Iden sits on a hill overlooking the Marshes of the Rother Levels and stands about 2 miles north of Rye on the B2082. In 1284 Edmund de Paseley, with the blessing of Edward I, built a castellated house surrounded by a moat. It was to become the home of Alexander Iden the Sheriff of Kent in the 15th century. In 1450 he captured and killed Jack Cade (see also Cade Street ), who led the Kentish rebellion against Henry VI. Unfortunately all that remains of the 'castle' today is the gateway, but the lines of the moat can still be seen. All Saints Church can be found up a lane off the main road, it has a castellated bell tower which dates from the 11th Century. It has seen several restoration projects over the years, and unlike most churches has been made smaller, not larger. During the 117 years from 1807 to 1924 the church had only 2 rectors, and for this it gets mentioned in the Guiness Book of Records. Iden's oldest house stands at the northern end of the village. It is a 15th century timber-framed hall house, called Oxenbridge, probably named after the Oxenbridge family of Brede .

Services

The village has limited services as you would expect from a small village. The main shopping town is Rye just down the road, and a large supermarket can be found at Peasmarsh . The nearest trains run from Rye station, with hourly services to Hastings and Ashford .

Views

Iden is a pretty village, and the area near the church has a number of old timbered buildings. Next to the church lies the cricket ground, which is one of the nicest in the area, surrounded by trees with the sound of willow on leather on a hot summer Sunday it's the ideal place to relax.