Overview

‘If Bonyparte should have the heart To land on Pemsey Level

Then my three sons, with their three guns Would blow him to the devil.’

Rupert Taylor reproduced this unforgettable snatch of Sussex doggerel – almost certainly coined during the Napoleonic invasion scare of 1802-1805 – in The East Sussex Village Book. ‘Pemsey’, of course, is dialect for Pevensey, and the verse neatly captures the role this small settlement played in the defence of southern England for the better part of 1,700 years. Romans, Normans, medieval garrisons, Tudor coastwatchers and WW2 troops have all stood guard here, as well as musket-wielding early 19th-century conscripts.

The irony, of course, is that the last force to successfully invade England – William the Conqueror’s Norman army – landed on Pevensey’s shingle in 1066 entirely unopposed, before marching to Hastings and rewriting English history.

Etymology

Pevensey literally means ‘Pefen’s island’, its prefix referring to a Saxon chieftain, its suffix deriving from the Old English ‘ēg’ or ‘īeg’, referring to an island, or a raised patch of land surrounded by wetland (think Hamsey, Romney, Selsey, Anglesey). Silting and longshore drift have pushed the coastline back a mile, but in early Saxon times Pevensey Castle stood on a spur of sand and clay surrounded by a tidal lagoon and marshes.

Pevensey Castle

The prime reason to visit Pevensey is to explore the ruins of this magnificent castle – or, more accurately, castles. The site is run by English Heritage, who do an excellent job of unpacking its complex and often bloody history through exhibition rooms, onsite interpretation and an engaging audio guide.

The Romans built the original fort of Anderitum in the late 3rd century, its walls 12 feet thick and 25 feet high, to house a garrison on the island guarding the coast against cross-Channel raiders, likely supported by naval patrols operating from nearby waters. Much of this vast enclosure still stands, surrounding ten acres of ground.

When the Romans withdrew, the fort endured its first recorded catastrophe: in AD 49, the Saxon leader Aelle besieged Anderitum and, according to later chroniclers, slaughtered every one of the British inhabitants who had taken refuge inside. The Saxons held the site until the Normans arrived in 1066, landing unopposed on Pevensey’s shingle and swiftly erecting a timber castle within the Roman walls. This was later rebuilt in stone, creating a castle within a castle – one of the most formidable defensive systems in medieval England.

Across the Middle Ages, Pevensey Castle endured a succession of sieges. It fell twice, both times through surrender rather than assault: its mighty walls were never breached. By the 16th century the building had lost its military purpose and slipped into ruin, until the 9th Duke of Devonshire gifted it to the nation in 1925, placing it under the care of the Office of Works, the precursor to English Heritage. In WW2 the site was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence and garrisoned by Allied troops. Machine-gun posts and pillboxes were cleverly disguised within the medieval fabric, turning the ancient stronghold into a modern one. Today the castle offers visitors a remarkable palimpsest of 1,700 years of history: Roman ramparts, a Norman oubliette, a medieval dungeon, and 1940s defences all layered within the same walls. Allow yourself a good two hours to do the place justice.

Pevensey Village

Leaning companionably within sight of the East Gate of the castle, the timber-framed Mint House is enjoying its latest incarnation as ‘The Home of Sussex Folklore’, having served, since its 14th-century foundation, as a townhouse, a courthouse, an inn, and, more recently, a much-loved antiques emporium. In its warren of low-ceilinged rooms, the imaginative organisers host workshops, makers’ markets, live events and exhibitions (from July 18 to September 6 there’s a show about the Long Man of Wilmington).

Over the road is Pevensey Court House Museum, a tiny space filled with smuggling paraphernalia, medieval pottery, Victorian photographs, and documents tracing the long, sometimes turbulent civic history of the borough. These relics are artfully stacked around the defendant’s box and the magistrates’ benches, left from the times when local ne’er-do-wells were judged and sentenced there. Those found guilty would be temporarily accommodated in the prison cells below. There you can visit mannequin inmates, forever beleaguered by plastic rats.

A short stroll away, in the lee of the castle, stands St Nicolas Church, founded in the late 11th century by the Normans. It is a serene, handsome building of Caen stone and local flint, with a squat tower and a cool, echoing interior. Look for the carved capitals in the nave, the medieval piscina, and the fragments of early stained glass. On our latest visit, in mid-April, the spacious, and evidently fertile graveyard was a sea of bluebells, gently bobbing in the breeze between the headstones.

Pevensey Bay

Pevensey Bay is a mile down the road from the village, but much further distant in character, a low-key beach resort with a small high street selling fish & chips, buckets & spades and pints of lager. Its grid of streets still has a faintly frontier feel: bungalows, fishermen’s cottages, and the odd mid-century chalet sitting behind the shingle ridge, all facing the Channel with a kind of stoic optimism. It’s a bit like Shoreham Beach was, before the millionaires took over. In common with Pevensey proper, this seaside village has done service on the front line of the country’s defence effort. It’s worth the half-hour stroll (or five-minute bus ride) just to seek out its two Martello Towers, built in the Napoleonic era and converted into private residences. During WW2, the ‘Bay’ was heavily defended with anti-tank obstacles and pillboxes, some of which still lurk in the undergrowth behind the beach.

Pevensey Levels

A half-hour walk in the opposite direction will find you on Pevensey Levels, a vast, flat expanse of wetland designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It’s a magnet for birdwatchers: marsh harriers, snipe, lapwing and herons all thrive here. It’s also home to fen raft spiders, lesser whirlpool ramshorn snails, great crested newts and water voles. The light can be extraordinary, especially at dusk, when the sky seems to stretch twice as wide as usual.

Eating and drinking

It’s mostly about the pubs in Pevensey. In the village try The Royal Oak & Castle Inn, right by the East Gate, for hearty pub food and a pub garden; just down the road, The Smugglers Inn, dating back to the 16th century, is a good winter option, with big portions in front of an open fire. For cream tea or sandwiches with a 50s vibe and friendly service, try the Castle Cottage Tea Room, though be warned, this traditional tea shop closes before teatime. In Pevensey Bay, we can recommend The Aqua Bar, where we had dressed crab, salad and rosemary potatoes, and a pint of Long Man Brewery Best Bitter, on their terrace on the beach. The crab portions were enormous.

Public transport and parking

Pevensey and Westham is the best train station for the village, Pevensey Bay leaves you with a 20-minute walk to the beach. Both are on the Brighton to Hastings/Ore line. Buses 8 and 99 connect the two villages. If you’re driving, there’s a 50-space pay-and-display car park by the East Gate of the castle.