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.

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

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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