(Battle Abbey site of the Battle of Hastings

Rother Levels and Firehills

Battle Abbey site of the Battle of Hastings

(Harold and William the Conqueror)
here for the English Heritage Battle Abbey web page.

The town of Battle was built up around the Abbey which was constructed between 1070-1094 by William the Conqueror, as a penance ordered by the pope for the loss of life occurring in the battle, and in earlier raids in the surrounding area designed to draw Harold into conflict. (See Whatlington , Salehurst and Mountfield )

As the town grew, the Abbot in 1115 built the church, for the people of "Battel" a village which had grown up around the Abbey.

The abbey gatehouse was built in 1338 as a protection from a possible French Invasion. To the side of these gates stands the Pilgrims Rest, now a tea room/restaurant, the current building was erected in 1420, on the site of a 12th century building.

The Benedictine Abbey became famous, and until the dissolution by Henry VIII in 1538, the hub of a wide sphere of influence.

The Abbey was given to Sir Anthony Browne who was Henry's Master of the Horses, and was lived in and used as a private estate until 1976 when it was purchased for the nation by the government. It is now in the care of English Heritage , and is a major tourist attraction, as the battlefield and abbey can be visited. The main building is a private school, but can be visited during school holidays.

Opening Times :

For details phone English Heritage (01424)-773792

Battle

Villages Referenced

Alciston (Fifty thousand tiles on the Barn)

Battle (William the Conqueror prevails)

Biddenden (The Maids of Biddenden)

Lullington (destroyed by Cromwell ??)

Waldron (Fullers Earth)

Whatlington (King Harold's Manor)