Built by Henry VIII as part of a chain of defences to protect the south coast of England, Camber Castle protected the Rye anchorage. Construction began in 1539 and incorporated in its design a circular tower that had been built on the spit some 35 years earlier by Sir Edward Guldeford. Less than a century after its construction the castle was rendered obsolete. The silting up of the harbour led to the garrison disbanding in 1637. The departure meant that unlike other castles of the same period, Camber Castle was never modified. Access to the castle is via a one mile walk through the flat Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.