Playden


Playden is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is located one mile north-west of Rye.
Within the parish there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Houghton Green Cliff. This is an exposed cliff face displaying sandstones of geological interest.
In addition, part of the Dungeness, Romney Marsh & Rye SSSI lies within Playden parish

History

Playden is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Pleidena; it is a largely rural parish, having no village centre, and the hamlet of Houghton Green is included in the parish. Playden's main occupation was fishing: the fish were salted in a one-time settlement known as Saltcote, after the fact that it had a fish salting industry based there. Saltcote Street is now all that remains of that industry.
The Norman church is dedicated to St Michael.
The field in front of the Church formerly known as Beacon Oak Field was the site of a 15th century beacon at Sawcut, sighting from Tenterden and Alomsbridge. The beacon was in the form of a tar filled barrel in an oak tree that was burnt down around 1930 but the stump remains.
Leasam House is a Georgian mansion, built on the site of the medieval manor house. The old manor house was demolished by the Town Clerk of Rye, Jeremiah Curteis, in 1790 and the current building completed c1806. It formerly served as a boarding house for boys at Rye Grammar School, closing in 1992.

People

The artist and scientific illustrator Brian Hargreaves lived in Playden up until the time of his death.

Architecture

Playden and the greater Rye area is well known for its Oast Houses. Originally used for storing and drying grain for beer. An Oast House is unique conical building with domed roof. Adorning the domed roof is a distinctive white capping that is called a 'cowl'. The cowl functions to keep the weather out and encourage air flow. The direction of the cowl moves with the wind and the creaking sound it makes is a distinctive feature of the Oast House. Many Oast Houses dot the country side throughout Playden. Many have been converted into private residences, however the offers accommodation and meals to the public.