Pett


Pett is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is located north-east of Hastings on the edge of Pett Level, the one-time marshes stretching along the coast of Rye Bay.
The road through the village leads down to the second village in the parish: Pett Level, the coastal part of which is known as Cliff End. Here there is a beach and, as the name suggests, the Weald sandstone cliffs reach their easternmost point. Pett Level marks the end of both the Royal Military Canal and the western end of the 1940s sea defence wall. The Saxon Shore Way passes through Pett Level.
Pett parish church is dedicated to St Mary and St Peter. Pett also has a Methodist chapel, and a small Church of England church at Cliff End.

History

The manor of Pett belonged to a succession of families, including the Halle family, the Levett family, the Fletchers and the Medleys, before eventually passing to the Earls of Liverpool.

Landmarks

There is a Site of Special Scientific Interest partly within the parish. Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach runs along the coast and is of both biological and geological interest. The cliffs hold many fossils and have many habitats, including ancient woodland and shingle beaches. These include a sunken forest, a warship which is thought to have sank in 1690, a lost series of Martello towers and at Cliff End the beach has some fossils and some dinosaur footprints from the Lower Cretaceous.

In popular culture

Pett Level beach was the filming location for parts of the video of David Bowie's 1980 number one hit single "Ashes to Ashes."