Icklesham is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is located about six miles (10 km) east of Hastings, on the main A259 Hastings to Rye road. The surrounding countryside is a made up of fields, hills, woods, orchards and vineyards.[citation needed]

Icklesham
The windmill
Icklesham is located in East Sussex
Icklesham
Icklesham
Location within East Sussex
Area23.5 km2 (9.1 sq mi) [1]
Population2,751 (Parish-2011)[2]
• Density309/sq mi (119/km2)
OS grid referenceTQ875162
• London53 miles (85 km) NW
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWINCHELSEA
Postcode districtTN36
Dialling code01424
PoliceSussex
FireEast Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
East Sussex
50°55′N 0°40′E / 50.92°N 0.67°E / 50.92; 0.67

The civil parish is large, and includes Icklesham itself, Winchelsea, Winchelsea Beach and Rye Harbour.

History

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Icklesham's historic roots can be traced back to 772, when it appeared as Icoleshamme in a land charter signed by Offa, King of Mercia. Strategically located on the River Brede, it was a prime target in the Norman 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 by architect Samuel Sanders Teulon 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 is associated with protecting mariners, appropriate as Icklesham was still coastal at the time. [4] [5]

Landmarks

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

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.[6]

The parish contains three Sites of Special Scientific InterestWinchelsea Cutting, "Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay" and Rye Harbour. Winchelsea Cutting is a 0.3-acre (0.12 ha) roadside cutting with 33 feet (10 m) of exposed geological strata.[7] Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye is a large site of 1,801 acres (729 ha), lying along the coast, and extending into the neighbouring county of Kent. Its interest is biological and geological, with various habitats of shingle, saltmarsh, sand dunes and saline lagoons.[8] Rye Harbour is another 1,881-acre (761 ha) site of biological importance, with a varied habitat of shingle, intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh.[9]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Icklesham Parish Council Website". Icklesham Parish Council. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. ^ Parish church Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Benefice of Winchelsea and Icklesham". Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Natural England - SSSI (Winchelsea Cutting)". English Nature. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  8. ^ "Natural England - SSSI (Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye)". English Nature. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Natural England - SSSI (Rye Harbour)". English Nature. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
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