Robertsbridge
is a village in East Sussex, England within the civil parish of Salehurst and Robertsbridge. It is approximately ten miles (16 km) north of Hastings and thirteen miles (21 km) south-east of Tunbridge Wells. The River Rother passes through the village.
The
village is thought to date back to 1176 when a Cistercian abbey was founded there by the Abbot, Robert de St Martin. When
a market charter was granted in 1198 by Richard I to 'Robertsbridge' (Pons Roberti in Latin) it was the
first recorded use of the name. The abbey was dissolved in 1538; however, the town flourished, and many of the oldest existing
houses in the village date from the 14th and 15th centuries, including The Seven Stars Inn – this pub has existed in its current form for at least 300 years, built as a Wealden Hall House in about 1400,
in traditional Wealden timber frame, it is Grade II* Listed and can be found on the historic High Street. It is rumoured to
be haunted……. Robertsbridge is also home to the Robertsbridge Codex (1360), a music manuscript of the 14th century. It contains the earliest
surviving music written specifically for keyboard.
Robertsbridge
is well served by transport links — with the Robertsbridge station on the main railway line from Hastings to London and the A21 trunk road, although the latter has problems with transport delays. The opening
of the Robertsbridge bypass, in 1989, relieved the village of constant traffic through it.
