back together after periods of lockdown and isolation spending time together in the grounds of the castle, enjoying playing together in the fresh air and having fun with our medieval style games on the grass outside of the castle.

“The mini jousting and mini trebuchet games were especially popular with families. Having the life size trebuchet, designed by the students at ESCH, inside the castle courtyard helped families to further develop their understanding of what life would have been like during medieval times. The National Trust as an organisation is increasingly keen for properties to work in partnership with their local community groups and so we were delighted to have the opportunity to make this link between Bodiam Castle and ESCH.”