BATTLE

 

Town named after Battle Abbey, which stands in the centre of the town. The abbey was built overlooking the scene of the Battle of Hastings. The battle itself took place at Senlac. Unlike a lot of battlefields, where you cannot be sure of the precise location, here you can walk along the ridge and look down on the valley where the battle took place. Although universally called 'Battle Abbey', the correct dedication is 'St. Martin's Abbey'.

In 1070 Pope Alexander II ordered the Normans to do penance for killing so many people during their conquest of England. So William the Conqueror vowed to build an abbey where the Battle of Hastings had taken place, with the high altar of its church on the supposed spot where King Harold fell in that battle on Saturday, 14 October 1066. He did start building it, dedicating it to St. Martin, sometimes known as "the Apostle of the Gauls," though William died before it was completed. Its church was finished in about 1094 and consecrated during the reign of his son William Rufus. Benedictine monks were invited to build a monastery on the site to house up to 140 monks. The abbey was generously endowed with estates and became one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in the country.
Although ruined during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and used subsequently as a house and then a school, the impressive gatehouse is a magnificent centrepiece to the little town. It stands at the end of the Market Place.

The Abbey gatehouse dominates the triangular Abbey Green. Once it was used for bull-baiting, a once popular pastime, it is now a paved amenities area. In the 17th century, Battle was the centre for the gunpowder industry, located in the surrounding villages. The famous Battel Bonfire Boyes celebrate the gunpowder plot in November, it is possible that the gunpowder used by Guy Fawkes came from this area.

Just the outside of the gatehouse to the Abbey for now. I need to allocate a much longer session for the interiors and the battlefield.

(below) The abbey gatehouse was built in 1338 as a protection from a possible French Invasion. To the side of these gates stands the Pilgrims Rest, now a tea room/restaurant, the current building was erected in 1420, on the site of a 12th century building.

The town itself is well worth a wander round, with its pretty buildings and plentiful shops and cafes. 

The parish church of St. Mary stands alongside the Abbey walls. Unfortunately, it was busy today, so I could only pop in, grab a couple of quick shots, then leave. It's on my list for further exploration though, as one or two things caught my eye. 

The font.......................

14th October marks the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Pictured is the Senlac Memorial Window, named after Senlac Hill, the site on which the battle was fought. The church of St Mary the Virgin, was also built on Senlac Hill. The church was founded in 1115, fewer than fifty years after the battle.
On the left stands William the Conqueror in his all-enveloping Norman armour. On the right stands a more scantily dressed King Harold, brandishing an Anglo-Saxon axe. Behind them, the glass is decorated with scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry. Above the two windows, Halley’s Comet appears, as it did six months before the battle in 1066. In the bottom right of William’s window, Edward the Confessor sits in Westminster Palace. It was Edward’s death on 5th January 1066 that kicked off the events of that most fateful year. In the bottom middle scene in William’s window, King Harold and a companion enter the church of Bosham in West Sussex, praying for safe passage across the Channel. In the bottom left of Harold’s window, you can see the bloody Battle of Hastings, including the most famous scene of all – where Harold was killed with an arrow through the eye.
The window, designed by Michael Farrar Bell, was dedicated by the Bishop of Chichester on 14th October 1984. It was installed in memory of the English and Norman armies who fought in the most important battle in our history.

The brass plaque set into the cobbled and paved Market Place, marks the spot where bulls were tethered for the cruel sport of bull-baiting, and the site of the annual Battle  bonfire

In her will, dated 1791, Elizabeth Langton left an endowment for a charity school. This primary school - the Battle and Langton Church of England School, is still educating children today.

Tom was a firewatcher at the time. Gladys was the daughter of the waterworks engineer for Battle Urban District Council, and the family lived at the waterworks. Gladys's first husband died in 1935, and she and Tom had only been married for about 2 years.

3 bombs were dropped on the town that day. At the time, the Canadian army had a significant store of ammunition at the Abbey. Luckily the bomb that fell closest to the Abbey didn't go off, otherwise most of Battle wouldn't still be standing.

Tudor buildings stand in harmony with the 18th. century George Hotel.

This was the entrance to the jam factory of Newbery Bros., later called Newbery Preserves. The business started in the 1800s and closed, after being bought out, in the 1980s. The picture below, of one of their vans, is fastened to what was once part of the factory wall.

The Bull Inn - a coaching inn said to have been built with stones from the kitchens of Battle Abbey when they were demolished

The King's Head, said to be the oldest inn in Battle

The Roman Catholic church

This striking roundabout sculpture was created by Kent sculptor, Guy Portelli.

The 'witches hat', which sits on top of the Library

(below) the entrance to the Almonry, which now houses the town museum. There is a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry and a diorama of the Battle of Hastings. 

The local bonfire society is called 'the Battel Bonfire Boyes'. It is possibly the oldest bonfire society in the world, dating back to the 1600s. This stone seat commemorates the allocating of church funds for 'gunpowder treason rejoicing' to the tune of 17 shillings and six pence!

The Battle bonfire has been lit every November 5th. During the blackouts in World War II, the Battle Bonfire Boyes were allowed to place a single candle in the Bull Ring on November 5th. every year until 1945.

The 'Tin Hat' nope, no idea...................