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Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in
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 ...
, on the south coast of England, east of
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
and south of London. It is also a
local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
with
borough status Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, si ...
. Eastbourne is immediately east of
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a Chalk Group, chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, East Sussex, Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters, Sussex, Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative ar ...
, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the larger
Eastbourne Downland Estate The Eastbourne Downland Estate is an area of downland at the easternmost end of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, England. It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spots of Beachy Head and the surrounding farmland ...
. The seafront consists largely of
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
hotels, a
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
,
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
,
contemporary art gallery A contemporary art gallery is normally a commercial art gallery operated by an art dealer which specializes in displaying for sale contemporary art, usually new works of art by living artists. This approach has been called the "Castelli Method ...
and a
Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of mi ...
era fort and military museum. Although Eastbourne is a relatively new town, there is evidence of human occupation in the area from the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
. The town grew as a fashionable tourist resort largely thanks to prominent landowner William Cavendish, later to become the
Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
. Cavendish appointed architect Henry Currey to design a street plan for the town, but not before sending him to Europe to draw inspiration. The resulting mix of architecture is typically
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
and remains a key feature of Eastbourne. As a seaside resort, Eastbourne derives a large and increasing income from tourism, with revenue from traditional seaside attractions augmented by conferences, public events and cultural sightseeing. The other main industries in Eastbourne include trade and retail, healthcare, education, construction, manufacturing, professional scientific and the technical sector. Eastbourne's population is growing; between 2001 and 2011, it increased from 89,800 to 99,412. The 2011 census shows that the average age of residents has decreased as the town has attracted students, families and those commuting to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and Brighton. In the 2021 census, the population of Eastbourne was 101,689.


History


Pre-Roman

Flint mines and
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
artefacts have been found in the surrounding countryside of the
Eastbourne Downs The Eastbourne Downland Estate is an area of downland at the easternmost end of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, England. It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spots of Beachy Head and the surrounding farmland ...
. A Bronze Age site of national importance was discovered in Hydneye lake at
Shinewater Shinewater is a part of Langney electoral ward in Eastbourne, East Sussex. In 1995 during the clearing of the Hydneye lake a Bronze Age settlement was discovered. The remains of a Late Bronze Age platform were uncovered after work began diggi ...
in 1995.
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
people are believed to have settled on the Eastbourne Downland in 500BC.


Roman era

There are
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
remains buried beneath the town, such as a Roman bath and section of pavement between Eastbourne Pier and the Redoubt Fortress. There is also a Roman villa near the entrance to the Pier and the present Queens Hotel. In 1953, skeletal remains of a woman who lived around 245AD were discovered in the vicinity of
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a Chalk Group, chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, East Sussex, Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters, Sussex, Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative ar ...
on the
Eastbourne Downland Estate The Eastbourne Downland Estate is an area of downland at the easternmost end of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, England. It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spots of Beachy Head and the surrounding farmland ...
. The remains were found in 2014 to be of a 30-year-old woman who grew up in
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 ...
, but had genetic heritage from sub-Saharan Africa, giving her black skin and an African skeletal structure. Her ancestors came from below the Saharan region, at a time when the Roman Empire extended only as far as North Africa. These remains have now been DNA tested and found to originate from
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, not sub-Saharan Africa.


Anglo-Saxon era

An
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
charter, around 963 AD, describes a landing stage and stream at Burne. The original name came from the 'Burne' or stream which ran through today's Old Town area of Eastbourne. All that can be seen of the Burne, or Bourne, is the small pond in Motcombe Gardens. The bubbling source is guarded by a statue of
Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...
. Motcombe Gardens are overlooked by St. Mary's Church, a Norman church which allegedly lies on the site of a Saxon 'moot', or meeting place. This gives Motcombe its name. In 2014, local metal-detectorist Darrin Simpson found a coin minted during the reign of
Æthelberht II of East Anglia Æthelberht (Old English: ''Æðelbrihte'', ''Æþelberhte''), also called Saint Ethelbert the King ( – 20 May 794) was an 8th-century saint and a king of Kingdom of East Anglia, East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon kingdom which tod ...
(died 794), in a field near the town. It is believed that the minting of these coins may have led to Æthelberht's beheading by
Offa of Mercia Offa ( 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death in 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of ...
, as it had been struck as a sign of independence. Describing the coin, expert Christopher Webb, said, "This new discovery is an important and unexpected addition to the numismatic history of eighth century England."


Norman era

Following the
Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
, the
Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
of what is now Eastbourne, was held by
Robert, Count of Mortain Robert, Count of Mortain, first Earl of Cornwall of 2nd creation (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at t ...
, William the Conqueror's half brother. The
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
lists 28 ploughlands, a church, a watermill, fisheries and salt pans. The Book referred to the area as 'Borne'. 'East' was added to 'Borne' in the 13th century, renaming the town.


