The town of Battle, East Sussex

Many moons ago I was to learn that the famous battle did not take place in Hastings after all!. I am not sure at what age I came to this knowledge, but I remember thinking "Why call it the Battle of Hastings if it was fought some miles away?" The landing by the Duke of Normandy did not even take place there, but at Pevensey Bay! Ah well!

The location at Battle has been contested in recent years, but the arguments for alternative sites are extremely flimsy, whereas the evidence for the traditional site remains overwhelmingly strong. 

Anyway, ` a must visit` was to the real site, at the town of Battle.

The town sign as we entered the main street.

The town Of Battle

At the top end of the town of Battle, stands the ruins of Battle Abbey. This image was taken of the High Street, with my back to the Abbey gates. Battle stands on a hill, with the abbey being built at the top. Remember, the Battle was fought in 1066 AD with Harold encamped on top of the hill looking down on the approaching Normans - a sensible battle tactic.

The Almonry 

The Council owns the Almonry site which includes, as well as the Town Council offices, the Town Museum and a public garden. 

We are told that a house has most likely been on the site of what is now known as The Almonry since 1090 when the town was first laid out. The first rental, dated about 1107, is in the Battle Abbey Chronicle, an account of the Battle and the founding of the Abbey which was written by the monks and is now housed in the British Library. 

It never was an Almonry but the Almoner did own land behind the present Market site and Western Avenue. The house was known from the early Middle Ages as KNIGHT's taken from an important family which owned land in the Leuga - the one league radius round Battle which the Conqueror gave to his new Abbey. 

Records show that the property was part of the Abbey Estate and had a number of tenants until it reverted to the Abbey in 1800. It was sold in about 1930 and remained in private ownership until the early 1980's when it was acquired by the County Council. 

The present building is a good example of the type of oak framed timber house built after the years of decline following the black death and was originally a five bay hall house built in the C15. It has since been partially rebuilt, added to and some parts even demolished over the centuries. Most of these changes, including the addition of chimneys, took place in the C16 and C17. An unusual feature of the building is an internal courtyard which also has a well. 

St Mary the Virgin 

A large church, originally C12, with an early C13 nave. The chancel is a little later. The south aisle was remodelled in the C14 and the north aisle in the C15, when the present tower and chapels were added. There are wall paintings of c1300, fine monuments and brasses. 

Commemorates the Battle of Hastings and is by M C F Bell, 1984 

Painted stones seen in the churchyard. Photographed and replaced. 

The Abbey Gatehouse 

Still dominating the town, as it was intended to, is the great gatehouse of 1338 and its adjacent precinct wall. The crenellations, arrow slits and wall-walk make the gatehouse look very defensive. The abbot of Battle had important responsibilities for the defence of the Sussex coast, especially during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453). However, the gatehouse defence features would have been of little practical use and the building would not have been able to sustain a serious assault. Rather than being defensive, it is much more likely that the gatehouse had ceremonial and administrative functions. The monks would also have allegorised the building as the portal of the Heavenly Jerusalem. 

The high south end of the east range of the abbey buildings reflects how difficult it was to provide a level floor for the dormitory on the first floor, because of the steep slope of the hillside on which King William insisted the abbey should be built 

`Who` and `why` was it built? The Norman invasion and conquest of England had an explicit religious dimension. Norman authors stress that Harold was a perjurer – according to them, he had broken an oath, sworn on sacred relics in 1064, to support William’s claim to succeed Edward the Confessor, and usurped the English throne. Because of this, William gained church support for his invasion of England. Even Pope Alexander II gave the enterprise his sanction, enabling William to invade under a papal banner, promising to depose the sacrilegious Harold and reform the English church. 

Yet despite this religious support, William and his supporters had imperilled the everlasting safety of their souls because of the violence of the conquest. Even by medieval standards the Battle of Hastings, and the subsequent suppression of English resistance, were exceptionally bloody. Founding an abbey was a way for William to atone for such terrible sins. Other victors had done so before him: Count Fulk Nerra of Anjou founded Loches Abbey after his victory over the Bretons at the Battle of Conquereuil in 992, and King Cnut established a memorial church on the site of the Battle of Assandun in 1016, where he had defeated Edmund II (Ironside) to take the English throne. 

Several of William’s henchmen also founded monasteries. Fear of eternal damnation was undoubtedly behind the decision of Roger of Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, to establish a Benedictine monastery in the town, and he also founded the Cluniac priory at Wenlock, Shropshire, in about 1080. William de Warenne, who fought at the Battle of Hastings, sought security in the afterlife by founding a priory near his castle at Castle Acre in Norfolk. Eudo, the Conqueror’s steward, founded Colchester Abbey in 1096. 

