Eridge Park
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | East Sussex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TQ576344 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 390.1 ha (964 acres) |
| Notification | 1966 |
| Natural England website | |
Eridge Park occupies the north of the parish of Rotherfield, its adjoining home of the same name is the seat of the marquess of Abergavenny. The park itself has substantial dense woodland to north and south, forming a Site of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex, England. The house is a 20th-century neo-Georgian structure on an ancient site, which is not a listed building but the parkland is of biological interest, consisting of ancient woodland and parkland, supporting a wide range of flora and fauna. Its particular scientific uniqueness is that is the best site in Great Britain[clarification needed] for epiphytic lichen.
Location
The name Eridge derives from 'Eagle ridge', or 'ridge frequented by eagles'.[1] It is directly north of Rotherfield, and largely overlaps the ecclesiastical parish of Eridge Green. Eridge Castle was the predecessor property and until 1856 had its own ecclesiastical parish — the seat (main home) of the Earl and Marquess of Abergavenny[2] but not a listed building.
On the village street is the church which is grade II listed[3] and six other listed buildings including the public house, the Neville Crest and Gun, which is their family.
In 1792 the Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny converted the old Eridge House into a Gothic castle, which he named "Eridge Castle". It was replaced by a Neo-Georgian mansion in the 1930s. The area also contains several follies, including the Saxonbury Tower and several ornamental buildings near the Sham Farm business park. The undulating park and garden of Eridge Park is densely wooded to its north (Whitehill Wood) and south (Saxonbury Hill)[4] and is highly rated (Grade II* listed) for its landscape by English Heritage.[5]
References
- ^ Glover, Judith (1975) The Place Names of Sussex, p. 53, London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. ISBN 0-7134-2853-8
- ^ Eridge Park — a short history.
- ^ Holy Trinity Church, Eridge, Grade II Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1028329)". National Heritage List for England.
- ^ Grid square map Ordnance survey website
- ^ Eridge Park (Park and Garden) Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1000265)". National Heritage List for England.
"SSSI Citation — Eridge Park" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 2008-11-02. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
External links
- http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-nap_wood_walk.pdf Nap Wood — National Trust
- Willoughby, Leonard (1907). "Deer-taking at Eridge Park". The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes. Vol. XXIV, no. CXXXIX. pp. 183–196.
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