Medieval era

A charter for a weekly market was granted to Bartholomew de Badlesmere in 1315–16; this increased his status as Lord of the Manor and benefited local industry. During the Middle Ages the town was visited by King Henry I and in 1324 by
Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
. Evidence of Eastbourne's medieval past can be seen in the 12th-century Church of St Mary, and the manor house called Bourne Place. In the mid-16th century Bourne Place was home to the Burton family, who acquired much of the land on which the present town stands. This manor house is currently owned by the
Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
and was extensively remodelled in the early
Georgian era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the House of Hanover, Hanoverian kings George I of Great Britain, George I, George II of Great Britain, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Geor ...
when it was renamed
Compton Place Compton Place is a English country house, mansion house in the parish of Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. It was rebuilt from 1726 by Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, Sir Spencer Compton (later 1st Earl of Wilmington), to the design of t ...
. It is one of the two Grade I
listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
in the town. Eastbourne has Cornish connections, most notably visible in the Cornish
high cross A high cross or standing cross (, , ) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. Th ...
in the churchyard of St Mary's Church which was brought from an unspecified location in Cornwall.


Georgian era

In 1752, a dissertation by Richard Russell extolled the medicinal benefits of the seaside. His views were of considerable benefit to the south coast and, in due course, Eastbourne became known as "the Empress of Watering Places". Eastbourne's earliest claim as a seaside resort came about following a summer holiday visit by four of
King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
's children in 1780 (Princes
Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...
and Octavius and Princesses
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
and Sophia). In 1793, following a survey of coastal defences in the southeast, approval was given for the positioning of infantry and artillery to defend the bay between Beachy Head and Hastings from attack by the French. Fourteen
Martello Tower Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...
s were constructed along the western shore of
Pevensey Bay Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of th ...
, continuing as far as Tower 73, the Wish Tower at Eastbourne. Several of these towers survive: the Wish Tower is an important feature of the town's seafront and was the subject of a painting by
James Sant James Sant (1820–1916) was a British painter specialising in portraits and known particularly for images of women and children and artistic exploration of the symbolism of childhood. He was a member of the Royal Academy. George Sant and Sarah ...
RA, and part of Tower 68 forms the basement of a house on St. Antony's Hill. Between 1805 and 1807, a fortress known as the
Eastbourne Redoubt Eastbourne Redoubt is a circular coastal defence fort at Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. It was built in 1805 as part of the British anti-invasion preparations during the Napoleonic Wars. The building is now owned by t ...
was built as a barracks and storage depot, and armed with 10 cannons. A connection with India comes in the shape of the 18th-century Lushington monument, also at St Mary's, which commemorates a survivor of the
Black Hole of Calcutta The Black Hole of Calcutta was a dungeon in Fort William, West Bengal, Fort William, Calcutta, measuring , in which troops of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawabs of Bengal, Nawab of Bengal, held British Prisoner of war, prisoners of war on the night ...
atrocity which led to the British conquest of
Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
.
Richard Trevithick Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer. The son of a mining captain, and born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. He ...
, the inventor of the steam locomotive, is reported to have spent some time here. Eastbourne remained an area of small rural settlements until the 19th century. Four villages or hamlets occupied the site of the modern town: Bourne (or, to distinguish it from others of the same name, East Bourne) is now known as Old Town, and this surrounded the bourne (stream) which rises in the present Motcombe Park; Meads, where the Downs meet the coast; South Bourne (near the town hall); and the fishing settlement known simply as Sea Houses, which was situated to the east of the present pier.


Victorian era

By the mid-19th century most of the area had fallen into the hands of two landowners:
John Davies Gilbert John Davies Gilbert (5 December 1811 – 16 April 1854) was a land owner, born in Eastbourne the son of Davies Gilbert and Mary Ann Gilbert. John Davies Gilbert and his son, Carew Davies Gilbert played a major role, as landowners, in the develop ...
(the
Davies-Gilbert The Davies-Gilbert family developed the towns of Eastbourne and East Dean and Friston, East Dean in Sussex in the 19th century. They also owned the Estate of Trelissick Garden, Trelissick, Truro (Cornwall) from 1844 until it was sold in 1913. There ...
family still own much of the land in Eastbourne and East Dean) and William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington. The Gilbert family's holdings date to the late 17th and early 18th centuries when barrister Nicholas Gilbert married an Eversfield and Gildredge heiress. (The Gildredges owned much of Eastbourne by 1554. The Gilberts eventually made the Gildredge Manor House their own. Today the Gildredge name lives on in the eponymous park.) An early plan, for a town named Burlington, was abandoned, but on 14 May 1849 the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR (known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton)) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at ...
arrived to scenes of great jubilation. With the arrival of the railway, the town's growth accelerated. Cavendish, now the 7th
Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
, recruited
Henry Currey Henry Currey may refer to: *Henry Currey (architect) (1820–1900), English architect and surveyor *Henry Latham Currey (1863–1945), Member of the Cape House of Assembly and then of the House of Assembly of South Africa {{human name disambiguati ...
in 1859 to lay out a plan for what was essentially an entire new town – a resort built "for gentlemen by gentlemen". The town grew rapidly from a population of less than 4,000 in 1851 to nearly 35,000 by 1891. In 1883, it was incorporated as a
municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...
; a purpose-built town hall was opened in 1886. This period of growth and elegant development continued for several decades.


