AN ANCIENT village that survived the 1066 Norman Conquest is being wrecked by an invasion of lorries, locals have said.
Hundreds of HGVs plough through the picturesque village causing daily quakes that furious residents liken to “living in a washing machine”.
Pevensey Castle is over 1,700-years-old and was originally built by the Romans in AD 290.
It’s even included in The Bayeux Tapestry along with reams of embroidered linen illustrating William the Conqueror’s invasion – and is just 10 miles from the site of the Battle of Hastings.
But the historical gem is being ruined by “thundering” lorries grating and vibrating the castle wall, according to locals.
Huge lorries clatter through the Tudor streets of Pevensey Village at 30mph every day, each of them causing quakes in the stonework as they pass.
Locals are sick of the shaking and fear the traffic could even be risking pedestrians’ lives.
It’s got so bad that 500-year-old Tudor wall paintings in a local visitor centre are crumbling.
The abandoned Roman fort that once stood on the site of the castle became a stronghold for thousands of Norman troops during the invasion of 1066.
After sinking an arrow into King Harold’s eye and slaughtering thousands of English fighters the blood soaked invaders set up camp in the castle ruins.
Then in the 1070s William the Conqueror ordered a huge stone fortress to be built which still stands today.
During The Sun’s visit we watched dozens of lorries pelting round the corner of Castle Road, missing the fortress wall by centimeters.
It’s been battered so many times that a huge two metre chunk of wall has been destroyed.
Now a petition has kicked off to stop the traffic chaos.
Locals want a HGV weight restriction and the speed limit cut to 20mph.
The campaign is spearheaded by Peter Lowton, chairman of Pevensey Parish Council, who is appalled by the situation.
He told The Sun: “I think it’s shocking.
“We’re very lucky in this country to have such wonderful heritage and we should be protecting it not allowing it to disappear.
“The reality is the damage that’s been caused to the castle is obvious and there will be further damage.
“When you look at the Tudor wall paintings of The Mint House, it’s just shocking.
“They’re trying to restore the building whilst at the same time lorries are destroying it.
“Their case to get funding will rely on whether things are put in place to stop the lorries from damaging it.”
The Mint House is a Tudor inn steeped in English myths and legends of sword fights, royals, ghosts and murders.
The quakes have damaged the building so much that crumbling plastering has uncovered hidden 400-year-old wall paintings.
The half a millennium old art was crafted by travelling merchants who offered innkeepers the chance to decorate their businesses.
Restoration has already cost £600,000 and future funding relies on stopping the shakes.
During our visit we felt the wooden floor boards vibrating under foot whilst lorries almost as tall as the building trundled past.
Project manager Joe Seaman has been looking after the building since 2021 and says the condition is getting worse.
He told The Sun: “You can literally feel the building shaking as they go past, because it’s 500-years-old the surfaces vibrate and it’s not good for it at all.
“This hasn’t sprung out of nowhere, the damage has been going on for a number of years and the corner of the castle has been hit a number of times.
“Because we’re restoring the building we’re finding more and more wall paintings.”
He added: “But there’s no point us putting in £1million if it’s still going to be damaged by the road.”
The traffic isn’t just damaging the village’s Tudor relics, Joe says it’s risking pedestrian safety.
With almost 70,000 visitors to the castle each year, the road is bustling with tourists.
He continued: “It’s a constant worry that someone will come round the corner too fast, it’s an accident waiting to happen.
“We’re not saying turn the whole village into a museum, but we want people to be able to cross the road without getting run over.
“I don’t like nimbyism, but I do think when there are institutions like National Highways then maybe they should help rather than be the block.
“We’d love to work with them to find a solution, it’s not about blaming it’s about working with people.”
The street is a B road which means online sat navs send unsuspecting truckers through the village instead of on the nearby Pevensey Bypass.
Katherine, a local resident, supports the proposed speed limit cut.
She told The Sun: “It’s a complete blind spot when you try and cross next to the castle.
“It’s just lethal because you can’t see anything round the corner.”
Mark Penderton has lived in the village for 33 years and had to pay for a structural engineer after a lorry cracked his wall.
He said: “We’ve had our property damaged three times by lorries and a number of near misses.
“We hear a lot of noise and vibrations, our neighbour’s possessions vibrate on the window ledge and their car mirrors were knocked off by lorries.”
East Sussex County Council is responsible for the road and said: “We have yet to receive the petition, but the concerns raised will be considered in full once we do.”
English Heritage manage and conserve Pevensey Castle.
A spokesman told The Sun: “We are aware of concerns about large vehicles passing close to Pevensey Castle’s historic walls and the potential impact this may have.
“We take these concerns very seriously and include the external wall faces in our regular site checks.
“The road is outside English Heritage’s control, but we welcome the local authority’s invitation to discuss measures to address the issue, including road speeds and restrictions on large vehicles.
“We hope these discussions will help identify practical ways to reduce any potential risk and protect this important historic monument.”
