TOWN LIFE

There’s lots going on in Winchelsea. If you can’t find what you are looking for on this list and via the links highlighted in red, please email info@winchelsea.com and we will try to help.

To find out what’s going on at the moment, check the Parish Magazine

Regular daytime bus services run between Hastings and Rye.
The 100 via the A259 stops in the centre of Winchelsea.
The 101 via Winchelsea Beach stops at the Sea Road junction on the Rye side of Winchelsea, ⅓ mile below the Strand Gate.
For times see stagecoachbus.com/timetables

The railway station lies a mile from the centre of Winchelsea and is served by trains on the Marshlink Line which run hourly between Ashford International and Eastbourne via Rye and Hastings.  Timetables at southernrailway.com

Bus and train information is also available from traveline.info    0871 2002233

Winchelsea Archaeological Society aims primarily to provide public education in the heritage and archaeological importance of Winchelsea. It does this by promoting research, such as assisting the National Trust in a project to sort and interpret the mass of broken pottery dug out of the cellar under Blackfriars Barn. It provides guided cellar tours with FOAM, supports new visitor displays for the Museum, and presents up to eight talks per year.
Chairman: Andrew Scott 01797 224637

For more on the WAS programme and reports on Winchelsea archaeology, click here
For more information on Cellar Tours click here

Winchelsea Arts was established in 2015.  Half a dozen concerts are held at Winchelsea Parish Church in the course of the year showcasing talented and prize-winning young musicians – soloists and ensembles.

Full details of the current season and information on bookings can be found on the Winchelsea Arts website.

Winchelsea Bowls Club started on its present site in 1946 and has wonderful views of the Brede Valley. The club plays in the Rother league and many friendly matches throughout Rother area. It represents Winchelsea in the Cinque Ports Bowls Tournament and many other competitions.
winchelseabowlsclub.co.uk
hello@winchelseabowlsclub.co.uk

Winchelsea’s medieval cellars are famous and several of them can be visited.  Tours run regularly from April to October and the money raised is put towards the upkeep of the town’s ancient monuments and museum.  Visit the cellar tours page to find out more.

The Winchelsea Conservation Society maintains a close interest in both the open spaces and buildings of Winchelsea. Our aim is to work for the benefit of all residents to protect the unique character of the Ancient Town. There is an active committee which currently comprises six residents of Winchelsea and arranges conservation related visits to sites both within the town and elsewhere. We can provide a source of knowledge and information to our members with at least one committee member being a member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. We welcome new members to the Conservation Society.
Chairman:  John Spencer 01797 226549
Coordinator:  Barrie Sutherland
conservation@winchelsea.com

The Corporation of Winchelsea is a registered charity.  The Mayor and Corporation participate in the life of the Cinque Ports Confederation and are stewards of the town’s three medieval gates and medieval Court Hall.  More about Winchelsea Corporation here.  You can contact the Corporation through the Town Clerk  winchelsea.tc@btinternet.com

The Lower Court Hall in the High Street includes a space suitable for small meetings of up to 40 people.  For more information on using the Court Hall, email courthall@winchelsea.com

The Court Hall Museum contains displays and exhibits that illustrate the history of Winchelsea. The museum is housed in a single large room on the first floor of the Court Hall, which is one of the oldest buildings in the town, located in the High Street. Exhibits include maps, models, pictures, seals, local pottery and items of daily life from the area.  The Museum is open from April to October.  Full details here.
Curator: Jo Turner  01797 226642 courthallmuseum@hotmail.com

Winchelsea has one of the oldest cricket clubs in the country founded in 1795 and a pitch with the most marvellous view, that of the Brede Valley. You will find the cricket pitch beside Rectory Lane – the A259. A new pavilion was built to celebrate the Millennium. Sunday friendly fixtures are held throughout the summer with a series of home and away games.  If you are interested in playing, please email us: cricket@winchelsea.com

Winchelsea lies in the County of East Sussex, Rother District and Icklesham Civil Parish.  East Sussex website

The Friends of the Ancient Monuments is a charitable organisation which, through fund-raising events, supports Winchelsea Corporation in the maintenance of the Ancient Monuments in the Town – primarily the three Town Gates, the Court Hall, the Town Well and the Queen Elizabeth Well. The Friends also support improvements to the Museum, which is housed within the Court Hall building.