20th century

During the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Summerdown Camp, a convalescent facility, opened in 1915 near the South Downs to treat soldiers who were injured during trench warfare or seriously ill. It was the largest of this type in the UK during this war, treating 150,000; 80% were able to return to fight. The facility was dismantled in 1920. An exhibition about the history of the camp was held in Eastbourne for several months in 2015. In 1926, the Eastbourne Corporation Act enabled the creation of the
Eastbourne Downland Estate The Eastbourne Downland Estate is an area of downland at the easternmost end of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, England. It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spots of Beachy Head and the surrounding farmland ...
. A royal visit by
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...
and Queen Mary in March 1935 is commemorated by a plaque on chalet number 2 at Holywell. The
Second World War 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 ...
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 because after the
fall of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...
in June 1940 it was anticipated that the town would lie in an invasion zone. Part of
Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (), was Nazi Germany's code name for their planned invasion of the United Kingdom. It was to have taken place during the Battle of Britain, nine months after the start of the Second World ...
, the German invasion plan, envisaged landings at Eastbourne. Many people sought safety away from the coast and shut up their houses. Restrictions on visitors forced the closure of most hotels, and private boarding schools moved away. Many of these empty buildings were later taken over by the services. The
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
set up an underwater weapons school, and the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
operated radar stations at Beachy Head and on the marshes near
Pevensey Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The ...
. Thousands of
Canadian soldiers The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defence Act'', t ...
were billeted in and around Eastbourne from July 1941 to the run-up to
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
. Units of the very secretive and highly effective No. 3 (Jewish) Troop of the No. 10 Commando, composed of native German-speaking Austrian and German Jewish refugees, trained in Eastbourne. The town suffered badly during the war, with many Victorian and Edwardian buildings damaged or destroyed by air raids. Indeed, by the end of the conflict it was designated by the Home Office to have been 'the most raided town in the South East region'. The situation was especially bad between May 1942 and June 1943 with hit–and–run raids from fighter–bombers based in northern France. Ultimately, 187 civilian people died in the borough through enemy action. In the summer of 1956, the town came to national and worldwide attention when
John Bodkin Adams John Bodkin Adams (21 January 18994 July 1983) was a British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, 163 of his patients died while in comas, which was deemed to be worthy of investigation ...
, a
general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...
serving the town's wealthier patients, was arrested for the murder of an elderly widow. Rumours had been circulating since 1935 regarding the frequency of his being named in patients' wills (132 times between 1946 and 1956) and the gifts he was given (including two Rolls-Royces). Figures of up to 400 murders were reported in British and foreign newspapers,Hallworth, Rodney and Mark Williams, ''Where there's a will... The sensational life of Dr John Bodkin Adams'', Capstan Press, Jersey, 1983. but, after a controversial trial at the
Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...
, which gripped the nation for 17 days in March 1957, Adams was found not guilty. He was struck off for four years but resumed his practice in Eastbourne in 1961. According to
Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...
's archives, he is thought to have killed up to 163 patients in the Eastbourne area. After the war, development continued, including the growth of Old Town up the hillside (Green Street Farm Estate) and the housing estates of
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
, Willingdon Trees and
Langney Langney is a distinct part of Eastbourne, East Sussex and is on the eastern side of the popular seaside resort. The original village and priory have now been amalgamated with the main town of Eastbourne, and Langney was identified as a single sel ...
. During the latter half of the 20th century, there were controversies over the demolition of Pococks, a 15th-century manor house on what is now the Rodmill Housing Estate, and the granting of planning permission for a 19-storey block at the western end of the seafront. The latter project (South Cliff Tower) was realised in 1965 despite a storm of protest led by the newly formed Eastbourne and District Preservation Committee, which later became Eastbourne Civic Society, and was renamed the Eastbourne Society in 1999. Local conservationists also failed to prevent the construction of the glass-plated
TGWU The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland—where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU)—with 900,000 members (a ...
conference and holiday centre (the building now operating as The View Hotel), but were successful in purchasing
Polegate Windmill Ovenden's Mill or Mockett's Mill is a listed building, grade II* listed tower mill at Polegate, East Sussex, England which has been restored but is now in a poor state and the tower is not open to the public. The impressive milling museum is ope ...
, thus saving it from demolition and redevelopment. Most of the expansion took place on the northern and eastern margins of the town, gradually swallowing surrounding villages. However, the richer western part was constrained by the Downs and has remained largely unchanged. In 1981, a large section of the town centre was replaced by the indoor shops of the
Arndale Centre Arndale Centres were the first "American style" malls to be built in the United Kingdom. In total, Arndale Property Trust built 23 Arndale Centres in the United Kingdom, and three in Australia. The first opened in Jarrow, County Durham, in 196 ...
. In the 1990s, 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
Sovereign Harbour Sovereign Harbour is a residential and commercial development of the shingle beachland and marsh between Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay in the seaside town of Eastbourne, England. History The concept for the area came as a gift of the land out of ...
, containing a marina, shops and several thousand houses, along with luxury flats, was formerly home to many rare plants. There has been continued growth in other parts of the town, and the central marshland has become farmland and nature reserves.


