Playden
Playden is located in East Sussex
Playden
Playden
Location within East Sussex
Area16.6 km2 (6.4 sq mi) -inc East Guldeford[1]
Population340 (Parish-2011)[2]
• Density51/sq mi (20/km2)
OS grid referenceTQ925226
• London52 miles (84 km) NW
Civil parish
  • Playden
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townRYE
Postcode districtTN31
Dialling code01797
PoliceSussex
FireEast Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
Playden Oasts Hotel, Playden

Playden is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is located one mile (1.6 km) north-west of Rye.

History

Playden is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Pleidena; it is a largely rural parish, having no village centre, and the hamlet of Houghton Green is included in the parish. Playden's main occupation was fishing: the fish were salted in a one-time settlement known as Saltcote, after the fact that it had a fish salting industry based there. Saltcote Street is now all that remains of that industry.[3]

Governance

Playden Parish Council has four councillors,[4] and meets monthly at the WI Hall in the village.[5]

The parish is within the Rother District of East Sussex. In the United Kingdom Parliament, it is part of the Hastings & Rye constituency, represented since the 2019 UK general election by Sally-Ann Hart, of the Conservative party.

Landmarks

The Norman church is dedicated to St Michael.[6] It was begun in 1190, and contains a ladder to the bell tower dated 1686.[7]

The parish church, as depicted in a postcard, circa 1905

The field in front of the Church formerly known as Beacon Oak Field was the site of a 15th century beacon at Sawcut (sic), sighting from Tenterden and Alomsbridge (about Newington Bridge, Kent, name has disappeared). The beacon was in the form of a tar filled barrel in an oak tree that was burnt down around 1930 but the stump remains.

The parish includes a two-acre field known as The Butt Field, which since 1703 has been available to the people of the village for "archery practice, recreation and sport".[8] It is now mainly used for the grazing of sheep.

Within the parish there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Houghton Green Cliff. This is an exposed cliff face displaying sandstones of geological interest.[9]

In addition, part of the Dungeness, Romney Marsh & Rye SSSI lies within Playden parish.

People

The artist and scientific illustrator Brian Hargreaves (1935-2011) lived in Playden up until the time of his death.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Notes on the village Archived 2008-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Welcome to Playden.info | Playden Councillors". www.playden.info. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to Playden.info | Playden Village Council Downloads". www.playden.info. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  6. ↑ St Michael's church Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "Playden – St Michael – Sussex Parish Churches". Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Welcome to Playden.info | About Playden Village". www.playden.info. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "SSSI Citation — Houghton Green Cliff" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 5 July 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ Rhone, Christine. "Brian Hargreaves". Rye Castle Museum. Retrieved 8 June 2019.

6 A New History of Rye, Leopold Aaron Vidler, 1934

7 A Perambulation of Kent, William Lambarde, 1596

8 The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex, Thomas Walker Horsfield, 1825

Media related to Playden at Wikimedia Commons


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