Battlefield finally ready to reopen

THE 1066 Battle of Hastings battlefield is set to fully reopen this weekend - 18 months after it was seriously damaged by wet weather.

Visitors to Battle Abbey were restricted to where they could walk on the site and all major events cancelled after the wet weather took its toll on the field.

In 2012, the Battle of Hastings re-enactment, coupled with a torrential downpour, left the battlefield a muddy mess.

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This led to English Heritage, which owns the site, taking the decision to cancel the second day of the re-enactment for safety reasons, citing ‘unacceptably high levels of mud’.

A large part of the battlefield was closed to visitors as work to restore the historic site was carried out.

No major events were held on the battlefield last year, to allow time for the area to be re-seeded and rested following expert advice.

The restoration work is believed to have cost English Heritage several thousand pounds.

Part of the field was re-opened in June 2013.

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It had been hoped that the rest would follow earlier this year, but English Heritage decided to wait, following this winter’s persistent heavy rainfall.

Now the site has finally dried out enough to be fully reopened on Saturday March 29.

Jo Stewart, property manager at Battle Abbey, said: “I’m very excited that our visitors will be able to fully enjoy all that the 1066 Battle of Hastings Abbey and Battlefield site has to offer.”

The 1066 Battle Abbey and battlefield will switch to its summer opening times on April 1 and will open every day between 10am-6pm.

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