21st century

In 2009, the new
Towner Gallery Towner Eastbourne (formerly Towner Art Gallery) is an art gallery located in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. The gallery hosts one of the most significant public art collections in the Southern England, South of England ...
was opened, abutting the listed Congress Theatre built in 1963. In 2016–19 extensive remodelling work was undertaken to the prominent Arndale Centre, which takes up most of the town centre, and was originally built by Legal & General Assurance in the 1980s. This was then renamed The Beacon. The remodelling including the addition of a brand new cinema run by Cineworld. On 22 November 2019, a fire broke out in the basement of the Claremont Hotel. The nearby Pier Hotel was also evacuated.


Local history society

Eastbourne Local History Society was founded in 1970. It is a charitable,
not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
organisation in whose objective is the pursuit and encouragement of an active interest in the study of the history of Eastbourne and its immediate environs and the dissemination of the outcome of such studies. As the major landowner, the Cavendish family has had strong connections with Eastbourne since the 18th century. The current president of the society is
William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington (born 6 June 1969), professionally also known by the name Bill Burlington, is a British aristocrat and photographer. A member of the Cavendish family, he is the only son and heir of the Peregrine Cavendish, ...
. Containing over 1,500 articles about the history of Eastbourne, the Society's indexed journal, ''The Eastbourne Local Historian'', is the major historical resource for the town and has been published quarterly since its inception in 1970. Over the years, the Society has published various books and booklets about the history of Eastbourne, twelve of which are currently in print.


Geography

The
South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills in the south-eastern coastal counties of England that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the ...
dominate Eastbourne and the
Eastbourne Downland Estate The Eastbourne Downland Estate is an area of downland at the easternmost end of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, England. It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spots of Beachy Head and the surrounding farmland ...
can be seen from most of the town. These were originally chalk deposits laid down under the sea during the
Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
, and were later lifted by the same
tectonic plate Plate tectonics (, ) is the scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago. The model builds on the concept of , an idea developed durin ...
movements that formed the European Alps, during the middle Tertiary period. The chalk can be clearly seen along the eroded coastline to the west of the town, in the area known as
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a Chalk Group, chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, East Sussex, Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters, Sussex, Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative ar ...
and the Seven Sisters, where continuous erosion keeps the cliff edge vertical and white. The chalk contains many fossils such as
ammonites Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...
and
nautilus A nautilus (; ) is any of the various species within the cephalopod family Nautilidae. This is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and the suborder Nautilina. It comprises nine living species in two genera, the type genus, ty ...
. The town area is built on geologically recent
alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
drift, the result of the silting up of a bay. This changes to
Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent. It has three parts, the sandstone "High W ...
clay around the
Langney Langney is a distinct part of Eastbourne, East Sussex and is on the eastern side of the popular seaside resort. The original village and priory have now been amalgamated with the main town of Eastbourne, and Langney was identified as a single sel ...
estate. A part of the South Downs,
Willingdon Down Willingdon Down is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Willingdon, a suburb of Eastbourne in East Sussex. Part of it is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure which is a Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled mo ...
is a designated
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 ...
. This is of archaeological interest due to a Neolithic camp and burial grounds. The area is also a nationally uncommon tract of chalk grassland rich in species. Another SSSI which partially falls within the Eastbourne district is
Seaford to Beachy Head Seaford to Beachy Head is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Seaford to Eastbourne in East Sussex. It has several Geological Conservation Review sites. Part of it is a Nature Conservation Review ...
. This site, of biological and geological interest, covers the coastline between Eastbourne and Seaford, plus the Seven Sisters country park and the Cuckmere valley. Several nature trails lead across the Downs to areas such as the nearby villages of East Dean and
Birling Gap East Dean and Friston is a civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England.The two villages in the parish are in a dry valley on the South Downs – between Eastbourne three miles (4.8 km) to the east and Sea ...
, and landmarks like the Seven Sisters, Belle Tout Lighthouse and Beachy Head.


