Many people believe that Dode was built in 1100 by Gundulf, a Norman Bishop and contemporary and confidant of both William the Conqueror and his son William Rufus. There is good historical evidence to suggest this. Bishop Gundulf is best known for building the Tower of London (White Tower) and Colchester Castle.
The author of Lord of the Rings, J.R.R Tolkien, was well acquainted with the life and times of Gundulf as he was a professor of Anglo-Saxon history at Oxford.
So, this begs the question; was Gandalf’s name (arguably the most famous wizard in literature) based on the builder of Dode? The similarity to the name together with the reference to the Two Towers certainly may be more than just a coincidence!
If you would like to learn more of both the history of Dode and some of its magical, mystical stories – including the appearance of ‘The Dode Child’, come along to the Lost Village of Dode.
To avoid people booking tickets and not attending, we have implemented a small charge of £5.00 with all proceeds to be donated to our chosen charity of the year.