Battle, East Sussex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Battle | |
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  Battle shown within East Sussex |
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| Area[1] | 12.3 sq mi (31.8 km²) |
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| Population | 6171 (2007)[1] |
| - Density | 502.6/sq mi (194.1/km²) |
| OS grid reference | |
| - London | 48 miles (77 km) NNW |
| District | Rother |
| Shire county | East Sussex |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BATTLE |
| Postcode district | TN33 0 |
| Dialling code | 01424 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | East Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Bexhill and Battle |
| Website: http://www.battletowncouncil.org.uk/ | |
| List of places: UK • England • East Sussex | |
Battle is a small town in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England, about 5 miles (8 km) from Hastings, and the site of the Battle of Hastings, where William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II to become William I in 1066. The population of the civil parish was 6,048 according to the 2001 census. Battle has two senior schools, Claverham and Battle Abbey.
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[edit] The Abbey
Battle Abbey was founded to commemorate the battle, and dedicated in 1095. The high altar of the Abbey church was reputedly on the spot where Harold died. The Abbey gateway is still the dominant feature of the south end of the main street, although little remains of the rest of the Abbey buildings. The remaining cloisters, part of the west range, were leased to Battle Abbey School shortly after World War I, and the school remains in occupancy to this day. Although referred to as Battle Abbey, it is actually named St. Martin's Abbey.
[edit] The town
The town of Battle was gradually built around the Abbey, and later developed a reputation for the quality of the gunpowder produced in the area. In the mid 1700s, the town supported five watchmakers in the High Street. Today, Battle is known as a tourist destination.
The local bonfire society, Battel Bonfire Boyes, is claimed to be the oldest of the Sussex Bonfire Societies[2]. The importance of Bonfire Night in Battle is that it is located in the wooded Weald of Sussex. Most of the area was heavily wooded, which provided oak and other timbers for Navy Shipyards, power for making cannons (shipped to Portsmouth or Chatham), cannon balls and gunpowder.
Battle was a refuge in World War I, and tunnels still exist, leading from various fields and cellars to Battle Abbey itself. However, they are deemed unsafe and are now closed.
The band Keane hails from Battle.
[edit] Gunpowder works
The first gunpowder mill in Battle was built in 1676 when John Hammond was granted permission to build a mill on land owned by the Abbey. A gunpowder works was located in Powdermill Lane - the remains of which have been converted into a hotel. The Duke of Cleveland refused to renew the licence in 1847 after many mishaps[3], including one occasion in 1798 on which more than 15 tonnes of gunpowder were left in the oven for too long and exploded.
[edit] The parish
The area covered by Battle Town Council includes the main town of Battle, as well as the nearby settlements of Netherfield and Telham.
Telham Hill is c. one mile south-east of Senlac Hill, in East Sussex, England. It was from Telham Hill that William the Conqueror's army first caught sight of the English army forming up on Senlac Hill, for the battle of Hastings, 14 October 1066.
[edit] Geology
Blackhorse Quarry is within the parish and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.[4] This site has produced many fossil bones and teeth including iguanadon and crocodiles.
[edit] Transport
Battle is linked to Hastings and London by the A2100 (A21). This section of the A2100 was the original A21.
Battle railway station (designed by William Tress) lies on the Hastings Line, north of Crowhurst and south of Robertsbridge. There was once a station known as Mountfield Halt between Battle and Robertsbridge but this closed on 6 October 1969.
The station is managed by and the services are provided by Southeastern.
[edit] John Bodkin Adams
John Bodkin Adams, the suspected serial killer, attended a shooting meeting in Battle on 30 June 1983. While staying at the Battle Abbey Hotel he slipped on the concrete steps and fractured his left hip. He was taken to hospital but died of left ventricular failure on 4 July 1983. In 1957, he had been tried at the Old Bailey on two counts of murdering his patients, but was controversially found not guilty. He was suspected, however, by pathologist Francis Camps of killing 163 patients.[5]
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- ^ a b East Sussex in Figures. East Sussex County Council. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ Battel Bonfire Boyes
- ^ Guy Fawkes
- ^ Natural England - SSSI. English Nature. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
- ^ Cullen, Pamela V., "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006, ISBN 1-904027-19-9
[edit] See also
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