History and Archaeology Tour
The Dovecote Garden at West Dean, near Seaford in East Sussex opened to visitors for the first time this year. A new “history & archaeology tour” has added to the other facilities at the Garden, which include 2 holiday cottages, a Christmas tree plantation and herb-growing business.
A settlement since the bronze-age, the farm at West Dean was once owned by Alfred the Great but is thought to have existed from Saxon times. At the time of the Domesday Book, the farm was the centre of a wider holding which stretched from the River Cuckmere near Seven Sisters Country Park, to Jevington in the East. It was an important base for defence of southern England, as evidenced by the visit of Edward III in the middle of the 14th century.
Based on a survey by the Archaeological Faculty of University College London, the 40 minute walking tour explains the site’s history and looks at the buildings and their uses. The ruins of West Dean House (1595) are listed grade 2, while the Dovecote from which the garden takes its name is a scheduled ancient monument, currently under restoration. Tours can be adapted to particular interests and academic levels and must be booked in advance for groups of between 10 and 25.
For further information, visit www.dovecotegarden.co.uk, e-mail walk@dovecotegarden.co.uk or telephone Julian Martyr on 01323 870323 for further details.
