This village lying about 4 miles to the west of Rye on the B2089 has
no real centre, and runs along a ridge for about 2 miles.
The official meaning of the name Udimore in East Sussex is from the Anglo Saxon meaning
boundary of the woods. Local legend is far more interesting! It is said
that where the church was to be built was unsuitable, being marshy ground
near the river. Each night stones the church was to be constructed from
were miraculously moved uphill to the current location. One night the locals
stayed up to watch what was going on, and saw a host of angels carrying away
the building materials chanting the words 'o'er the mere!' 'o'er the mere!',
which soon became changed to Uddimere, and finally to Udimore .
After the Norman conquest, Udimore was given to the De Achyngham family,
who became well known landowners owning land through to Etchingham and
The tiny building of St Marys church lies down a lane beside farm buildings,
surrounded by orchards. The nave is Norman, dating from 1170, and the chancel
is from the 13th century.
Edward's I and III stayed at Court Lodge, and while the latter was constructing
the current Winchelsea , his queen observed a sea-fight with the Spaniards, from
the Udimore ridge.
Two Udimore families had members in a notorious smuggling gang based at the Red
Lion in Brede . In 1828 menfolk from the Whiteman and Millis families were
indicted at Horsham Assizes, and sentenced to transportation.
During the second world war, a Messerschmitt fighter was shot down over Udimore,
and Mr Field a local shopkeeper, took the German pilot prisoner, and locked him
in his shop until the Army arrived.
|Udimore in East Sussex runs along the top of the hill, and has fantastic views across
the valleys to the south, towards Winchelsea .|
Travel further towards Rye and then look south eastwards towards
Dungeness and if the weather is clear then the power station can be seen,
and even the cliffs in France if crystal clear.
|Udimore in East Sussex is a small village with only a few local services.|
The main local shopping centre is in Rye with its many shops
or Peasmarsh with its supermarket.
The nearest station is at Winchelsea with an hourly service
to Ashford and Hastings .
|Udimore is shown as the red symbol on the map.|
(click on symbol to see the village page)
||(Alfred the Great and Guns !)||3.08 miles|
||(Edward I inspects the Channel Fleet)||2.33 miles|
||Broad Oak Brede
||(On the Crossroads)||2.33 miles|
||(Sands and Holidays)||6.39 miles|
||(Home Guard surprises the Army)||5.49 miles|
||(Barn-like Church)||4.76 miles|
||(Great Fire of London contributions)||5.43 miles|
||(Changing guards at Buckingham Palace)||2.88 miles|
||(Paul McCartney's Recording Studio)||1.97 miles|
||(Sheriff of Kent and Jack Cade)||4.52 miles|
||(Prime Ministers D Day inspection)||4.25 miles|
||(Abandoned after the Great Storm)||3.56 miles|
||(Black Death moves village)||2.79 miles|
||(End of the Royal Military Canal)||3.30 miles|
||(Saltcote and fish)||4.82 miles|
||(On the Island)||3.87 miles|
||(Nature Reserve and unspoilt beaches)||4.93 miles|
||(Best gunpowder in Europe)||5.11 miles|
||(Mothers grudge hangs son)||5.43 miles|
||(Bonfire Boys under suspicion)||4.13 miles|
||(King Harold's Manor)||6.26 miles|
||(Inland Cinque Port !!)||2.88 miles|
||(Holidaymakers and Henry VIIIs Fort)||3.69 miles|