Eastbourne
For other places called Eastbourne, see Eastbourne (disambiguation).Eastbourne is a medium-sized
town in
East Sussex, on the south
coast of
England, with a
population, according to the
2001 Census, of around 90,000. Created almost from scratch during the
19th Century, it soon became a prime seaside resort, but has since suffered from the general trend away from taking holidays within the
UK.
Geographically, Eastbourne is situated at the eastern end of the
South Downs, and boasts the famous
Beachy Head cliff, as well as extensive
beaches.
Trains leave from
London Victoria to Eastbourne with a journey time of around 1hr 30mins. Local rail services also serve
Brighton to the west and
Hastings and
Ashford, Kent to the east.
The area around Eastbourne is known to have been settled throughout history - artefacts dating to the
Stone Age have been found in the surrounding countryside, and there are both
Roman and
Anglo-Saxon sites within the modern boundaries of the town; some even speculate that it was a major Roman settlement. 'Eastbourne' was granted the right to hold a market in 1315, three years after a comparable grant at Brighton. However, it remained an area of small rural settlements until the 19th Century, with 4
villages or
hamlets occupying the site of the modern town:
Bourne (or, to distinguish it from others of the same name,
East Bourne), surrounded the "bourne" (stream) which rises in what is now Motcombe Park, and is now known as
Old Town;
Meads, where the Downs meet the coast;
South Bourne; and the fishing settlement known simply as
Sea Houses.
By the mid-19th Century most of the area had fallen into the hands of two landowners:
John Davies Gilbert (the
Davies-Gilbert family still own much of the land in Eastbourne and
East Dean) and
William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington. Encouraged by the growing appreciation of the seaside sparked by
Richard Russell's assertion of its medicinal benefits some decades earlier, these were to oversee the creation of "the empress of watering places". An early plan, for a town named "Burlington", was abandoned, but in
1849 the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway arrived, and the town's growth accelerated. Cavendish, now the 7th
Duke of Devonshire hired
Henry Currey in
1859 to lay out a plan for what was essentially an entire new town â€" a resort built "for gentlemen by gentlemen". The town grew rapidly â€" from a population of less than 4000 in
1851 to over 22000 by
1881 â€" and in
1883 was incorporated as a "municipal borough"; a purpose-built town hall was opened in
1886.
This period of growth and elegant development continued for several decades, but
World War II saw a change in fortunes: initially, children were evacuated
to Eastbourne on the assumption that they would be safe from German bombs, but soon they had to be evacuated again. Pilots wishing to off-load unused munitions before crossing the channel found such coastal towns useful targets, and many original Victorian buildings were damaged or destroyed.
After the war, development continued, including the growth of Old Town up the hillside and the housing estates of
Hampden Park (above the park itself, named after
Viscount Hampden, whose grandson sold the land to the council),
Willingdon Trees and
Langney. Throughout the
20th Century, there were controversies over the loss of historic landmarks or natural features, and over particular buildings, such as the glass-plated
TGWU headquarters on the sea-front, and the 22-storey "South Cliff Tower". In
1981, a large section of the town centre was replaced by the indoor shops of the
Arndale Centre.
In the 1990s, however, both growth and controversy accelerated rapidly as a new plan was launched to develop the area known as the "Crumbles", a shingle bank on the coast to the east of the town centre. This area, now known as the "Sovereign Harbour" and containing a
marina, shops, and several thousand houses, was formerly home to many rare plants. Together with continued growth in other parts of the town, and the taming of the central
marshland known as the "levels" into farmland and nature reserves, this has turned Eastbourne into the centre of a
conurbation, with the appearance from above of a hollow ring.
 |
Eastbourne, as seen from Beachy Head |
The town promotes itself as "The Sunshine Coast", and often claims the highest recorded hours of sunlight, producing a rivalry with the larger coastal resorts of
Bournemouth and
Weymouth. To many people, however, Eastbourne is more readily associated with the elderly, as it has historically been a popular
retirement destination, and it is often referred to in age-related jokes. The 2001 census showed that it still has a larger than average over-60 population[
1], although recent major housing developments have been aimed mainly at young families, and the provision of adequate schooling has become a key local issue.
The seafront at Eastbourne is distinctive in having no garish shop fronts opening onto it, the road being almost entirely populated by
Victorian hotels. This is because much of Eastbourne has traditionally belonged to the
Duke of Devonshire, who retains the rights to these buildings and does not allow them to be developed into shops. Along with its
pier and
bandstand, this serves to preserve the front in a somewhat timeless manner. Eastbourne has several remaining
Martello Towers and a
fort from the same era.
