Battle is a small town in the county of East Sussex, England, about 5 miles (8 km) inland from Hastings and is the aptly-named site of the Battle of Hastings, fought between Harold, King of England and William (the Conqueror), Duke of Normandy in 1066. The association with the famous battle, and the abbey built on its site, attract thousands of visitors each year.
The small town of Battle is literally built around the memories of the fateful battle on 14 October 1066, when Anglo-Saxon England fell to the Norman conquerors, determining the direction of the country for centuries to come.
Get in
Battle is reached by road by turning off the A21 onto the A2100 (OS Map 199; reference TQ 749157).
Get around
See
- 1 Battle Abbey and Battlefield, High Street, TN33 0AD, ☏ 44 1424 773792, fax: 44 1424 775059. Apr-Sep: 10AM-6PM, Oct-Mar: 10AM-4PM, closed 24-26 Dec and 1 Jan. At the southern end of the High Street, now maintained by English Heritage, the Abbey was established after 1070 on the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Pope having decreed that the Norman conquerors should do practical penance for the deaths inflicted in their conquest of England. William the Conqueror initiated the building, but it was only completed and consecrated in 1094 in the reign of his son William II (Rufus). The abbey is in an incomplete, partly ruined state, having been dissolved during the Reformation, then re-used as a private home. Visitors can stand on the reputed site where Harold was slain on 14 October 1066. adults £7.80, children £4.70, concessions £7, family ticket £20.30.
- 2 Church of St Mary the Virgin, Upper Lake, TN33 0AN, ☏ 44 1424 772693.
- 3 Almonry, Gardens and Battle Museum of Local History (Battle Museum), The Almonry, High Street, TN33 0EA, ☏ 44 1424 775955.
Do
Buy
Eat
- 1 Chequers Inn (Restaurant in Battle), Lower Lake, TN33 0AT, ☏ 44 1424 772088, ✉[email protected]. 11AM-11PM.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Abbey Hotel, 84 High Street, Battle, TN33 0AQ, ☏ 44 1424 772755. 3-star grade II listed hotel with en-suite rooms and views of Battle Abbey. £95 - £100 / night.
- 2 [dead link]The Bull Inn, 27 High Street, TN33 0EA, ☏ 44 1424 775171, ✉[email protected]. 17th-century coaching inn with rooms to let (B&B-style).
- 3 [dead link]The George Guest House, 23 High Street, TN33 0EA, ☏ 44 1424 775512, toll-free: 44 1424 775427, ✉[email protected]. 300-year-old, 3-star hotel with extensive choice of rooms, including two with four-poster beds. £40-130/night.
- 4 The Powder Mills Country House Hotel, Powdermill Ln, TN33 0SP, ☏ 44 1424 775511, fax: 44 1424 774540, ✉[email protected]. 18th-century listed country house 3-star hotel in 150 acres of parkland, woods and lakes.
Go next
The A21 trunk road passes about 2½ miles (4 km) east of Battle:
| Routes through Battle |
| London ← Tunbridge Wells ← Robertsbridge ← | NW  SE | → Hastings |