Hastings Castle Statement of Significance

Desk-based research has been undertaken to inform the production of this SoS in line with the 2014 Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) Standard and Guidance for Historic Environment Desk-Based Assessment (updated 2020). The following resources have been consulted during this research: � Relevant legislation, policy and guidance; � Relevant Guidance from Historic England and the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA); � The NHLE, the register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England - listed buildings, scheduled monuments, protected wrecks, registered parks and gardens, and battlefields; � The local Historic Environment Record (HER) data, ordered from East Sussex Council Archaeological Services; � Historic cartographic information, as available online; and � Relevant published and unpublished historical sources, as available online and in The Keep Archive Centre in Brighton, which was visited on 12th of April 2022 (references provided throughout this SoS). Key Points of Significance � The castle and church set atop the outcrop sitting above the town is intrinsic to the visual landscape of the town; � The castle is associated with the Battle of Hastings, which is internationally significant, and other nationally significant events; � The church buildings have important surviving architectural details; and � If, upon excavation, Neolithic, Mesolithic and/or Iron Age evidence of settlement is found on Site, then it becomes a rare instance where the longevity of occupation of a place, spanning millennia