The village of Icklesham boasts views across undulating countryside in the Pannel Valley towards the coast. Icklesham's historic roots can be traced back to 772....
Village of Icklesham
The village of Icklesham boasts views across undulating countryside in the Pannel Valley towards the coast. Icklesham's historic roots can be traced back to 772, when it appeared as Icoleshamme in a land charter signed by Offa, King of Mercia. Strategically located on the River Brede, it was a prime target in the Norman invasion of 1066. The 12th century parish church is dedicated to All Saints and St Nicholas. On nearby Hogg Hill stands an attractive C18th post mill on a two storey roundhouse.
The village has two public houses, a village store, a Memorial Hall and a Church of England primary school. In the vicinity are spectacular cliff top walks, local nature reserve and bird sanctuary. Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, stretching from Hastings to Cliff End, Pett Level where it gives access to the beach, is a unique 660 acre area of maritime sandstone cliff with a cliff top area of grassland and heath, woodland, glens covered with gorse and trees, nature trails and spectacular walks, one of which leads to the coast at Fairlight Glen. Set in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, most of the park has been designated a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Ancient Town and Cinque Port of Rye, renowned for its historical associations and medieval fortifications, is about 5 miles and provides local shopping facilities.
The Ancient Town of Winchelsea, one of the few examples of a bastille town in England based on the grid-iron street plan with wide, regular streets arranged around a giant square and the incomplete cathedral type church of St. Thomas the Martyr, is within 2 miles. Local train services from Rye to Brighton and to Ashford from where there are high connections to London St Pancras (37 minutes) and mainland Europe. 6 miles is the historic Old Town of Hastings, a picturesque landscape of cobbled streets, medieval buildings, Regency architecture, seafront and tall fishing huts. Hastings offers a comprehensive range of shopping facilities and a direct rail service to London. There is schooling for all ages in both the private and state sectors, including Icklesham primary school, Thomas Peacock in Rye, Battle Abbey and Buckswood School in Guestling.