Alderton

This pretty village boasts a fascinating history. Local military defences include two Napoleonic Martello Towers and other pill boxes from a later period.

Mill Lane marks the site of a mill which stood there from 1796 until it was demolished in1956.

Other historic landmarks include buildings in the grounds of Alderton Hall, possibly a chapel or refectory from the 12^th century.

Within the Hall there is a priest’s hole and underground passage leading to the Church of St Andrew which is about 200 metres away.

The hole and passage may have been to shelter Roman Catholic dissidents after the Reformation at times of religious persecution – and could even have been used later by smugglers.

The church dates back to the 14^th or 15^th century and was heavily restored in Victorian times, although the tower which collapsed in 1820 has never been rebuilt.

The village is fortunate to have a shop and the doctors’ surgery. There is access to the coast via footpaths from the village.