Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Absolutely amazing! We parked in the English Heritage car park just down the side of the Abbey, it was £4 for six hours which I thought was a very good price! The car park was well situated, with good sized space. The grounds are so vast, it’s a fairly big site and we mostly had free roam of it - you can go inside most of the buildings and explore all the ruins at your own pace which I particularly liked! As soon as we arrived we managed to catch the midday guided tour by a very knowledgable gentleman called Tim, who took us on a route around the site, telling us the story of the Battle of Hastings, along with information about the site where we stood and lots of historical stories which I found absolutely fascinating and would highly recommend to anybody. In the Gatehouse you can climb the stairs all the way to the top to get an incredible view of Battle. On each floor of the Gatehouse there are also exhibitions full of facts and trivia. Sadly the field was unavailable to us at the time due to wet weather creating boggy conditions. There was so much to see and explore and the history you’re stood on blows my mind. Fascinating site, very well maintained and tonnes of info as you’re going around, I absolutely recommend this place if you’re in the area.
Lauren HookerLauren Hooker
00
We saw the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings 15 Oct 2021 and it was a fantastic immersive experience into a great historic event. The town was gorgeous and full of amazing little shops. Finding out so much about how people fought battle in 1066 was both interesting and unique. It was extremely humbling to stand on the battle ground were 1000s lost their lives and my daughter thought I was about to cry when they recounted the story of Harold's wife looking for his body after the battle. That was especially moving, graphic in detail of that day when she lost her king, lord, husband and lover. It was a personal tragedy for her and it was awful to hear she could only find his body not his head and that William did not allow her to give him a Christian burial. The day was full of expanding our first-hand knowledge and meeting the lovely shopowners who had taken part in brilliant naked (yet tasteful) calendar. Small things like that makes rhis trip unforgettable and one of my favourite places I visited. Kids enjoyed the falconry, cavalry and weapons displays and I truly appreciated learning more about the historic event of the Battle of Hastings. Getting the English Heritage Membership was a great choice. Worth every Tesco voucher spent on it!
Eszter HorvathEszter Horvath
10
I had an incredible time at Battle Abbey, and in a 5 day stay in the area I visited twice, as my History nerd son wanted to walk the full field route. The ruins are amazing, some are very well preserved with rooms to explore, stairways to climb and stunning views from the highest parts. There is an immersive exhibition about the events of 1066, which is a must to update your knowledge if like me, you had the highlight reel at primary school, and great for the children to get some fun extra curricular learning. English Heritage has done great work to make the site as accessible as possible for all even around the ruins. I am not great with spiral steps, so didn't go in some areas, but I don't feel I missed out on the experience. The coffee shop sells the usual light lunches, cakes and some medieval inspired fayre. The coffee was good and my kids had epic milkshakes, that are a speciality. A great gift shop, coupled with friendly helpful staff helped make this a fun and memorable trip
Andy JohnsonAndy Johnson
10
A memorable and educational day out. The atmospheric abbey ruins are brought to life by an informative handheld audio guide. A well presented exhibition includes interactive displays and a short film. The ruins have been well preserved, while still granting access to most areas. The grounds also include a quaint dairy, walled garden and memorial. Climbing the spiral staircase to the top of the gatehouse tower affords excellent views over Battle and the surrounding countryside. Excellent facilities, with a large café, gift shop, play area, toilets and on-site parking (paid, but free for English Heritage members). The whole site is dog friendly, including indoor areas. The battlefield was closed at the time of my visit due to recent heavy rain - worth checking the website in advance if you want to be sure this is open. Fairly quiet on an overcast Saturday in winter, but being one of the best English Heritage properties in the area, it's a good idea to arrive early in peak season.
Andrew ThomasAndrew Thomas
10
Shady staff lied to try and get my friend to buy the membership. I'm assuming they get commission on memberships but the guy at the tills in the morning on Sunday 28th May 2023 was super shady and tried to convince my friend that a family ticket for 1 adult and 3 children would cost £57 and that she may as well get the membership. This is NOT TRUE. The one adult and three children ticket is around £30 on the day or £26 in advance. I mentioned this to him and he said that it's for children under 5. Which again is NOT TRUE. Children under 5 go completely free. Once I pointed these out very politely and then proceeded to pull up the prices on my phone he all of a sudden found the family ticket my friend asked for in the first place. Then when we asked him for information about the day and venue he couldn't get rid of us quick enough and didn't even bother to give us a map. The rest of the day was good but this chap should be placed elsewhere and not behind the tills.
Qaiser MazharQaiser Mazhar
00
A historical place of great importance for British people. In the entrance, you will find the gatehouse where the tickets, the museum shop and the exhibition is housed. So as to visit the museum exhibition, you should pass through the shop, get to the external area of the gatehouse yard and enter through a small gate where there is a sign saying "Exhibition and Rooftop Views". In there, there are some interactive things to do (especially for children) in order to get to know and understand the Abbey and the era in which the building was constructed. After leaving the gatehouse and in your way for the cafeteria, you will find a beautiful playground for children in a medieval style. Follow the circle rout in order to see the Abbey and you will end up to the shop and the exit. In the tickets house you can get a audio guide which is very helpful so as to understand more about the Battle of Hastings. The audio guide is very pleasant and kinds will enjoy it as well.
Marietta MastoropoulouMarietta Mastoropoulou
10
Nearby Attractions Of Battle Abbey
Senlac Hill

Senlac Hill
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Nearby Restaurants Of Battle Abbey
Abbey Hotel
The Bull Inn Battle
The Railway Country Pub
Battle Kebabs, Fish & Chips Cafe Restaurant
Bluebells Tearoom
Burton's Restaurant & Tearoom
Rustico Neapolitan (Battle)
Battle Deli
Bonney's Bistro
Costa Coffee - Battle

Abbey Hotel
4.4
(295)Click for details

The Bull Inn Battle
4.4
(271)Click for details

The Railway Country Pub
4.3
(244)Click for details

Battle Kebabs, Fish & Chips Cafe Restaurant
4.1
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Basic Info
Address
Butter Cross, High St, Battle TN33 0AE, United Kingdom
Map
Phone
+44 370 333 1181
Call
Website
english-heritage.org.uk
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.6
(1.9K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
outdoor
family friendly
attractions: Senlac Hill, restaurants: Abbey Hotel, The Bull Inn Battle, The Railway Country Pub, Battle Kebabs, Fish & Chips Cafe Restaurant, Bluebells Tearoom, Burton's Restaurant & Tearoom, Rustico Neapolitan (Battle), Battle Deli, Bonney's Bistro, Costa Coffee - Battle

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