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Lydd in Kent

Google map showing area surrounding Lydd
(The Cathedral of the Marsh)
Location: 50.950945,0.906589
General Details
Lydd in Kent lies in the middle of Romney Marsh between Dungeness and Appledore .

Originally on the coast it was a famous port and fishing town lying on an island on the opposite side of the estuary of the river Rother to New Romney . Lydd was founded on an island in the marshes by the Saxons and was known as Hylda .

Edward I in the Cinque Ports charter gave the rights to Lydd so that it shared taxes with New Romney on the catches of fish landed in the area.

The stonework of All Saints church was started by the Saxons, and some of this original stonework is still visible by the font. The wealth of Lydd enabled the church to be enlarged until it is now the largest of the churches on the Romney Marsh and is known as the Cathedral of the Marshes . The church tower was raised to 132ft high by Cardinal Wolsey in the 15th century.

In 1287 the Great Storm hit the channel and blocked the mouth of the Rother, changing its course to run south from Appledore to Rye . This change turned the harbour at Lydd into farmland and marsh, and destroyed its main claim to fame.

As the land grew around the island so the fishermen moved with it to the sea, today at Lydd on Sea about 3 miles south.

smuggling was rife in the area and Lydd was no exception with most of the population being either involved with fishing or smuggling or both until the mid 1800's.

During the late 1800's the land to the west of the town was taken over by the military and became Lydd Ranges, where tank and weapon designs were tested and proven. In 1888 the camp became the testing ground for Lyddite a picric acid based high explosive, the name came from its first testing ground.

The land is still in use today by the Army for tactical and light weapon training.

All Saints at Lydd is one of those churches supported by the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust .
Views
The centre of Lydd in Kent is very pretty with its old buildings and roads.

The church is enormous for a marshland church showing that the island on which the town once stood was well founded.

All around the town is the flat landscape of the Romney Marsh . The west consists mainly of shingle and the east rich farmland.
Services
Lydd in Kent is a small town with small town services.

Its nearest major shopping centre is at Rye about 8 miles north west, and this is also where the nearest trains can be caught.

Lydd Museum is well worth a visit for its wealth of old photographs and local artifacts,
Map
Lydd is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages

(click on symbol to see the village page)
Village= Town= Recorded in Domesday=
Brookland (13th century wooden spire)4.59 miles
Broomhill (Swept away by the Storm)4.26 miles
Camber (Sands and Holidays)4.97 miles
Dungeness (Fishermen and Lighthouses)3.38 miles
East Guldeford (Barn-like Church)6.65 miles
Fairfield (The Isolated Church)6.08 miles
Greatstone (Parabolic Sound Detectors and PLUTO)2.54 miles
Littlestone (The Genteel Resort)3.33 miles
Lydd on Sea (Bungalows and Fishermen)2.73 miles
New Romney (Cinque Port and Storm)2.78 miles
Old Romney (Sheep and Wool Smuggling)2.79 miles
Rye Harbour (Nature Reserve and unspoilt beaches)6.38 miles
St Marys Bay (Holidays and Beaches)5.10 miles
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