Eight times a day the monks of Battle assembled in their church to sing the Divine Office. At each of these services, and at daily High Mass, the community would have remembered the Conqueror and all those who died at the battle – Norman and Saxon alike – in their prayers. Indeed, the abbey’s Chronicle states that the monastery was to be ‘a place of sanctuary and help for all, paying back for the blood shed there by an unending chain of good work.’ 

One of the remarkable vaulted ground-floor rooms below the dormitory in the east range, which gives an impression of the quality of all the buildings at Battle Abbey before they were ruined. This was probably the monks' common room 

On the eastern side is the west range of the cloister, later adapted as a substantial residence by successive abbots, ensuring its survival as a country house after 1538. It is now a school. 

Senlac hill or ridge, site of the famous battle. 

Memorial statue in Battle 

A metal structure described as a 1066 memorial statue erected on a roundabout at the northern end of the town of Battle. Created by Kent-based sculptor Guy Portelli, it was officially unveiled on 11 November 2016, Armistice Day. It depicts a mounted Norman being attacked by an Anglo-Saxon on foot reflecting the start of the Battle of Hastings which took place some 700 metres to the south on 14th October 1066. 

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Hastings and St Leonards - a seafront view

Not far from where we were staying, the spectacular ruins of Hastings castle can be seen. From the seafront it looms over the town, perched on top of the surrounding cliffs. What a sight it must have been in its heyday!

The ruins we see today are the remains of a stone fortress (built after William of Normandy's coronation) which was practically impregnable from three sides. Less than half of the original structure remains. 

Hastings Castle was originally a wooden tower built on top of a man made mound or motte, which was surrounded by an outer courtyard or bailey. The bailey was enclosed by a wooden palisade. The Norman motte and bailey castle would become a common fixture across England following the conquest. After the victory at the Battle of Hastings, William was crowned on Christmas Day 1066, and had issued orders that Hastings Castle was to be rebuilt in stone. 

William left the castle in the charge of one of his top commanders Humphrey de Tilleul. Around 1069, he gave the castle and the town of Hastings to Robert, Count of Eu, who founded the Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Castle within the castle walls. The remains of this church are the best-preserved part of the ruins.

The view toward the sea front taken from the castle site. 

The Landing by Leigh Dyer. Norman longboat prow sculpture on Hastings beach.

The former Palace Court Hotel - a Grade 2 listed building, and one of the most prominent and distinctive buildings on the Hastings waterfront.

In 2010 fire destroyed huge parts of Hastings pier. The fire engulfed the ballroom at the end of the pier and ripped through large parts of the rest of the structure 

Opened in 1872, the Grade-II listed building had a concert hall that hosted some of the biggest names in music, including Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones. 

In its heyday, the pier was nearly 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) long and had a landing stage where tourists could take a paddle-steamer to nearby resorts or even cross the English Channel to the French port of Boulogne. 

Some views on the `shortened` pier of 2019 and a view looking eastward toward the Old Town end. 

This time looking toward St Leonards direction, westward. 

Lastly, some small business on the pier. 

Originally named the St Leonards Hotel, the Royal Victoria was built in 1828 by renowned architect James Burton as part of his grander vision to create a new seaside resort - St Leonards. The hotel received the Royal Charter from Queen Victoria, who visited on numerous occasions, and later again from King George V. As the focal point of St Leonards, it became a favourite rendezvous of the Royal Family and establishment. 

Queen Victoria’s signature can be seen in the distinguished visitors book as “Victoria Crown Princess of Prussia and Princess of Great Britain & Ireland”, and appears in later entries as “Victoria” and “H.M. Queen Victoria”. Other members of the Royal Family in the book include: King George V, Prince Albert, Princess Louise, King Edward VII and Edward Prince of Wales whose signature represents one of the last of Royal visitors before the war. 

A closer view of the ornate frontage. 

Not far from the Royal Victoria Hotel is this monument to the lady herself, Queen Victoria. This stands at the front of Warrior Square, St Leonards. It was unveiled in December 1902 to commemorate the old Queens death. Created by Francis John Williamson, Victoria’s own private sculptor, it is now a grade II listed statue. Rumour has it that during World War 2 a ME109 tried to machine gun a woman and her baby as they strolled along the seafront. The pilot missed them but hit the statue. A bullet hole can still be seen clearly today, apparently. Whether the story is true, we’ll probably never know. 