Suburbs

Eastbourne's greater area comprises the town of
Polegate Polegate is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampt ...
, and the civil parishes and villages of
Willingdon and Jevington Willingdon and Jevington is a civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. The two villages ...
,
Stone Cross Stone crosses () in Central Europe are usually bulky Christian monuments, some high and wide, that were almost always hewn from a single block of stone, usually granite, sandstone, limestone or basalt. They are amongst the oldest open-air mon ...
,
Pevensey Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The ...
,
Westham Westham is a large village and civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is adjacent to Pevensey five miles (8 km) north-east of Eastbourne. The parish consists of three settlements: Westham ...
and
Pevensey Bay Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of th ...
village. All are part of the Wealden District. Within Eastbourne's limits are: * ''
Langney Langney is a distinct part of Eastbourne, East Sussex and is on the eastern side of the popular seaside resort. The original village and priory have now been amalgamated with the main town of Eastbourne, and Langney was identified as a single sel ...
'': Langney Rise,
Shinewater Shinewater is a part of Langney electoral ward in Eastbourne, East Sussex. In 1995 during the clearing of the Hydneye lake a Bronze Age settlement was discovered. The remains of a Late Bronze Age platform were uncovered after work began diggi ...
, Kingsmere, Langney Village * ''
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
'': Hampden Park Village, Willingdon Trees, Winkney Farm, Ratton * ''Inner areas'': Rodmill,
Ocklynge Ocklynge is an area in Eastbourne, England. Etymology The etymology is from the Old English, Anglo-Saxon language: ''lynge'' is thought to be from link or ridge, and the ''ock'' component is believed to come from Occa, a putative leader of a sma ...
, Seaside, Bridgemere, Roselands, Downside * ''Town centre'': Town centre, Little Chelsea,
Meads Meads is an area of the town of Eastbourne in the England, English county of East Sussex. It is at the westerly end of the town below the South Downs. Boundaries The local government ward of Meads is extensive, stretching from Birling Gap in ...
,
Holywell Holywell may refer to: England * Holywell, Bedfordshire * Holywell, Cambridgeshire * Holywell, Cornwall * Holywell, Dorset * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Sussex * Holywell, Gloucestershire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Ho-Hoo#Hol, location in ...
, Old Town, Upperton * ''
Sovereign Harbour Sovereign Harbour is a residential and commercial development of the shingle beachland and marsh between Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay in the seaside town of Eastbourne, England. History The concept for the area came as a gift of the land out of ...
'': North Harbour, South Harbour, Langney Point There was a community known as Norway, Eastbourne in the triangle now bounded by Wartling Road, Seaside and Lottbridge Drove. The name being a corruption of North Way, as this was the route to the north. The area is now a housing estate and the only evidence there was a Norway are a Norway Road and the local church whose sign reads "St Andrew's Church, Norway". The former fishing
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
of
Holywell Holywell may refer to: England * Holywell, Bedfordshire * Holywell, Cambridgeshire * Holywell, Cornwall * Holywell, Dorset * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Sussex * Holywell, Gloucestershire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Ho-Hoo#Hol, location in ...
(local pronunciation 'holly well') was situated by the cliff on a ledge some 400 yards to the southwest of the public garden known as the Holywell Retreat. It was approached from what is now Holywell Road via the lane between the present Helen Gardens and Bede's School, which leads to the chalk pinnacle formerly known locally as 'Gibraltar' or the 'Sugar Loaf'. The ground around the pinnacle was the site of
lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called ''quicklime'' (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is: CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 This reaction can tak ...
s also worked by the fishermen. The fishing hamlet at Holywell was taken over by the local water board in 1896 to exploit the springs in the cliffs. The water board's successors still own the site, and there is a pumping station but little evidence of the hamlet itself, as by now even most of the foundations of the cottages have gone over the cliff.


Climate

As with the rest of the
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
and South Coast, Eastbourne experiences a
maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring ...
with warm summers and mild winters. The local climate is notable for its high sunshine levels, at least relative to much of the rest of England – Eastbourne holds the UK record for the highest recorded amount of sunshine in a month, 383.9 hours in July 1911. Temperature extremes recorded at Eastbourne since 1960 range from during July 1976, down to In January 1987. Eastbourne's coastal location also means it tends to be milder than most areas, particularly during night. A whole six months of the year have never fallen below 0 °C (32 °F), and in July the temperature has never fallen below . All temperature figures relate to the period 1960 onwards. The
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
subtype for this climate is " Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/
Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
).


Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Eastbourne, at non-metropolitan district, district and non-metropolitan county, county level: Eastbourne Borough Council, based at the Eastbourne Town Hall, Town Hall on Grove Road, and East Sussex County Council, based in Lewes. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area. Eastbourne was an ancient parish. It was governed by its vestry, in the same way as most rural areas, until 1859 when the parish was made a Local board of health, local government district, governed by a local board. Eastbourne become a
municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...
in 1883, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Eastbourne", but informally known as the corporation or town council. One of the new council's first projects was to build Eastbourne Town Hall, which was designed by W. Tadman Foulkes, and built between 1884 and 1886 under supervision of
Henry Currey Henry Currey may refer to: *Henry Currey (architect) (1820–1900), English architect and surveyor *Henry Latham Currey (1863–1945), Member of the Cape House of Assembly and then of the House of Assembly of South Africa {{human name disambiguati ...
, the Duke of Devonshire's architect. In 1911 Eastbourne was elevated to be a county borough, making it independent from East Sussex County Council. Eastbourne became a non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, with East Sussex County Council once more providing county-level services to the town.


House of Commons

The Eastbourne (UK Parliament constituency), Parliament Constituency of Eastbourne has always covered a greater area than the borough's nine wards, but due to population growth in the town, it has lost territory over time. At present the constituency includes all of the borough as well as the suburb of Willingdon, East Sussex, Willingdon. Eastbourne is a marginal seat currently represented by the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats but with recent representation by the Conservative Party (UK), Conservatives.