One feature that has always been heavily promoted is Eastbourne's floral displays, most notably the "Carpet Gardens" along the coastal road near the pier. These displays, and the town as a whole, frequently win awards â€" such as the 'Large Coastal Resort' category in the
2003 Britain in Bloom competition.
The population of eastbourne is 92,100 and growing fast, the ethnicity is 96.6% white, minoritygroups include Latino, Chinese, Thai and Korean.White minority groups include Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian, Greek (mainly from Cyprus) SpanishPortuguese, Polish and Estonian.
Although Eastbourne's population is getting younger, people still see Eastbourne's image as a pensionerstown and it still has more than average population of elderly people.
Within Eastbourne's limits are:
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Langney District: Langney Rise, Shinewater, Kingsmere, Langney Village, The Marina, Langney Point.
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Hampden Park district: Hampden Park village, Willingdon trees, Winkney farm, Ratton.
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Inner districts: Rodmill, Ocklynge, Seaside, Bridgemere.
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Town districts: Town centre, Little Chelsea, The Meads, Holywell, Old Town.
Eastbourne's greater area comprises the town of
Polegate, and the civil parishes of
Willingdon and Jevington,
Stone Cross,
Pevensey,
Westham,and Pevensey Bay village. All are part of the
Wealden District).
Often roads are named on a similar theme within districts. Thus all roads in the Marina are port-towns or have some water theme; nearby is the Admirals Area; and there is also a section devoted to birds.
Eastbourne is home among other smaller clubs to the
Eastbourne Borough F.C.. They were formally known as Langney F.C. but renamed themselves on promotion, and now play in the Conference South.
The Eastbourne Eagles are the proud motor racing club located at Arlington Stadium, just outside the town.
Eastbourne boasts plenty of under 18s football clubs which rival each other and away teamsat league games all year round.
Eastbourne is golf friendly place to live, with 3 golf clubs, a golfing park and 2 adventure golf courses.
Eastbourne Archers, several tennis clubs, hockey, rugby and lacrosse teams.
The most common place of leisure is the 4 miles of fine beaches, from the harbour in the eastto Holywell in the west. Eastbourne's Pier is located half way, just 5 mins from the town.Most of the seafront is made up of hotels, from neat petit guest houses to grand buildings.
The Downs: The famous Downs dominate Eastbourne and can be seen from most of the town. Several nature trails lead to areas such as the nearby villages of East Dean and Birling Gap, and landmarks like the Seven Sisters, Belle Tout Lighthouse and of course Beachy Head.
In addition there are two swimming pools, three large fitness centres as well as the smaller sports clubs, one of which has both 10-pin-bowling and 'LaserQuest', a yacht club, children's adventure parks, crazy golf, bowls, go-karting, watersports of all kinds and for the more adventurous kite-karting on the Downs.
Eastbourne officially has 10 parks and gardens although there are several smaller open spaces including Upperton Gardens, the famous Carpet Gardens and the Western Lawns.
The first public park in Eastbourne was Hampden Park, originally owned by Lord Willingdon and opened on 12 August 1902. Facilities include: football pitches, rugby club, indoor bowls, a large lake, lakeside cafe, childrens recreation area, tennis courts, BMX and skate facilityand woodland.
The largest and newest park is Shinewater Park, located on the west side of Langney and opened in 2002. During construction of the new A22 route nearby several bronze age items were discovered thought to date back to 600BC - 800BC. There is a large fishing lake, basketball, football and cricket pitches, a BMX and skate park and children's playground.
Gildredge Park and Manor Gardens: A large open park located between the town centre and Old Town, Gildredge Park is very popular with families and has a children's playground, cafe, tennis courts and bowls lawns. The smaller, adjoining, Manor Gardens was, until 2005, the home of the Towner Art Gallery. Manor Gardens combines both lawns and shady areas as well as a rose garden.
Princes park: Princes Park obtained it's name during a visit by the Duke of Windsor as Prince of Wales in 1931. Located at the Eastern end of the seafront it has a childrens playground with paddling pool, cafe, bowls and a large lake, noted for its swans. A nearby watersports centre also has kayakking and windsurfing training upon it. Close by are tennis and basketball courts and a football pitch. At the north of the park is Eastbourne Town F.C.
Devonshire Park, home to the pre-Wimbledon ladies tennis championships, is located just of the seafront in the towns cultural district. Although the oldest park in the town it only became a public park in 1929.
Other parks include: Helen Gardens and the Italian Gardens at the Western end of the seafront, Soveriegn Park between the main seafront and the marina and Motcombe Gardens in Old Town.
