England, so I've been told is just one great big historical theme park!  And so, what better use of our time than to spend it visiting some of the attractions?  So far we've gone around London and Kent (with occasional jaunts further afield).  It was time to get serious - we are now members of both English Heritage and the National Trust!

Eilis has come down with Chicken Pox, and although she's not technically sick, it means that neither she nor Liam are allowed to attend school for one week after the spots were first "spotted".  This means no school until next Wednesday, and also meant we couldn't go to Church on Sunday for fear of spreading it there.  So, we decided that the best thing to do would be to spread it amongst people we didn't know* - yes, we went on daytrips over the weekend!

On Saturday we visited Hastings, where we supped upon (well, lunched upon) the nicest fish and chips we've had in the nearly 3 months we've been in England.  Contrary to popular belief, at least to what is believed in Australia, English fish and chips are far inferior to what we're used to.  The fish is generally tough and the batter is greasy.  This is of course the personal opinion of the Hafey family, and may not necessarily be that of anyone else.  This opinion remained in force until Saturday when we visited this place:


This is the entrance to Battle Abbey.  Actually, it's not, it's a photo of Eilis and Liam standing in front of the sign in the carpark at Battle Abbey...Here's a closeup view of what's written on it: 











This is a house across the road from the entrance to Battle Abbey.  Isn't it lovely?


Here's another one (but I had to make it smaller).



















This picture on the right is the view you get as you come up from the carpark.  Isn't it amazing?  Imagine living in a town like Battle, and having that confront you every day?  You'd know you were in England, that's for sure!



Finally we're inside Battle Abbey.  This is the Great Gatehouse.  Quoting from the book, "The Battle of Hastings and the Story of Battle Abbey": 

The great gatehouse, one of the finest monastic gatehouses in England, linked the abbey to the outside world.  Immediately inside lay the outer court with its barns, workshops, bakery and brewhouse and adminstrative offices.  Through the gatehouse came tradesmen and merchants, local people wishing to worship in the nave of the abbey church, as well as important visitors for the abbot.  The present structure dates largely from 1338, when the gatehouse was remodelled to provide a more magnificent entrance to the abbey and to increase security at a time of growing political instability.

Substantial traces of the late eleventh- and twelfth-century structure incorporated in the range west of the gatehouse (to the left of the entrance), suggest that the earlier gateway lay a little to the west of the present entrance.  Until 1538, the ground floor here would have provided accommodation for the abbey porter.

I don't know about you, but when I saw this (to the right) I was completely overwhelmed.  Yes, it may look like a paddock, complete with sheep just out of the photo, but what you see is the actual site of the Battle of Hastings.  Where I was standing taking the photo is where the Saxon army lined up for battle, under the leadership of Harold Godwinson, disputed King of England.  Where the dark row of trees is stood the vast Norman army, under William, Duke of Normandy, who also claimed Kingship of England.  The French army marched up from Hastings beach, where their boats had landed.  Again, I refer to "The Battle of Hastings and the Story of Battle Abbey":

William's army was probably positioned on the lower slope, opposite the ridge where Harold's forces gathered.  The Normans occupied the centre, the Bretons took up their positions on the left with the Flemings probably on the right.  In the front rank were the archers, behind them were the infantry and the third rank were the cavalry.  Harold's army formed a dense shield wall that might have been anything from three or four to ten or twelve men deep and stretching for about 800 yards along the ridge.  Harold's housecarls grouped themselves around his standard and formed the centre of the line.  It is possible that Harold placed his brothers Gyrth and Leofwine, with their housecarls, on each of the flanks.  The well-armoured housecarls would probably have been in the first few ranks with the fyrd men behind them. 

The battle is reckoned ot have begun at about 9am when William ordered his archers forward, to fire at the English line.  He then sent in his infantry, and some time later, the cavalry to support them.  There was firece fighting, but the attack foundered.  The English exploited their excellent defensive position and their axemen and javelin throwers inflicted heavy losses.

Well, you know the rest.  Harold died on the battlefield, along with his brothers.  It is said that Harold received an arrow to the eye, which would probably be the death of me too!  William changed his last name to "The Conqueror" and ruled as King of England.

So where does the Abbey come into it??

Traditionally, Battle Abbey was said to have been founded to fulfil a vow made by Duke William before the battle.  William promised to establish a monastery free of episcopal control if God granted him victory.  It's probably not the truth however, and this vow was quite likely to really have been made about 1070.  That year, the papal authorities imposed heavy penalties on the Normans for the bloodshed of the conquest of England.  And abbey founded here as an act of penance by the king would not only please his followers and honour the dead of the battle, but it would also help populate a relatively empty stretch of country which had only recently shown itself to be a good invasion route!  In naming it "Battle Abbey", the new Norman regime demonstrated its self-confidence (and possibly its arrogance...).

There's not a lot left of the original Battle Abbey, the Monks' Dormitories, and the Novices' Chamber with the ruins of their attached latrine block.  The East Range of the cloister  contained the Monks' dormitories on the first floor with a series of rooms below.  Dramatic evidence of the difficulties of building on this narrow ridge is provided by the heavily buttressed sourthern half of the building which towers over the surrounding ground. 

Its height was necessary to allow the first-floor dormitory to be at one level and to give reasonable head-room in the ground-floor rooms at the northern end.



           


To the right  of the dormitory, at the southern end of the east range, is the Novices Chamber, a lofty, vaulted room, and one of the finest mediaeval chambers in the abbey, its height not so much a reflection of its own importance but necessary to give a level of first floor to the dormitory above, which runs the full length of the building.  A single row of marble columns carries the vaults and divides the room into two bays in width.  The wide windows on either side of the entrance probably held plate tracery; that to the north has subsequently been altered.  The position of this room suggests that it may have been used by the young novice, or trainee, monks.


The ceiling is fairly typical of the Norman style.  In its delicacy, it never cease to amaze me that it can support a floor above it, let alone stand for nearly 1000 years.









This is the crypt of the Abbey.  As previously mentioned, not a lot is left of the Abbey. 

The altar of the Abbey was said to have been laid on the very site upon which Harold Godwinson received the arrow to his eye, and died.  The people of France early last century erected a memorial to him on the site of the altar (as not even that remains today!).


*To be fair, all her spots were covered up in warm clothing, so unless she showed anyone her spots, it was unlikely she would have been able to infect anyone...