The building of Warrior Square was completed in 1864 according to the Hastings Chronicle. There doesn’t seem to be much more information about it that I can find. Warrior Square is an expanse of gardens surrounded on three sides by mostly grand Victorian buildings. There has been some considerable reconstruction done in recent years. Fortunately the architects of the new buildings have at least tried to honour the original designs. 

"This interactive artwork was unveiled by Cllr Peter Chowney on 23rd September 2012 on the promenade at Goats Ledge in St. Leonards in Hastings. It is constructed from reclaimed greenheart groyne timbers from nearby Pevensey Bay and is intended to become a destination for people to leave a padlock as a lasting and very personal souvenir of their time in Hastings. The artwork has grown since then, and will continue to grow as thousands more are attached to the sculpture's mooring rings by local people and visitors. Inspired by the global Love Locks phenomenon, the decorated padlocks will represent love tokens, mementoes and simple reminders of time spent in this creatively blossoming seaside town with its sunshine, southerly breezes and constantly changing seas and skies." A rather novel idea I thought. 

The statue of ‘Edith Swanneck finding the body of King Harold on the battlefield of Hastings’ by the sculptor C.A.W. Wilkie was moved from the Hastings Museum to its current location of West Marina Gardens in 1953. We hunted around for a while but a passer by eventually pointed us in the right direction. 

There are many stories surrounding the death of King Harold at the battle, but to be honest, very little is known of the facts. This sculpture makes a great image, but did it happen? Who knows. 

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The Wasp Spider at Minsmere

We had heard of the Wasp Spider (Scientific name: Argiope bruennichi) being seen in Minsmere Nature Reserve, so decided to spend some time trying to track down this elusive spider and perhaps get some photos. The day we visited was wet am, but started to clear later morning but there was quite a strong wind blowing. Not daunted, we headed along the dunes, where they had been seen, and before to long Rosey had spotted a beautiful female in her web.

So, a couple of my photos - despite the gale blowing! To say I was pleased to get these image is an understatement!

The wasp spider is a great mimic - looking just like a common wasp keeps it safe from predators, even though it is not dangerous itself. An introduced species, it can be found in Southern England, but is spreading north.

The wasp spider is a very large, colourful spider that is a recent arrival in the UK from the continent and has slowly spread over the south of England. It builds large orb webs in grassland and heathland, and attaches its silk egg-sacs to the grasses. The web has a wide, white zig-zag strip running down the middle, known as a 'stabilimentum', the function of which is unclear.

Mating is a dangerous game for males; they wait at the edge of the web until the female has moulted into a mature form, then take advantage of her jaws being soft and rush in to mate. However, many males still get eaten during this time.

The female wasp spider has yellow, black and white stripes, just like a common wasp. Its legs are also stripy. The male is smaller and pale brown.

Spiders use venom to immobilise and kill their prey. Unfortunately for humans, that venom is sometimes dangerous for us too: the black widow, redback, brown recluse and Brazilian wandering spiders are all notorious for biting humans and causing injury or death. However, most spiders are not aggressive and prefer to avoid large prey, or only bite in self-defence.

There are no deadly spiders living in the UK (although some do turn up in shipments of fruit from time to time), and our most venomous species is the false widow - a new arrival in the south, probably as a result of climate change. This species can cause a painful bite and flu-like symptoms.

All the above information is from the Wildlife Trusts website

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Sculpture at Marks Hall

Marks Hall was a Jacobean country house some 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Coggeshall in Essex, but by 1949, the mansion was neglected and said to be in a dangerous state, so was demolished in 1950. Forward to 2019 and Marks Hall Estate is now the site of 300 acres of Gardens and Arboretum - a great place at all times of year to wander and explore.

In 1163 the manor house and estate of Markshall were granted to the Markshall family after being confiscated from Hugh de Essex. They descended in the Markshall family until the estate was sold to John Cole, who renovated parts of the house. It was then sold to Edward Deraugh in 1581. In 1605 Robert Honywood purchased Marks Hall from Deraugh's grandson, William, pulled down part of the old timber-framed house and built a new brick building in 1609. It then descended through several more families until Thomas Phillips Price (1844-1932), a Welsh landowner, mine owner, and Liberal politician, purchased Marks Hall, then a mansion and deer park, at auction in 1898. 

He made provision in his Will to leave the Marks Hall estate to the nation in the interest of agriculture, arboriculture and forestry. During the Second World War, Earls Colne Airfield was built on the edge of the deer park and much of the property requisitioned for used as the headquarters for a number of local airfields. The 97th Bombardment Wing headquarters was initially located at the manor. 