Eastbourne is home to the Women's
tennis tournament which is traditionally seen as the warm-up to
Wimbledon, and attracts many of the same players. It the oldest such championship in Europe. Confusingly, this is currently sponsored by a local insurance company based in
Bexhill-on-sea, but it is called the "Hastings Direct International Championships".
There is also an annual extreme sports festival held at the eastern end of the seafront.
A major event in the tourist calendar of Eastbourne is the annually held 4 Day, International
Air Show, 'Airbourne'. Started in
1994, based around a long relationship with the
Red Arrows display team, the event features
Battle of Britain memorial flights, and aircraft from the
RAF,
USAF and many others.
An international
birdman competition is held annually off the pier, but was cancelled in 2005 due to lack of competitors. It is believed to return in 2006's Airbourne.
Annually there is also a raft competition where competitiors, usually local businesses, circumnavigate the pier in a raft made by themselves, while being attacked by a watercannon.
Eastbourne has, over the years, been home, inspiration or backdrop to many artists, writers, musicians, film and TV productions. These include:
People:The writers
George Orwell, who is said to have taken inspiration for Animal Farm from Chalk Farm in Willingdon and
Lewis Carroll, the comedians
Eddie Izzard and
Tommy Cooper, the bands
Toploader,
Easyworld and
RoosterEastbourne's most significant artist is probably
Eric Ravilious. Many of his paintings can be found in the local Towner collection.
Films:Notes on a Scandal (2006),The Best Man (2006),
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005),Redemption Road (2001),
Pearl Harbor (2001),James Bond: Licence to Kill,Robin Hood: Price of Thieves,
TV:Little Britain,Agatha Christie's Marple,French and Saunders,Foyles War,Westbeach
In 2007 Eastbourne will gain a new cultural centre to replace the Towner Art Gallery, it is located in the cultural district next to the Congress Theatre and Devonshire Park.
Politically, Eastbourne is a
local government district.
It was made a
municipal borough in
1883, and gained
county borough status in
1911. Since 1974 and the
Local Government Act 1972 it has formed a district of
East Sussex. [
2]
It is closely fought between the
Liberal Democrats and the
Conservatives, and has frequently changed hands. Before the Council
Elections in
June 2004 it had a Liberal Democrat Council and a Conservative
Member of Parliament, but the gain of a single council seat then enabled the Conservatives to take control which they capitalised on and gained another in 2006 to widen the majority to two. There is no
Labour Party representation, and Labour candidates are usually considered to have little chance in elections, even finishing fourth behind the third placed Greens in all but one ward in 2006.
The current member of parliament is the Conservative's
Nigel Waterson.
Up and Coming Singer/Songwriter
David Ford also comes from Eastbourne.
Sam David Jolley a multi-billionaire oil tycoon was born in Eastbourne on the 12th of April 1956.
Frederick Soddy, The English radiochemist was born in Eastbourne. He also went to school at
Eastbourne College, and later won the Nobel prize in chemistry for his research in radioactive decay and particularly for his formulation of the theory of isotopes.
Actors
Prunella Scales and
Eddie Izzard both went to school in Eastbourne. The latter started his 2004 tour and filmed the
DVD of it in the town as a thank you. Child star Laura Harling and actress Susannah Corbett also studied in the town.
Karl Marx and
Frederick Engles were frequent visitors, the latter's ashes were scattered from Beachy Head as he requested.
Eastbourne Buses, founded in
1903 is the oldest
motorbus company in the world.
Eastbourne is the only place on earth where the skull moth insect can be found.
Eastbourne is home to the busiest railway crossing in Europe, located in Hampden Park ithas a peak of 1-3 trains every 3 mins.
Eastbourne houses the largest man-made marina in Europe.
Apparently in 2005, Beachy Head overtook the Golden Gate bridge as the number 1
suicide (by jumping) spot in the world.
Eastbourne is also home to the BBD
Ninjutsu Admin center. Based in "Battle Orders" and co-ordinated by Graham Barton.
Eastbourne was the most heavely bombed town in the south outside London during WW2.
Eastbourne was recently found to be the 52nd most dangerous place to live in England and Wales in the study "Urban Crime Rankings" (2006). However, as there were only 55 towns in the study, Eastbourne is also the 4th safest place to live.
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Eastbourne Borough Council official website
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Official tourist site *
2001 Census profile for Eastbourne
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Hastings Direct tennis championship official website
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East Magazine Eastbourne events, listings and youth culture
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Eastbourne Beer Eastbourne discussion forums for youths
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Willingdon International Folk Dance Group*
East Magazine*
Eastbourne Dynamos Football Club official website
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Mellon's Books Secondhand and new books in Eastbourne
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Enterprise Centre 56 shops all owned independently
* [mailto:geoff1ritabroom@aol.com Eastbourne Silver Band]
