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
Trains from London Charing Cross run twice an hour via several south London stations and Tunbridge Wells, taking 90 min to Battle and continuing to St Leonards and Hastings.
Battle railway station 📍 is half a mile southeast of village centre and close to the battle site. The station itself is a time warp piece of Victorian Gothic.
Battle is reached by road by turning off the A21 onto the A2100 (OS Map 199; reference TQ 749157).
Get around
Bus 304 / 305 runs hourly from Hastings via St Leonards and takes 30 min to Battle station and abbey. It continues to Robertsbridge and Hawkhurst.
See
- Battle Abbey and Battlefield, High Street, TN33 0AD, 50.91496°, 0.48483°, +44 1424 773792. 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
- Church of St Mary the Virgin, Upper Lake, TN33 0AN, 50.91496°, 0.488178°, +44 1424 772693.
- Almonry, Gardens and Battle Museum of Local History (Battle Museum), The Almonry, High Street, TN33 0EA, 50.917758°, 0.483339°, +44 1424 775955.
Do
Buy
Eat
- Chequers Inn (Restaurant in Battle), Lower Lake, TN33 0AT, 50.914226°, 0.490555°, +44 1424 772088, office@chequersinnbattle.com. 11AM-11PM.
Drink
Sleep
- Abbey Hotel, 84 High Street, Battle, TN33 0AQ, 50.915489°, 0.486267°, +44 1424 772755. 3-star grade II listed hotel with en-suite rooms and views of Battle Abbey. £95 - £100 / night 2017-10-09
- The Bull Inn, 27 High Street, TN33 0EA, 50.916887°, 0.484053°, +44 1424 775171, hello@smokingbullinn.com. 17th-century coaching inn with rooms to let (B&B-style). Pub & restaurant. 2022-05-28
- The Powder Mills Country House Hotel, Powdermill Ln, TN33 0SP, 50.904257°, 0.47607°, +44 1424 775511, reservations@thepowdermills.com. 18th-century listed country house 3-star hotel in 150 acres of parkland, woods and lakes. 2017-10-09
Go next
- Hastings with St Leonards is a rather run-down beach resort.
- Bexhill is a smaller resort west, but the next large town along the coast is Eastbourne.
- Robertsbridge is near Bodiam Castle.