A 200-year-old sword was discovered stuck in the lake of Chiddingstone Castle in England after water levels dropped due to hot weather. The sword is believed to be a Victorian bandsman's sword from the early 1800s, with a curved blade and gilded hilt featuring a lion. It was found by volunteers clearing fallen branches around the lake edge last Thursday. The discovery coincides with drought officials declaring that 71.3% of England is now in drought, affecting nearly 45 million people.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-16,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A 200-year-old sword, possibly from the early 1800s, was found sticking out of a lake at Chiddingstone Castle in Surrey, England after water levels dropped due to hot weather. The discovery was made last Thursday when fallen branches were cleared from the lake's edge, revealing the curved blade and gilded hilt with a lion on the end. The sword is too delicate to hold, but curator Naomi Collick believes it could be a Victorian bandsman's sword or even one owned by troops stationed at the castle during World War Two. The castle's lake was built in the 1800s, and its previous owner, Denys Eyre Bower, collected swords.
Written for “Sword Found in Castle Lake” on 2026-08-31,
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- Published
Like something from King Arthur, a 200-year-old sword was found sticking out from a castle's lake after hot weather caused water levels to plummet.
asserted
levels → publish → lake
It was discovered when fallen branches were cleared from the edge last Thursday.
Their removal revealed the weapon, which Chiddingstone Castle curator Naomi Collick said could be a Victorian bandsman's sword from the early 1800s.
uncertain
Collick → discover → 1800s
Its curved blade, chipped and rusted, with a gilded, possibly brass, hilt featuring a lion on the end, is too delicate to hold.
uncertain
blade → chip → end
Collick said: "Our volunteer team were out here clearing some fallen branches around the edge of the lake, where the waterline has gone down quite significantly, and they spotted a blade poking out of the water.
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they → say → water
"And when they pulled it out they realised that it was a sword, which is such an incredible discovery and potentially may have been in the lake for a very long time.
uncertain
which → pull → time
"
There were a few theories how it got there.
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it → be → ?
"The last owner of the castle, Denys Eyre Bower, did collect swords but the lake itself was built in the 1800s," Collick said.
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Collick → collect → 1800s
It could have been, for example, troops who were stationed here during World War Two.
uncertain
who → station → War
"It could have been the Streatfeild family who originally lived here in the 1800s, so there's plenty of different theories to try and investigate further.
uncertain
who → live → theories
"
It is not only castle lakes that have been affected by the hot weather.
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that → affect → weather
Last week satellite images showed the impact of the dry weather on Kent, Sussex and Surrey, by contrasting recent satellite images with those taken 10 years ago.
And on Tuesday drought officials have declared 71.3% of England now in drought, after the nation recorded its driest July since records began in 1836.
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records → show → 1836
Kent and East Sussex, joined Surrey and West Sussex, half of England and the whole of Wales, in entering drought status.
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Kent → join → status
The National Drought Group, made up of regulators, government officials, water companies and agricultural bodies, made the decision after a meeting on Monday.
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Group → make → Monday
A total of 45 million people are now living in a drought area in England, with more than 27 million facing water use restrictions.
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million → live → restrictions
It comes after an exceptionally hot and dry summer, with heatwave conditions set to return for many this week.
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conditions → come → many
National Drought Group chairman, Tony Grayling, said drought conditions would continue to worsen until "significant and sustained rainfall".
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conditions → say → rainfall
