Hooe, East Sussex
Encyclopedia
Hooe is both a small village and a civil parish
in the Wealden
District of East Sussex
; the village being located about two miles (3 km) north-west of Bexhill
, and north of the A259 coast road
, on the B2095 road from Ninfield
. The parish name takes account of local usage, and the location of the parish church; in fact the main population centre is to the north, and is called Hooe Common.
at Ashburnham
.
During the 18th century Hooe was connected with other local gangs in smuggling
.
The church, dedicated to St Oswald, is part of a combined ecclesiastical parish with that at Ninfield. Hooe church, both Saxon and Norman, was built in its location as meeting point of several of the surrounding hamlets, including Hooe Common. There were suggestions by a local historian that there was a village surrounding the church but this was burnt down during the plague and the village moved to Hooe Common but there is no archaeological evidence for this: although an abandoned village (Northeye) can be located on the Levels.
Pevensey Levels
, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
, lies partially in the parish. The site is of biological interest consisting of low-lying grazing meadows, hosting a wide variety of wetland flora and fauna.
, a general stores (once owned by the Mayes family) and at least one butchers shop, at 2 Victoria Villas. The village school has also closed: children now attend the school at Ninfield
. There is a farm shop and fruit picking farm, and two pubs
: the Red Lion in Hooe Common and the Lamb Inn on Pevensey Marsh in the south of the parish.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Wealden
Wealden
For the stone, see Wealden GroupWealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England: its name comes from the Weald, the area of high land which occupies the centre of its area.-History:...
District of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
; the village being located about two miles (3 km) north-west of Bexhill
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
, and north of the A259 coast road
A259 road
The A259 is a busy road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and part of Kent. Part of the road was named "the most dangerous road in South East England" in 2008.-Description:...
, on the B2095 road from Ninfield
Ninfield
Ninfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is situated 4 miles north of Bexhill-on-Sea, at the junction of two roads: the A269 from Bexhill to Battle and the A271 to Hailsham...
. The parish name takes account of local usage, and the location of the parish church; in fact the main population centre is to the north, and is called Hooe Common.
History
The name Hooe comes from the Saxon word meaning a ridge, since the village stood on a ridge of land between two arms of the sea. Those areas are now low-lying land, one being the Hooe Levels, across which flows the stream known as Waller's Haven. The River Ashbourne flows into the Haven, down which iron products, particularly cannon, used to be shipped from the Wealden iron worksWealden iron industry
The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Ironmaking in the Weald used ironstone from various clay...
at Ashburnham
Ashburnham
Ashburnham may refer to:*Ashburnham, Carmarthenshire, Wales*Ashburnham and Penhurst, East Sussex, England*Ashburnham, Massachusetts, United States*Earl of Ashburnham*John Ashburnham *Ashburnham BaronetsCategory:Surnames...
.
During the 18th century Hooe was connected with other local gangs in smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
.
The church, dedicated to St Oswald, is part of a combined ecclesiastical parish with that at Ninfield. Hooe church, both Saxon and Norman, was built in its location as meeting point of several of the surrounding hamlets, including Hooe Common. There were suggestions by a local historian that there was a village surrounding the church but this was burnt down during the plague and the village moved to Hooe Common but there is no archaeological evidence for this: although an abandoned village (Northeye) can be located on the Levels.
Landmarks
Hooe windmill was situated where the house the Retreat is now, next to the recreation ground.Pevensey Levels
Pevensey Levels
The area known as the Pevensey Levels is a Site of Special Scientific Interest notified under Section 28 of theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an area of marshland situated between Bexhill in the east, Pevensey in the west and Hailsham in the north...
, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, lies partially in the parish. The site is of biological interest consisting of low-lying grazing meadows, hosting a wide variety of wetland flora and fauna.
Hooe today
There are now no shops in Hooe, although over the years it has had a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a general stores (once owned by the Mayes family) and at least one butchers shop, at 2 Victoria Villas. The village school has also closed: children now attend the school at Ninfield
Ninfield
Ninfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is situated 4 miles north of Bexhill-on-Sea, at the junction of two roads: the A269 from Bexhill to Battle and the A271 to Hailsham...
. There is a farm shop and fruit picking farm, and two pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
: the Red Lion in Hooe Common and the Lamb Inn on Pevensey Marsh in the south of the parish.