Chairman: Phil Mack  info@winchelsea-foam.org.uk

Click here for the FOAM website

The Friends of Winchelsea Church has as its charitable objects to arouse and foster interest in the parish church at Winchelsea and to cooperate with the Parochial Church Council (PCC) in the preservation and improvement of the fabric, furniture, stained glass and monuments of the church and churchyard.
Contact:  Celia King  01797 227858
Further information here

Winchelsea Garden Society organises annual Spring and Summer Shows, a Winter Lecture and other gardening events in the town, together with outings to gardens round and about.
Contact:  Sally and Graham Rhodda  01797 226062 garden@winchelsea.com

Shows in 2024:
Spring Show – Saturday 30th March – 2pm till 4pm
Rose Show – Saturday 1st June
Summer Show – Saturday 24th August – 2pm till 4pm

Winchelsea lies in the County of East Sussex, Rother District and Icklesham Civil Parish.  Parish Council Website

Winchelsea Literary Society meets monthly on a Friday evening in the Lower Court Hall. There is a regular programme of visiting speakers mixed with evenings when members share prose and poetry round the selected theme.
literarysoc.winchelsea.secretary@gmail.com

9 High Street. At Winchelsea Little Shop we offer fresh bread from local bakeries, daily newspapers, fresh local milk, takeaway hot drinks, pastries and all the essentials that make up a convenience store on your doorstep. We have fresh meat supplied by The Pett Butchers shop with orders taken for any special cuts. Also available is a selection of alcohol, fresh fruit and vegetables. 01797 226287

The small gem which is Wesley’s Chapel has its own special atmosphere of peace, and still has the pulpit from which the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, preached. The Friends of Winchelsea Methodist Chapel organise monthly events, hold special services at times such as Easter, Ascension, Harvest and Christmas and contribute to social events in Winchelsea by holding open sessions.

The Chapel can also be visited by groups or individuals by special arrangement and may be hired for seminars and for educational and other events.

www.winchelseachapel.org

The annual Winchelsea Art Exhibition is held over the August Bank Holiday weekend and organised by the Millennium Artefacts Society. The event is held to raise funds to support the upkeep of the various Millennium Artefacts in the town, namely the splendid Town Sign opposite the New Inn, the Millennium Tapestry in the church and the Town Beacon at the site of the old windmill.
Geraldine I’Anson  01797 224290 artefacts@winchelsea.com

Much of the countryside that surrounds the town is owned by the National Trust.  Click here for the NT Winchelsea webpage.

Winchelsea New Hall is a community space to hire. The hall celebrated its 90th birthday in 2016. It is a large and light hall with a good stage and kitchen facilities. Full information on the New Hall pages. For hall bookings please email newhallbooking@winchelsea.com, or phone or 07941 458628.

Winchelsea New Hall, Rectory Lane, Winchelsea, East Sussex, TN36 4AA.

Charity No 235174

A regularly changing group of Winchelsea gardens open for charity each year under the National Garden Scheme.
Local coordinators:  Howard Norton and David Page 01797 226524  opengardens@winchelsea.com

NGS 2024 Openings:
Saturday 20th April – 12 to 4pm
Saturday 15th June – 11am to 5pm

St Thomas’, Church of England, is located at the centre of Winchelsea.  Services are held every Sunday morning.  The benefice also includes All Saints and St Nicolas, Icklesham.  The rector is also priest in charge of St Nicholas, Pett Level and St Mary and St Peter, Pett.
The Revd Jonathan Meyer  revdjonathan@btinternet.com
01797 226254
Church Website

St Thomas’ Voluntary Aided Primary School is a small rural school with about 150 children on roll aged 4+ to 11 years. The school’s small size allows a family feeling, where people can be known and treated as individuals. As a Church of England School it looks to develop the school as a cohesive Christian community. office@st-thomas-winchelsea.e-sussex.sch.uk
01797 226479   School Website

Winchelsea Residents Association (WRA)  is a group of people who live in Winchelsea and have decided to form an association to promote the interests and concerns that affect their local community. The Association, which currently has over 150 members, is able to campaign to secure the improvement of services and amenities and provide a greater voice than residents would have as individuals. It will seek to promote a better sense of community in the area and help keep residents informed of what is happening in their neighbourhood.

Winchelsea lies in the County of East Sussex, Rother District and Icklesham Civil Parish.  Rother Council Website

The Winchelsea Second Wednesday Society, as its name suggests, meets on the second Wednesday of each month, except August. We invite a very wide range of speakers to share their knowledge, passion and experience with us, followed by a lively question and answer session and a fabulous homemade afternoon tea.

Whether you are new to the area or just visiting, you are very welcome to become part of the Winchelsea community, if only for the afternoon. Second Wednesday really is a lovely opportunity to discover all sorts of wonderful things together. We meet at 2.30 in the New Hall, Rectory Lane.

2ndWeds@gmail.com