- Winchelsea
:"This article concerns the town in the United Kingdom. For the town in Victoria, Australia see
Winchelsea, Victoria ."infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Winchelsea
latitude= 50.92
longitude= 0.71
population=
shire_district=Rother
shire_county=East Sussex
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Hastings and Rye
post_town= WINCHELSEA
london_distance=convert|54|mi NW
postcode_district= TN36
postcode_area=TN
dial_code= 01797
os_grid_reference= TQ9017
civil_parish=Icklesham Winchelsea is a small
town inEast Sussex ,England , located between theHigh Weald and theRomney Marsh , approximately two miles (3 km) south west of Rye and seven miles (12 km) north east ofHastings . The present town replaced an earlier town of the same name, sometimes known as Old Winchelsea. The town is part of thecivil parish ofIcklesham .The Corporation of Winchelsea claims that it is the smallest town in Britain to have its own
mayor .Fact|date=September 2008 Winchelsea constitutes neither a local government district,civil parish orcharter trustees area, and so therefore the mayor traces continuity back to the pre-reform Corporation, which lost its civil and judicial powers in 1886 but was preserved as a charity by an Act of Parliament in order to maintain the membership of the Cinque Port Confederation. The mayor and corporation of Winchelsea now have a purely ceremonial role.Old Winchelsea
Old Winchelsea was on a massive shingle bank that protected the confluence of the estuaries of the Rivers Brede, Rother and Tillingham and provided a sheltered anchorage called the Camber. The old town was recorded as "Winceleseia" in 1130 and "Old Wynchchelse" in 1321.
History of Old Winchelsea
Before the
Norman conquest of England , the town had its own mint. After the conquest, it was of great importance in cross-Channel trade (acting in particular as anentrepôt for London) and as a naval base. In the 13th century, it became famous in the wine trade fromGascony .There were, in the 1260s, over 700 houses, two churches and over 50 inns and taverns thus implying a population of 4,000 to 5,000 people at the time.Fact|date=August 2008. Today, only one hostelry remains within the town, called the New Inn Winchelsea. During the 13th Century incursions by the sea destroyed much of the town until a massive flood completely destroyed it in 1287.
"New" Winchelsea
Today's Winchelsea was the result of the old town's population moving to the present site, when King Edward I ordered a planned town, based on a grid, to be built. The new town inherited the title of “Antient Town” from Old Winchelsea and retained its affiliation to the
The town had a tidal harbour on the
Winchelsea retains its medieval setting on a hill surrounded by largely empty marsh, the original layout of the planned town and the largest collection of medieval wine cellars in the country. It also retains three of the four town gates and several original buildings, including the parish church, which is dedicated to St Thomas the Martyr. Another church, St Leonard's, was later the site of a windmill, which was blown down in the
Across the road from the churchyard stands the Court Hall, one of Winchelsea's oldest buildings, the lower floor once being the
Winchelsea stands on the main south coast road, the A259.
The town lends its name to the nearby seaside village of
Parish campaign
In 2006 a group of local residents requested
Rail Transport
References
External links
*
* [http://www.thenewinnwinchelsea.co.uk/ The New Inn Winchelsea] Public House within the town.
* [http://www.ulivewhere.com/low/downloads/download-winchelsea.html Audio interview] with local resident about life in the town.
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