Demography

Eastbourne is the second largest district or borough in East Sussex with an official resident population of 101,700 in the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, an increase of 2.3% over the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Previously the population of Eastbourne grew (between 2001 and 2011) from 89,667 to 99,400. The average age of residents has dropped in recent years as younger people move into the town and young family households have started to balance retirement communities. In 2014, 54% of residents were between 20 and 64, while 24% were over 65 years old, and there was an average age of 43. In 2013, the Office for National Statistics named an area in Meads as the first place in the UK to have an average resident age exceeding 70, with an average age of 71.1, compared with a national average age of 39.7. 29% of households do not have cars or vans.


Ethnic groups

Ethnically, the 2021 census showed the town was 90.8% White people, White, including 82.1% White British and 7.7% Other White, down from 94.1% in 2011 and 96.6% in 2001 census. British Asians, Asian people were 3.5% (up from 2.8% in 2011), 2.8% were mixed or multiple ethnic groups, 1.3% were Black, Black British, Caribbean or African and other ethnic groups were 1.7% of the total population. The following shows the ethnic identity of residents residing in Eastbourne according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses.


Birthplace

In 2021, Eastbourne had residents from a range of birthplaces, with 82.4% born in England (down from 85.2% in 2011 census). Other notable groups of people include Poland (1.5%), Scotland (1.3%), Portugal (1.1%), other EU countries (1.2%) that joined since 2001 to 2011. The 2001 UK Census indicated that the largest non-white ethnic group at the time was Chinese. Studies conducted by the local council in 2008 reflected growth in new residents from Eastern Europe, particularly Poland. Unemployment in Eastbourne was below the national average in 2013 figures, at 4.1% compared to 4.4% for England and Wales. The percentage of economically active people increased between 2001 and 2011. There has also been an upward trend in recent years, in the number of people with higher education qualifications.


Economy

With a population of more than 100,000 people, Eastbourne has been a fast-growing town in the past few years, relative to the rest of the UK. Development around Eastbourne's
Sovereign Harbour Sovereign Harbour is a residential and commercial development of the shingle beachland and marsh between Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay in the seaside town of Eastbourne, England. History The concept for the area came as a gift of the land out of ...
, Britain's largest composite marina, has created more than 3,000 new homes and an innovation centre for small businesses. Eastbourne is home to companies in a wide range of industries. Eastbourne's Chamber of Commerce has more than 500 members and holds many networking events to facilitate local business links. In 2008, Eastbourne was judged to have low productivity, in a national assessment by the National Audit Office. Productivity, measured by gross value added per employee, was recorded as £31,390 per year. This compared unfavourably with the South East overall, where GVA was £40,460 per employee per year. A possible explanation for this is that a high proportion of workers are in sectors which have relatively low productivity and wages. In recent years, five areas within Eastbourne have regularly featured in the most economically deprived 10% in all of England. Measured as Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs), two areas within Devonshire ward, two areas within Hampden Park, and one area within Langney, are all among the most deprived LSOAs in the country. Three quarters of LSOAs in the town (45 LSOAs or 76%) had a worse ranking for deprivation in 2010 than in 2007.


Technology and creative sectors

In 2016, UK innovation charity NESTA named Eastbourne as a "creative cluster", with 969 creative firms representing 9.1% of total businesses in the town and providing employment for 2,703 people.


Tourism sector

The seafront at Eastbourne consists almost entirely of
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
hotels. Along with its
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
and bandstand, this serves to preserve the front in a somewhat timeless manner. The
Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
retains the rights to the seafront buildings and does not allow them to be developed into shops. A stretch of of shingle beach stretches from
Sovereign Harbour Sovereign Harbour is a residential and commercial development of the shingle beachland and marsh between Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay in the seaside town of Eastbourne, England. History The concept for the area came as a gift of the land out of ...
in the east to
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a Chalk Group, chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, East Sussex, Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters, Sussex, Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative ar ...
in the west. In a 1998 survey, 56% of visitors said that the beach and seafront was one of Eastbourne's best features, although 10% listed the pebbled beach as a dislike. Other recreation facilities include two swimming pools, three fitness centres and other smaller sports clubs including scuba diving. A children's adventure park is sited at the eastern end of the seafront. There are various other establishments scattered around the town such as crazy golf, Kart racing, go–karting and Laser Quest. The pier is an obvious place to visit and is sometimes used to hold events, such as the international Birdman Rally, birdman competition held annually, although this was cancelled in 2005 due to a lack of competitors. An annual raft competition used to take place where competitors, usually local businesses, circumnavigate the pier in a raft made by themselves, while being attacked by a water-cannon. A major event in the tourist programme of Eastbourne Borough Council is Eastbourne Airbourne, a large air show, held annually in August. Reports claim a £365m revenue from visitors in 2010, with an estimated 7,160 jobs supported by tourism.


