Eridge Park

Eridge Park occupies the north of the parish of Rotherfield. Its adjoining home of the same name is the seat of the Marquess of Abergavenny.The name Eridge derives from 'Eagle ridge', or 'ridge frequented by eagles'.LocationEridge Park is directly north of Rotherfield, and largely overlaps the ecclesiastical parish of Eridge Green. Eridge Castle, the predecessor property, until 1856 had its own ecclesiastical parish.House and parkEridge was the seat of the Earls and Marquesses of Abergavenny. In 1792 Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny converted the old Eridge House into a Gothic castle, which he named Eridge Castle. The castle was replaced by a neo-Georgian mansion in the 1930s. As a 20th-century structure on an ancient site, the house is not a listed building.The undulating park and garden of Eridge Park is densely wooded to its north and south, and is highly rated for its landscape by English Heritage.The park itself has substantial dense woodland to north and south, forming a Site of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex, England. The parkland is of biological interest, consisting of ancient woodland and parkland, supporting a wide range of flora and fauna. Its particular scientific uniqueness is that is the best site in Great Britain for epiphytic lichen.