A walk around Winchelsea

This tour will take about an hour.

From the Court Hall, cross the road to the church side of the High Street. Go round the corner into German Street and head away from the Court Hall with the church square on your left. You will come to the Winchelsea town sign, which was erected to mark the Millennium and paid for by public subscription. It was designed by local resident John Haddock and constructed from English oak by local craftsmen. The shield is that of the Cinque Ports. The model of the ship on the top was copied from the Corporation Seal.

Beyond the Millennium town sign you will see Wesley's ash tree. It was here, on 7 October 1790, that Wesley preached his last outdoor sermon:

I went over to that poor skeleton of ancient Winchelsea. I stood under a large tree and called to most of the inhabitants of the town, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent and believe the gospel." It seemed as if all that heard were, for the present, almost persuaded to be christians.

Wesley's ash tree blew down in 1927 but a new tree was grown from the seed of the original.

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