Icklesham is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the Rother district of

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

, England. The village is located about six miles (10 km) east of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west a ...

, on the main A259 Hastings to

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe ( Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is ...

road. The surrounding countryside is a made up of fields, hills, woods, orchards and vineyards. The civil parish is large, and includes Icklesham itself,

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a small town in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The ...

, Winchelsea Beach and

Rye Harbour Rye Harbour is a village located on the East Sussex coast in southeast England, near the estuary of the River Rother: it is part of the civil parish of Icklesham and the Rother district. Rye Harbour is located some two miles (3.2 km) dow ...

History

Icklesham's historic roots can be traced back to 772, when it appeared as ''Icoleshamme'' in a land charter signed by

Offa Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æt ...

, King of

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era= Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , ...

. Strategically located on the

River Brede The River Brede is an English river in East Sussex. It flows into the Rock Channel (tidal section of the River Tillingham) and then onto the River Rother at Rye, Sussex. It takes its name from the village of Brede, which lies between Hasting ...

, it was a prime target in the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

invasion of 1066 (some 700 years later, evacuation plans were prepared in case of an invasion by Napoleon). The 12th Century church of All Saints & St. Nicholas was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Samuel Sanders Teulon Samuel Sanders Teulon (2 March 1812 – 2 May 1873) was an English Gothic Revival architect, noted for his use of polychrome brickwork and the complex planning of his buildings. Family Teulon was born in 1812 in Greenwich, Kent, the son of a ...

in the late 1840s. The church was originally dedicated to All Saints in the Norman period but was changed by Henry VIII to St. Nicolas.

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and it ...

is associated with protecting mariners, appropriate as Icklesham was still coastal at the time.

Landmarks

Hogg Hill Mill which overlooks the village, is used as a recording studio by Sir

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

. A sandstone circle is located to the east of the parish church in a field by the main A259 road. It was constructed in approximately 2012. The parish contains three

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle o ...

— Winchelsea Cutting, "

Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from New Romney in Kent to Winchelsea in East Sussex. An area of is a Special Protection Area, an area of is a Special Ar ...

" and

. Winchelsea Cutting is a roadside cutting with of exposed geological strata. Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye is a large site of , lying along the coast, and extending into the neighbouring county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Its interest is biological and geological, with various habitats of shingle, saltmarsh, sand dunes and saline lagoons. Rye Harbour is another site of biological importance, with a varied habitat of shingle, intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh.

Notable people

* Charles Kenward (1877–1948), first-class cricketer * Richard Kenward (1875–1957), first-class cricketer

References

External links

Icklesham Parish CouncilIcklesham on facebook
Villages in East Sussex Civil parishes in East Sussex Rother District {{EastSussex-geo-stub