The material provided on this website is intended for general public use only and will be updated periodically. Those undertaking planning, management or research must continue to contact the Historic Environment Record directly for up to date information, events records and accurate locations.

Please note that the inclusion of a heritage asset on this website does not mean it is accessible to the public.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

This site is protected as a "scheduled monument" under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (as amended). Without prior permission it is an offence to i) cause damage ii) to execute, cause or permit work iii) to use a metal detector.

Designations

• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1000309: BATTLE ABBEY
• Registered Battlefield 1000013: Battle of Hastings, 1066
• Conservation Area: BATTLE
• Scheduled Monument: BATTLE ABBEY

Summary

The Medieval Abbey landscape outside the precinct but part of the Abbey's land holdings, developed into the post-medieval and modern period. This includes North Park, Horsefield Plantation, South Park and East Park.

Monument Types

• FISHPOND (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• QUARRY (AD 12th Century to Modern - 1100 AD to 2050 AD)
• EARTHWORK (AD 18th Century to Modern - 1700 AD to 2050 AD)
• TRACKWAY (AD 18th Century to Modern - 1700 AD to 2050 AD)
• LODGE (AD 19th Century to AD 20th Century - 1800 AD to 1999 AD)
• PARK (AD 19th Century to Modern - 1800 AD to 2050 AD)
• PLANTATION (AD 19th Century to AD 20th Century - 1800 AD to 1999 AD)
• TREE BELT (AD 19th Century to Modern - 1800 AD to 2050 AD)
• PLAYING FIELD (AD 20th Century to Modern - 1920 AD to 2050 AD)

Description

The plan has been prepared to inform the conservation and management of the buildings, park and battlefield at the English Heritage property of Battle Abbey. The plan outlined that English Heritage should comply with the legal and procedural requirements for scheduled monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas, together with best practice in the management and presentation of the non-statutory registered battlefield, archaeological notification areas, and registered historic park. The wider setting of the site within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the policies in the High Weald AONB Management Plan 2014-2019 should always be considered in any actions. Best professional practice and English Heritage’s own advisory documents should be followed at all times. There are three particular subject areas that should be at the forefront of this approach within the plan period archaeological investigation and recording, the presentation of the building and the landscape and the wider setting of the property. [1]
Below describes some of the more priominent features in the Abbey landscape but the area includes ponds, mounds, streams, earthworks, farm buildings as well as many other features:
*Long plantation could have been established as late as 1858 when Lord Harry Vane bought the estate, but more probably in the time of Sir Godfrey Webster, the fifth baronet, in the late 1820s/30s. The small number of mature trees are probably not old enough for either date, although it is an exposed location and this may be possible. The older trees include yew, Scots pine and spruce, so it must have been a mixed
plantation although it does not appear as such on the 1873 OS. The purposes were probably to screen the park from views from the north and at the same time to shelter the raised walk (Section 11.6) along the north edge, although the plantation originally did not extend as far west as it does today.
*A broad depression identified in the area which could be a quarry and may have been the one referred to in the Chronicle of Battle Abbey in the twelfth century.
*The Ridgetop Treebelt has trees that first appear on the1873 OS and subsequently as mature trees on 1940s air photographs. They filter views eastwards from the bank, across New Pond to the landscape beyond the park.
*Parkland must been laid out within the area between 1823 and 1859, but there is one Turkey oak (no 1612) which probably dates from before 1750 (see volume 3) and may have been retained from a field boundary, although it would have been unusual as a hedgerow tree. The 1873 OS shows more mature trees than at present.
*An earthwork extends south-westwards from the north-west corner of the lower terrace. By at least the late eighteenth century it was part of the drive that came through the precinct and along the site of the middle terrace swinging southwards to leave the park at 11.9.A series of slight scarps parallel to the much more substantial earthwork 11.5 and probably associated with walkway shown in 1724 which was inserted into an earlier field pattern. On the 1724 map the walkway appears to be aligned on the gate in the west precinct wall shown by Buck in 1737. As a designed feature it could date from almost any time in the preceding 150 years.
*A chain of ponds descends the slope in an arc from the south-east corner of the playing field. All are very overgrown and have low or no standing water. The first and largest one in the west may be a fishpond.
*Woodland has been formed by the gradual expansion and merging of the much smaller plantations, Horselodge Plantation and Devil’s Plantation, established between 1823 and 1859, mentioned in the Chronicle of Battle Abbey.
*Along with the associated drive, South Lodge was probably constructed by the Clevelands for convenient access to the railway, which came to Battle in 1852. It served as a lodge for this new entrance to the park, before housing English Heritage’s on-site custodian after 1976.[2]
Further information [3]

Sources

Associated Events - none recorded

Associated Monuments

• MES3355 - Part of: Battle Abbey, Battle : Norman/Medieval Abbey (Monument)

Associated Finds - none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.