Pevensey MP, Huw Merriman, celebrated English Tourism Week (5 to 13 March) last week by visiting two interesting and historic buildings in Pevensey village with Wealden District Councillor, Lin Clark.
Huw and Lin first visited St Nicolas Church next to Pevensey Castle. The church celebrates its 800th anniversary this year and is open to visitors every day from 9am until dusk. The church was completed in 1216 when Pevensey was still a major sea port; this is probably why the church was named after the patron saint of seafarers.
Churchwardens Simon and Abigail Sargent and George Stephens gave Huw a tour of the church and told him about its Roman origins. The church is a wonderful example of Early English architecture and it retains many medieval features. Aside from the castle it is the oldest building in Pevensey. The Grade 1 listed building currently requires some interior restoration work so a major funding-raising project, Project 16, was set up by the church community to help pay for the works. It has so far been successful in securing £90,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and over £40,000 from other fund-raising towards the target of £212,000.
To mark its 800th anniversary St Nicolas church will be hosting a series of celebration events and concerts this year. All proceeds will go towards the restoration fund. The next concert will be held on 23rd April to mark St George’s Day and full details can be found on their website www.cofechurchespevensey.org.uk
Huw and Lin then went to visit the 13th century Pevensey Court House Museum where curator, Peter Harrison, showed them the Old Court Room including the Dock as it was used until 1886, with the Prison Cells, Exercise Yard and stocks below. This fascinating museum is packed with historical artefacts including the ancient seals of the Corporation of Pevensey dating back to 1230.
Speaking after his visit to Pevensey, Huw said “I was delighted to visit St Nicolas Church and Pevensey Court House Museum during English Tourism Week. These historic buildings are just a couple of the wonderful places to discover in our area -there is so much for visitors and locals to see and do in this beautiful constituency of Bexhill and Battle. Pevensey is rich in local and national history and makes a great day out for the whole family. It also has some wonderful pubs, cafes and restaurants in which to enjoy great local food when you need to rest and refuel.”
Cllr Lin Clark said “Today’s visits show that Pevensey has so much of interest to offer visitors and this is a significant year for Pevensey villages as we mark the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. William of Normandy landed his army at Pevensey before the great battle so to mark the occasion we want to create an army of scarecrows to surround Pevensey Castle for this year’s Scarecrow Festival. Last year was our first ever Scarecrow Festival and it was such a huge success that we are confident the local community will all want to get involved and create a real show-stopper Scarecrow Festival this year. More information can be found on the Pevensey Villages Partnership website www.pevenseyvillages.org .”
For more information about places to visit in 1066 country visit www.visit1066country.com .