file:Rhee Wall, Callington Court Farm - geograph.org.uk - 394176.jpg, 280px, Looking south-east along the Rhee Wall, about half a mile south-east of Brenzett. The right-hand side is occupied by the main road, the A259; the width of the Rhee Wall extends as far as the barn on the left.
The Rhee Wall is a former watercourse in Romney Marsh in Kent. It is long and runs from Appledore, Kent, Appledore, on the north-western edge of Romney Marsh, south-east through
Snargate
Snargate is a village near New Romney in Kent, England.
Snargate was home to artist Harold Gilman, sometimes called the English Van Gogh. He was a British Impressionist and a member of the Camden Town Group. He grew up at Snargate Rectory, where ...
,
Brenzett
Brenzett is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe District of Kent, England. The village lies on the Romney Marsh, three miles (4.8 km) west of New Romney. The population of the civil parish includes the hamlet of Snave.
...
and
Old Romney
Old Romney is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England.
The village, as its name suggests, is the original site of the settlement, and is situated two miles (3.2 km) inland from New Romney. It lies o ...
, to
New Romney
New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...
near the coast. The Rhee Wall forms a boundary between Romney Marsh proper, to the north-east, and
Walland Marsh
Walland Marsh is a part of Romney Marsh, mostly in Kent with part in East Sussex. The name means ''wall-land'': its north-eastern border, separating it from the rest of Romney Marsh, is the Rhee Wall.Rhee Wall Rye Castle Museum, accessed 27 Oct 2014.
It consists of two parallel earth banks, from 50 to 100 metres apart, the ground between being raised above the marsh on either side.
It was built in the 13th century: a watercourse was constructed from Appledore to Old Romney, which was extended in 1258 to New Romney. The purpose was to wash away silt from the harbour at New Romney; there were sluices to control the flow at Appledore, Snargate and New Romney. However, the silt at New Romney continued to accumulate. After the
South England flood of February 1287
In February 1287 a storm hit the southern coast of England with such ferocity that whole areas of coastline were redrawn. Silting up and cliff collapses led to towns that had stood by the sea finding themselves landlocked, while others that had be ...
, the harbour at New Romney was completely blocked, and the River Rother, which had flowed into the sea here, was diverted away. The Rhee Wall has not contained water since medieval times.The Rhee Wall ''Rother Country'', by Bob Chantler, accessed 27 Oct 2014.History of Romney Marsh The Romney Marsh.net, accessed 27 Oct 2014.
It has since been used as a dry causeway above the marsh. In the present day, the B2080 road follows the route of the Rhee Wall from Appledore south-east to Brenzett; the route continues south-east to New Romney as part of the
A259 road
The A259 is a road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and is the longest Zone 2 A road in Great Britain. The main part of the road connects Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Rye and Folk ...