Location
50°51'N
0°24'E
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Hooe
(The Haunt of Smugglers)
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Origin of Village Name |
The name Hooe is derived from the Anglo Saxon hoh(Spur of Land), and describes
the area exactly. Since saxon times, the sea level has dropped, and Hooe is
now about 2 miles inland from the sea. The sea used to wash around
Hooe, on both sides, up the Ashbourne valley, and also on the Cooden
side.
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General Details
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Hooe lies on the B2095 which runs from Ninfield to the A259 Bexhill
to Eastbourne road.
The main income from the village was from the Salt works on the
Pevensey Levels, and from farming.
It is possible, that the Normans landed at Hooe in 1066 as legend has it
that Standard Hill at Ninfield was the place where the Standard of
William the Conqueror was located, and this would have been unlikely
if the Norman's were based at Hastings .
The river Ashbourne was a major exporting route of cannons during the
1600's to the 1800's, from the furnace upstream at Ashburnham .
Hooe's nearness to the sea, and its remoteness, once made the area
perfect for smuggling, and the landlord of the Red Lion Pub, James
Blackman, was a member of the Groombridge Gang (1733 - 1749). James
was probably also attached to the Hawkhurst Gang , as their sphere
of influence included this area. The Hooe Company operated from
the village, with their leader again James Blackman they seemed to
have operated with the two other major gangs and in their own right.
Further south of the village on the marshes lies the site of the
abandoned Saxon Village of Northeye (probably North island{North ie}),
which is on Hooe levels.
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Services
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 Hooe Common has the majority of the services in the area, with the
area around the church being fairly deserted.
The nearest shopping centre is in Bexhill about 4 miles south east.
The nearest trains are available from Cooden 3 miles to the south east,
with busses to Eastbourne or Hastings being caught at the Lamb Inn
on the A259.
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Views
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 The view across the Pevensey Levels towards the South Downs from
the B2095 is very pretty.
If you wish to see the area as deserted as it was 1000 years ago
you will need to travel to the Horse Bridge on the Wartling road.
Parking near the pumping station walking around the area, you find
you are in an area with few houses visible. The only differences
from 1066 when William invaded, is the road surface, and the fact
that the sea level has dropped about 5 metres, so where you stand
would have been a wide river valley.
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