Icklesham Parish consists of 3 wards, Icklesham, Rye Harbour (incorporating Winchelsea Beach) and Winchelsea.
Icklesham
The village of Icklesham sits astride the A259, roughly midway between Hastings and Rye. It enjoys much in the way of agricultural activity, as well as other industry, a fine Norman Church, an 18th century windmill, an extensive recreation ground and the Memorial Hall. Many clubs, societies and sporting organisations make use of these facilities. Other features in the village include two pubs with restaurant facilities and a primary school serving both the village and the surrounding area.
Rye Harbour
Rye Harbour is a small village and harbour sited at the mouth of the River Rother, in a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). This unique harbour has its own fishing fleet, a commercial wharf handling the import and export of grain and aggregate, a public slipway, and a vibrant sailing club which during the summer months is used by visiting and local boat owners. There is a village shop, a social club and a village hall which plays a major part of the social centre of the village. Due to its uniqueness Rye Harbour also has a growing group of artists with studios, and a vibrant industrial area which is helping to provide employment for local people. The village has a pub and an RNLI Lifeboat Station with a long and noble history. This history includes the sad loss of ‘The Mary Stanford’ lifeboat and her crew of 17 Rye Harbour volunteers which capsized while on service in storm force conditions on 15th November 1928 to the Latvian steamer the ‘Alice’ of Riga. The iconic lifeboat house still stands on the foreshore, and is now Grade II Listed.
Martello Tower (no 28, ‘Enchantress’) a prominent feature in the village was built during the Napoleonic wars and is one of the only towers to be named, instead of just numbered.
The Church of the Holy Spirit stands in a beautiful location and has the distinction of having a very unusual roof in the shape of a ship’s hull. In the ground stands a memorial to all those who lost their lives in the Mary Stanford Lifeboat disaster.
Rye Harbour has its own Nature Reserve with a network of footpaths providing fascinating walks along the sea shore, fields to the remains of Henry VIII’s Camber Castle, and over large areas of shingle as well as the beach. It also plays a major part in helping to maintain the natural environment of the coast and surrounding area. There are several hides provided around the reserve for those that like to bird watch.
Winchelsea Beach
The village of Winchelsea Beach is a major centre for tourism. As well as enjoying the advantages of pleasant walks, both inland and coastal, and items of historic interest (much of the village has been under the sea at one time or another), the village is also well supplied with shopping and refreshment facilities. As with the other wards, there is a range of clubs and societies contributing to community life.
Winchelsea
Winchelsea the relic of a major planned medieval town and port founded in 1288 by Edward I to replace a nearby town of the same name that was overwhelmed by the sea. For 200 years, Winchelsea was one of main Channel ports, until its harbour silted up.
Accordingly, modern Winchelsea is the guardian of one of the most important historic areas in East Sussex. Among other things, Winchelsea uniquely preserves its original grid-iron medieval street plan and its landscape setting on top of a hill surrounded by largely undeveloped marshland. It retains part of a large medieval church and the ruins of three town gates, as well as other medieval, Tudor and Georgian domestic architecture in a picturesque village setting. Winchelsea’s heritage is officially recognised in its designation as a Conservation Area and an Archaeologically Sensitive Area, as well as the inclusion of four Scheduled Ancient Monuments and some 120 listed buildings. Winchelsea is also part of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Most of the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust and is part of Wickham Manor Farm.
Many residents celebrate Winchelsea’s historic status as a town. When Winchelsea was absorbed into Icklesham Parish in 1886, its corporation ceased to be elected or hold civic authority, but was preserved as a charity in order to maintain the membership of the Cinque Port Confederation, of which the ‘Ancient Town of Winchelsea’ was a Head Port.
Winchelsea is an active community, with many clubs and societies. Facilities include a village hall, large parish church, Methodist chapel, primary school, cricket field, bowls green and three allotments.