Piddinghoe was lucky enough to have a resident historian for many years and the archive of the parish compiled by Valerie Mellor is now housed with Lewes District Council. Valerie’s book, ‘Portrait of Piddinghoe 1900-2000’ paints a fascinating history of the 20th century.
The parish of Piddinghoe used to stretch from the river Ouse all the way over the South Downs to the white chalk cliffs of the Channel coastline. Before they were developed as Peacehaven in the early 20th century, those remote downland pastures and fields were part of Hoddern Farm, which, along with Deans Farm and Court House Farm comprised the three main agricultural enterprises of the parish. Hoddern and Deans Farms were part of the Earl of Chichester’s estate and Court House Farm was owned by the Earl of Sheffield. All boast substantial farmhouses dating from the 17th century or earlier.
Besides farming, Piddinghoe’s economy featured the Whiting and Brick Works, until closure in 1913, and, from 1903, the clay pit which provided material to be shipped up river to Lewes for cement making. The village’s proximity to Newhaven meant that many were also employed in the docks and port rail yards. For much of the 20th century the village supported a post office and shop, a school and a pub – the Royal Oak. Although all three are now gone, there remains a strong sense of community, with a thriving parish church, a busy village hall and several recreational clubs and associations. There is a small riverside boat yard as well as a popular sailing pond formed from the claypit excavations.
Peacehaven was established as a new settlement with its own town council after the First World War, and the southern boundary of Piddinghoe parish was drawn about a quarter of a mile south of the Hoddern farmstead. That boundary also marks the edge of the South Downs National Park, in which Piddinghoe is now wholly situated.