About Winchelsea in East Sussex

Thinking of a move to Winchelsea or one of the villages nearby, Icklesham or Rye? This corner of East Sussex has real history behind it, and with an office in Battle, we’ve come to know it well over many years of letting and selling property here. Here’s a bit of background on the town, its history and its community, whether you’re already local or just weighing up the move.

Area

Created by Edward I in 1288 as a replacement for Old Winchelsea, which washed away during heavy storms, the town sits atop Iham Hill, overlooking the Channel and the Brede Valley. The Ancient Town is one of the few examples of a bastide town in England, built on a grid-iron street plan with wide, regular streets arranged around a giant square and the incomplete cathedral-style church of St Thomas the Martyr.

Local facilities include The Winchelsea Farm Kitchen, comprising a butcher’s, a delicatessen and a tea and coffee shop, together with a primary school, a public house and a post office and local grocery. For more comprehensive facilities, there’s the Cinque Port of Rye within three miles, with train services to Eastbourne and to Ashford International, offering high-speed connections to London (37 minutes) and the Continent.

With such a mosaic of habitats, wildlife is abundant. Farmland birds gather in the woodlands and the valley, lapwings nest in the fields, flocks of yellowhammers fly overhead, and buzzards patrol the skies. The ditches provide shelter for nationally scarce water voles.

Interesting Fact

Dragonflies are abundant in Winchelsea and the surrounding area, with twenty species recorded, including the locally rare variable damselfly.

History

Winchelsea has some of the finest medieval cellars in the country, dating back to the foundation of the town around 1290. Although the cellars have been used for centuries, it’s thought they were mainly used for storing wine imported from France during the 13th and 14th centuries. Guided tours run on most Saturdays between April and October, details here.

Local Community

There’s plenty going on in Winchelsea, including the Winchelsea Archaeological Society, Winchelsea Arts, Winchelsea Bowls Club, the Court Hall Museum, Winchelsea Cricket Club, and more local activities here.