Camber is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Rother district of

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

, England, south-east of

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

. The village is located behind the sand dunes that occupy the estuary of the River Rother, where the seaside settlement of

Camber Sands Camber Sands is a beach in East Sussex, England, in the village of Camber, near Rye. It is the only sand dune system in East Sussex. Located east of the estuary of the River Rother at Rye Bay, it stretches to just beyond the Kent border, w ...

is situated. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1265. The village of Camber takes its name from the Camber (la Chambre) the huge embayment of the English Channel located between Rye, old

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earli ...

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 ...

that was gradually lost to "innings" and silting-up following changes to the coastline and the changed course of the Eastern Rother since the Middle Ages.

History

Camber came into its own with the game of

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

: it was originally a collection of fishermen's dwellings. By the early 1890s, the number of visitors to Rye increased as tourism became more prevalent. One result of this was the building, in 1894, of ''Rye Golf Links'' in the area of sand dunes which occupy the shores of Rye Bay. The ''Royal William Hotel'' opened that year, and gradually the new village expanded. The Rye and Camber Tramway, a tourist railway originally opened for the members of the golf links to carry their gear, was opened in 1895; it closed to the public at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and never reopened. Camber Castle, otherwise known as Winchelsea Castle, was built by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

to guard the western entrance to "the Camber" in the 16th Century and is located halfway between Rye and Winchelsea on the other side of the river. Camber parish was formed on 1 April 1956 from the merger of the parishes of Broomhill and St Thomas the Apostle, Winchelsea.

Holiday resort

The area has two holiday parks and several

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

sites adjacent to the beach. There are also seasonal shops and entertainments.

Landmarks

Part of the

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

known as Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay is within the parish. This is a site of national biological and geological importance with various habitats such as shingle, saltmarsh, sand dunes and saline lagoons.

Events

Each year in November, the Rhythm Riot FestivalDetails for 2009 festival
/ref> in Camber.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in East Sussex Civil parishes in East Sussex Populated coastal places in East Sussex Rother District