Currently the gardens are host to an impressive biennial exhibition of carefully selected sculpture which include 253 quality pieces from over 50 national and international sculptors in a wide variety of materials.

Camera to the ready, we set off to explore some of the 253 exhibits. Just a few of the resulting images are shown below.

Metomorphoman - White Marble Resin by John Williams

Genesis - White Marble Resin by John Williams

Diabolo - Coloured Stainless Steel Sheet by Diane Maclean

Boreas - Statuary Carrara Marble by Mel Fraser

The Key - White Marble Resin by John Williams

The Book - Stainless Steel by Richard Cresswell

Luminous - Greenheart Timber and Glass by Louise Durham

Aurora - Bronze Resin by Angela Farquarson

Ella gathering sticks (Winter) and Persephone gathering apples (Autumn) - Bronze Resin by Antoinette Jackson

Ripple - Carrara Marble and Caithness Stone by Tom Allan

Red Planet - Fused Glass & Steel by Ian Reynolds

Narcissus - Bronze on Steel by Teresa Wells

Secret and Poppy (the dog) - Iron Resin by Martin Duffy

Guy Gorilla - Bronze by John Cox

The 200 acres of Gardens and Arboretum at Marks Hall, are an unmissable attraction in the Essex countryside, with an enviable collection of mature trees, woodland and leafy paths. On top of that, there is a great eating place and a wonderful 18c Coach House as a magical wedding venue.

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Theberton and the tranquility of Dunwich

A visit to two interesting places today. One being Dunwich Heath and the other the village of Theberton. The village of Theberton has a grim past relating to the First World War, which can be perhaps glimpsed from the village sign? The burnt out airship. (sorry, not the best picture).

On the night of 17th June 1917, on the edge of this village, German Zeppelin airship L48 was brought down, with the agonising death of 16 of its crew. Finding yourself on fire and falling through the air cannot fill you with much hope of your survival, but remarkably some of the crew did survive, to be rounded up by the local constable, who I like to imagine arriving on his bike. The dead were buried in the graveyard extension here, before being moved to a military cemetery 60 years later, but their memorial remains. In the porch there is part of the superstructure of the giant airship, incongruous in a glass case.

The church of St Peter has one of Suffolk's prettiest round towers, and loveliest thatched roofs. 

Another view of the tower with its gargoyles ready to discharge their water on the unsuspecting people below

For me, the most memorable part of the 1840s restoration becomes evident as you step into the nave, for the south arcade has been painted with extravagant stencilling, as if it had been tattooed. We know that much wood and stonework was painted in medieval times with geometric designs, and some survives in Suffolk at Kedington and Westhorpe. It is interesting to see an early 19th century interpretation. It is said that Cottingham based the scheme on traces of paint found on the arcades. Who knows?

Memorial window to Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hotham Montagu "Richard" Doughty-Wylie

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hotham Montagu "Richard" Doughty-Wylie, VC, CB, CMG (23 July 1868 – 26 April 1915) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. Doughty-Wylie was also posthumously awarded the Order of the Medjidie from the very Ottoman Government he had fought against.

A native of Suffolk, born at Theberton Hall, Doughty-Wylie was educated at Winchester College. His military career included the Chitral Expedition of 1895 and the 1898 Occupation of Crete, between and after which he was posted in Sudan serving with Lord Kitchener in the Mahdist War (1898–99). In 1899 he took part in the final defeat of the Khalifa as brigade major to the Infantry Brigade with the flying column, and was mentioned in despatches. He next served in the Second Boer War, then suppressing the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and in Somaliland (1903–04), where he commanded a unit of the Somaliland Camel Corps.

On 26 April 1915, following the landing at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula of the SS River Clyde, Lieutenant Colonel Doughty-Wylie and Captain Garth Neville Walford organised and made an attack through and on both sides of the village of Sedd-el-Bahr on the Old Fort at the top of the hill. The enemy's position was very strongly entrenched and defended, but mainly due to the initiative, skill and great gallantry of the two officers the attack was a complete success. However, both Doughty-Wylie and Walford were killed in the moment of victory, Doughty-Wylie being shot in the face by a sniper and died instantly.

In the churchyard, one of the better Puffballs I have seen for a while.

Some images of Dunwich Heath, the beautiful heather for which Dunwich is justly famous

Juvenile Stonechat

Pair of Common Blue

Painted Lady. We saw a lot of these today on our walk along to Minsmere and back.

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