May 2022 Part Three - Visiting the Battle of Hastings

 I had a weekend off at the end of May, and we decided to go down to Kent for it, and have a little explore. I say this, because as usual, I had seen something online, and so wanted to visit, and James dutifully came along. I know he enjoys it too. We are quite different, we have very opposing music tastes with only the band Texas as a mutual musical connection. But when it comes to going places, 90% of the time we are on the same page, and then that other 10% isn't a problem. I feel like that's the best way to be. 

Anyway, I'm digressing. We headed down to Kent first and foremost to see where the Battle of Hastings took place. I had been reading a lot about it recently, and something I am desperate to see is the Bayeux tapestry. (On a slight side note, I feel like the way we commemorate now is very different, bring back the times where we built triumphant arches and made tapestries to celebrate things!). 

My favourite thing as you arrive at Battle Abbey is the sea of colour in the gardens, these Rhododendrons in this sublime lilac colour were a real highlight. 

The whole site has layers upon layers of history, with the battlefield, Abbey and Manor House all jostling for space both historically and for your attention. I'm going to start with the Abbey. As penance for the amount of death and destruction both the battle and the Norman takeover, headed by William, he decided to found an Abbey, with the high altar at the spot where King Harold was killed in battle. It's a fascinating and gruesome tale, which instantly gives this Abbey a different perspective to others I have visited. Built for penance, as a way to appease those killed in battle. It's the perfect set up for a ghost story wouldn't you think? 

Construction started very soon after the battle in 1170, and the Abbey had many more rights and privileges than others did that were founded during the same period. There was even an unusual privilege the Abbot could pardon anyone he met on the way to their execution. I did a little bit of research, but I couldn't find anything in particular to say this actually happened. But it's a cool privilege to have right?

Like every other Abbey in the country, Battle Abbey was suppressed by Henry the Eighth in the 1538. It was given to Sir Anthony Browne, who set about demolishing and converting the Abbey into a grand residence. Indeed, you can see the remains of the cloister arches in the photo above.

A rare view of the dormitories on the second floor, and inside the undercroft. The undercroft is particularly extensive, and would have had a variety of uses, but was probably most used for storage, especially after the Abbey was closed down.

Here's a fun game for you all, can you spot James somewhere in the picture?

The rooms are surprisingly light, with these fantastic tall windows letting in lots of light, and as you can see from the outside, this would have been a tall and grand building, and would have been the dormitory for most of the monks living at the abbey.

Now, here's a view you don't always see. This is the site of the Battle of Hastings, one of the most important Battles on English soil. Only a month after defeating Harold Hardrada at the battle of Stamford Bridge, King Harold Godwinson marched down with the English army to Hastings, where William, Duke of Normandy was awaiting him. In a battle that even a thousand years on we all know and still talk about, the opposing English and Norman forces faced each other here, in the field. 

Both sides knew this was an important battle, but I don't think they realised how important this battle was for the future of England. Perhaps there was a moment of stillness & silence, as the armies stood and viewed each other. And then, it would have started. By the end of the battle, the field would have been full of bodies, the ground becoming a blood stained blog. The Normans were developing the upper hand, and then, in a fatal and almost mythical incident, King Harold was shot in the eye with an arrow. Now, there was going to be a new ruler, and William was soon crowned as William the First, King of England.

As with most battlefields, you've got to use some imagination to bring to it life. You can't imagine that this quiet grassy knoll was the site of such an important and historical battle. We stood for a while, both of us caught up in our own thoughts about what was going on.

We then headed into Hastings, to grab ourselves some dinner, play on the arcades and have a wander around. We found this nice little cafe near the waterfront, where I had fish cakes, and James had kofta kebabs.

After playing in the arcades for a while, not winning much more than a pack of playing cards, we had a walk along the beach, and we discovered these beach houses, or at least, what I thought were beach houses.

They are strange aren't they? No windows, and far too tall to be a beach house. So I did a little research, and they are actually called net shops. They don't sell anything, but it's come from a shortening of their full name, net workshops. They are unique to Hastings, and many are 150 years old and fully grade listed structures! They were fascinating to walk around, and there was a couple of signs giving you more information. They would be used to hang the fishing nets up for repairs or to dry out, and were covered in pitch to keep them watertight, hence the black colour. They are clustered together one end of the beach, and it's so interesting wandering through them and seeing them close up. If you want to know more about them, I found this fascinating article written about them -

 Hastings History - Net Shops

We were staying at a hotel just outside of Hastings for the night, and after a restful nights sleep, we started our journey back home again, but don't worry, there was lots planned for the journey! We had a planned stop at Bayham Abbey - the more ruined abbeys, the better! (Gosh I sound like Henry the Eighth! Saying that, I more meant the more visits to see ruined abbey's the better)

Bayham Old Abbey is situated in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by green rolling hills and trees. It's isolated spot would have made it a prime place to found an Abbey. Even now, it's a calm place, with only birdsong and the leaves on the trees rustling in the breeze. I should have been a poet, you could have heard my words adorning public spaces. But anyway, its atmospheric and a joy to visit.

The ruins are somewhat intriguing, there's a lot of small details you miss at first glance, like the stone capitals in this photo near the ground, which I missed as I gazed at the remaining pointed windows.

The abbey was founded in 1208, as a merger of the Abbey's at Otham and Brockley, and interestingly, the new Abbey is built right on the border of both Kent and Sussex. The Abbey had a fairly quiet history, and was suppressed in 1525 by cardinal Worsley to raise funding for a new college. The local community was furious, and a mob arrived at the gates of the Abbey, and for a short while it returned to normal. The revival in fortune was short lived, and the Abbey permanently closed a short while later.

These arches are stunning, framing the view of the manor house with the green grass carpet running throughout.

I think we all have a tendency to assume that Henry the Eighth closed down all the Abbeys and Monasteries. It's a view that's largely correct, in that the vast majority were closed due to Henry's orders. But there were also many Abbies, like Bayham Abbey that were closed down for a variety of reasons. Some were because the sites proved unsuitable and were merged with others. Some it was due to the fact that nobody was left there, like some Abbeys after the Black Death, which killed so many people, it was impossible to continue.

Bayham Old Abbey has some fantastic angles to take some great photos. I only use the camera on my mobile phone, so they aren't always great. But James uses a Nikon, with a variety of different lenses to take deeper, more meaningful pictures where you can feel the atmosphere, just by looking at the pictures. Meanwhile, I felt like a pro, taking this photo up inside what we think was a possible ruined staircase, although afterwards to my dismay I realised it wasn't centered.

I love the different colours of the grass in the light and shadows, and also the softness of the carved stone of the arches and pillars, which contrast with the undressed stone in the background.

Here's the very overgrown bridge, which if I remember rightly was rebuilt when the family home was built, and the ruin became a feature in the grounds.

I couldn't resist a shot of the house, with it's Abbey like features, which when you think about it is unsurprising as you've got a ruined Abbey right next to it, and was probably used as a quarry for new construction. There is also a small second hand book shop near the entrance, run by a delightful English Heritage volunteer who I had a lovely chat with about our love of books.

The site is looked after by EH and it is completely free to visit. Make sure you say hello to the lady in the bookshop, and to be honest all volunteers, whether EH, National Trust or other. They do a fantastic job, and are always so friendly and helpful, and their passion and hard work are what helps us enjoy and learn about our history. So, this is a big big thank you to all. We really do appreciate it.