Large employers

The town is home to the UK's largest book wholesalers, Gardners Books, who are one of the town's largest employers, with a majority of staff involved in packing and shipping books from a 350,000 sq ft warehouse facility. A majority of Eastbourne's total employment is offered by small private businesses, though Eastbourne District General Hospital is a significant public sector employer. In 2010, it was assessed that Eastbourne had a public sector employment rate of 25.4% of overall jobs. This was noted as below average, compared with the UK as a whole.


Electricity supply

Eastbourne Electric Light Co. started up on 4 September 1882 illuminating The Parades with 22 Brush Traction, Brush arc lamps. Several large shops were lit with incandescent lamps powered from generators located at the Bedfordwell waterworks. An alternating current system was introduced in 1883, from a generating plant at The Old Brewery in Junction Road. By 1888 there were 1,700 lamps on the system; a new generating plant was added in 1899 including 30 Watt, kW, 75 kW, 100 kW, 50 kW, 150 kW and 200 kW generators. There were five circuits distributing electricity around the town through rubber insulated cables. After a few years the rubber deteriorated and faults were frequent. The Eastbourne Corporation purchased the undertaking on 1 January 1900 and the original Electricity Works was closed down in July 1902. Eastbourne County Borough Corporation began construction of Eastbourne power station in the first decade of the twentieth century. It supplied electricity, firstly for street lighting then other uses. The station had a single brick chimney and three wooden cooling towers. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership of the station passed to the British Electricity Authority and then to the Central Electricity Generating Board. In 1954 the station generated 2,652 MWh of electricity and burned 3,500 tons of coal. In 1966 the power station had a generating capacity of 9.0 MW and delivered 3,165 MWh of electricity. The CEGB later closed the station and it was subsequently demolished.


Culture


Towner Art Gallery

The Towner Art Gallery is Eastbourne's principal arts gallery and arts education hub. After being located for many years in Eastbourne Manor House, within Gildredge Park, it relocated next to the Congress Theatre in 2009. The gallery holds one of the most important collections of public art in southern England. The venue hosted the 2023 Turner Prize.


Theatres

Eastbourne has three council-owned theatres: the Grade II* Listed building, listed Congress Theatre, the Grade II listed Devonshire Park Theatre and the Grade II listed Winter Garden. The Grade II listed Royal Hippodrome Theatre used to be council-owned, but is now run by an independent charitable trust. The Devonshire Park Theatre is a fine example of a Victorian theatre with ornate interior decorations, and plays host to touring dramas and comedies and an annual local pantomime. The Royal Hippodrome has the longest running summer show in Britain. The London Philharmonic Orchestra makes regular appearances and has an annual season at the Congress Theatre. Other theatre venues in the town include the volunteer-run Underground Theatre, in the basement of the town's Central Library, and the Lamb Theatre, based at the Lamb Inn in Old Town, which was launched in August 2009 but reinstated an older tradition at the pub.


Cinemas

Eastbourne had two cinemas: the Curzon Cinema and Cineworld. The Curzon Cinema was a small, family-run, independent cinema in Langney Road, in the town centre, which closed in January 2020. Cineworld is a large Multiplex cinema with eight screens, in the Beacon shopping centre. In 2013, the owners of the Curzon Cinema declared themselves "shocked" at the threats to their venue from a newly announced eight-screen multiplex, to be built in a renovated Arndale Centre nearby (the centre has been renamed as The Beacon).


Festivals and fairs

Cultural events are held in Eastbourne every year, including Eastbourne Airbourne (air show), Airbourne, Eastbourne's International Airshow, one of the most popular airshows in the United Kingdom. The Eastbourne Music & Arts Festival, a competitive festival held annually at the Winter Gardens was originally founded in 1961 and since 2021 has changed its name into Eastbourne Performing Arts Festival. Other more recent festivals and fairs include: * Eastbourne Feastival, a family, food, music and culture festival which has been held annually since 2016.
Crossing The Screen International Film Festival
the longest running film festival of Eastbourne, founded in 2016.
Eastbourne Steampunk Festival
Organised by Eastbourne's Bonfire Society since 2016 and celebrating retro-futuristic technology and aesthetics.
Eastbourne Vintage Festival
created in 2021 and held in Gildredge Park, one of the town's most beautiful parks.
Springwater Festival
created in 2021 and hosting a range of events to celebrate all aspects of water along Eastbourne seafront.


Music venues

Eastbourne Bandstand lies on the seafront, between the Wish Tower and the pier. It stages 1812 Firework Concerts, Rock and roll, Rock N Roll nights, Big Band concerts, Promenade concerts and tribute bands. There was once a second similar bandstand (also built in 1935) in the 'music gardens' near the Redoubt Fortress. The bandstand was removed to make way for the Pavilion Tearooms but the colonnades built around it are still there (behind the tea rooms). Before 1935 each of these sites had a smaller "birdcage" bandstand; the one in the music gardens having been moved from a rather precarious position opposite the Albion Hotel. The kiosk in the music gardens was originally one of the toll kiosks at the entrance to the pier. Grove Road is the location of two independent record shops and a venue called Printer's Playhouse (which hosts performances of live music and new plays).


