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2024

TQ4206 : Monk's House in Rodmell

taken 7 months ago, near to Rodmell, East Sussex, England

Monk's House in Rodmell
Monk's House in Rodmell
Monk’s House is a 17th-century weatherboarded cottage inhabited by Leonard and the novelist Virginia Woolf from 1919 until Leonard's death in 1969.
Rodmell

Rodmell is one of a number of settlements that line the spring line on the sheltered western side of the Ouse valley between Lewes and Newhaven, located exactly 3 and a half miles from each. The parish lies on a rough south west-north east axis with the former covering a large area of downland to the south west that reaches its highest height at Highdole Hill whilst its north east portion occupies the flood plain of the River Ouse, known as 'brooks' in local parlance. The parish is bounded by the river to the east, Southease to the south east, Telscombe and Rottingdean to the south, and Iford to the north.

The village lies on the crossroads of the Lewes-Newhaven road and an old droving route that linked the Downs to the Brooks with the core historic area located on the long straggling village street that leads to the church to the north east of the former. For many centuries it was an estate village first owned by the Warenne family until the 15th century when it fell into the hands of the Nevills, later the Lords Bergavenny which in turn became Abergavenny. The family retained ownership until the estate was sold off in 1919. The village remained an agricultural community until well into the 20th century but eventually became a small commuter settlement for Lewes with the last farm closing in 1990, though a small vineyard still operates in dry valley on the Downs. There is one other hamlet in the parish at Northease which once possessed its own chapel but now is little more than a farm and a couple of cottages with the old manor house now converted into a private boarding school.

The main Lewes-Newhaven road is ancient and links all the spring line communities on the western side of the Ouse valley following the higher ground above the flood plain. During the 1920s it was designated the A275 which it remained until the mid 1970s when road schemes to by-pass Lewes and Newhaven town centres pushed port traffic up the newly designated A26 on the eastern side. The road was downgraded to the C7 though still remains a rat run for those wishing to join the A27 via the village of Kingston. All other roads are minor: The Street is the main village street heading north east off the C7 becoming a bridleway as it continues out onto the Brooks; Mill Lane heads south west off the same road climbing Mill Hill before becoming a dead end: White Way is the private access road for Breaky Bottom Farm and was paved during the Second World War to allow tanks access to training grounds on the Downs: Northease Wall dates to the time the Brooks were inned and is little more than a farm track. The station at Southease was originally known as Southease and Rodmell but the latter's name has long been dropped from the title.

The village still retains a few services, the school which opened as a National School in 1856 still uses the same building. The pub is named after the former lords of the manor whilst the village still retains a working forge which has been operating since the late 19th century.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Mat Fascione and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Village, Rural settlement Housing, Dwellings Roads, Road transport National Park: South Downs Person: Virginia Woolf Primary Subject: Historic Building other tags: Village Street National Trust Property Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Monks House [52] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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Grid Square
TQ4206, 274 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Mat Fascione   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Tuesday, 25 June, 2024   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 7 July, 2024
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 4207 0628 [10m precision]
WGS84: 50:50.3170N 0:0.9799E
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 4207 0628
View Direction
Northeast (about 45 degrees)
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SW S SE
Image Type (about): geograph 
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