Icklesham

Icklesham
Icklesham
	The windmill
	Icklesham Location within East Sussex
Area	23.5 km2 (9.1 sq mi)
Population	2,751 (Parish-2011)
• Density	309/sq mi (119/km2)
OS grid reference	TQ875162
• London	53 miles (85 km) NW
Civil parish	Icklesham;
District	Rother;
Shire county	East Sussex;
Region	South East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WINCHELSEA
Postcode district	TN36
Dialling code	01424
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Hastings and Rye;
	List of places UK England East Sussex 50°55′N 0°40′E / 50.92°N 0.67°E

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]}

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

History

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

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 Interest—Winchelsea 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]