Media

The local radio station Seahaven FM on 95.6 FM and online is now the most local radio station to cover Eastbourne. Former local radio station 107.5 Sovereign Radio, Sovereign FM became More Radio Eastbourne in 2016, broadcasting to Eastbourne from studios in Burgess Hill. Storm FM UK is an Eastbourne-based internet only radio station serving the coastal area and with a global outlook broadcasting to over eighty countries Regional radio stations, Heart South, (previously Southern FM) has, since mid 2019, been networked from London and no longer has a Sussex base, which was previously in Portslade and BBC Radio Sussex which broadcasts from
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
. BBC ''South East Today'' and ''ITV News Meridian'' are the two regional news channels. Eastbourne has a local weekly tabloid newspaper, which is published every Friday, called The Eastbourne Herald (know locally as The Herald). Eastbourne is also served by Eastbourne Scoop, a weekly online-only media publication. A monthly free newspape
Eastbourne News
began publishing in June 2024, with a distribution of 15,000 copies from local supermarkets and other outlets.


Depictions in popular culture

The seafront and the iconic cliff at Beachy Head has been used for many scenes in feature films, and the local council set up a film liaison unit to encourage and facilitate the shooting of film sequences in and around the town. The 2006 Academy Award-nominated film ''Notes on a Scandal (film), Notes on a Scandal'' includes scenes filmed at Beachy Head, Cavendish Hotel and 117 Royal Parade. Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters were used as backdrops for scenes from the Quidditch World Cup in ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire''. Scenes from ''Half a Sixpence (film), Half a Sixpence'' (1967) were filmed on the pier and near to the bandstand. The seafront area was also used for the film ''Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (movie), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'' directed by Gurinder Chadha. The Langham Hotel was a filming location for ''Made in Dagenham'', which also featured the seafront and pier. A sequence of a rainy day at the seaside for the Doel family has as its backdrop the Wish Tower, the bandstand, the Cavendish Hotel and the pier in the 1987 British/American drama film ''84 Charing Cross Road (film), 84 Charing Cross Road'' directed by David Jones (director), David Jones. The ending to ''Quadrophenia (film), Quadrophenia'' was also filmed on Beachy Head. Television too has used Eastbourne as a backdrop. The series ''Little Britain (sketch show), Little Britain'' had the character Emily Howard (Little Britain), Emily Howard strolling along the promenade. Other brief appearances were made in the television series ''Agatha Christie's Marple'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ''French and Saunders'' and ''Foyle's War''. A sequence of sketches that appear in each episode of ''Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer'', was shot in the old Jo Pip's / Cunninghams theatre venue on Seaside Road, which has since been developed into flats. The 1993 BBC drama series ''Westbeach'' was filmed on location in Eastbourne and surrounding areas. In 2021 Netflix series The Crown (TV series), ''The Crown'' filmed an episode in the town and surrounding areas. Eastbourne features in the ghost story ''Owen Wingrave'' by American novelist Henry James. The elderly female residents of Eastbourne were the inspiration for the song "Eastbourne Ladies" by English singer Kevin Coyne, which appeared on his 1973 album ''Marjory Razorblade''.


Parks and gardens

Eastbourne has numerous parks and gardens, although there are several smaller open spaces including Upperton Gardens, the 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 (formerly a Decoy pond), lakeside cafe, children's recreation area, tennis courts, BMX and skate facility, disc golf course (target) and woodland. The largest and newest park is Shinewater Park, located on the west side of Langney and opened in 2002. There is a large fishing lake, basketball, football pitches, a BMX and skate park and children's playground. Gildredge Park is a large open park located between the town centre and Old Town; it is popular with families and has a children's playground, cafe, tennis courts, disc golf course (target) and bowls lawns. The smaller, adjoining, Manor Gardens combines both lawns and shady areas as well as a rose garden. Until 2005, Manor Gardens was the home of the
Towner Gallery Towner Eastbourne (formerly Towner Art Gallery) is an art gallery located in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. The gallery hosts one of the most significant public art collections in the Southern England, South of England ...
. This gallery incorporated a permanent exhibition of local art and historical items, plus temporary art exhibitions of regional and national significance. It was relocated to a new, £8.6 million purpose-built facility adjacent to the Congress Theatre, Devonshire Park which opened on 4 April 2009. Princes Park obtained its 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 children's playground with paddling pool, cafe, bowls and a large lake, noted for its swans. The lake is used by a nearby water-sports centre, which offers kayak and windsurfing training. Princes Park lake is also home to Eastbourne Model Powerboat Club and Eastbourne Model Yacht Club. Close by are tennis and basketball courts and a football pitch. At the north of the park is the Oval, home of Eastbourne United Association F.C., Eastbourne United F.C. On 21 July 2018, the park hosted the town's second LGBTQ+ Pride event which was attended by over 4,000 people. Devonshire Park, home to the pre-Wimbledon ladies tennis championships, is located just off the seafront in the town's cultural district. Other parks include: Helen Gardens and the Italian Gardens at the western end of the seafront, Sovereign Park between the main seafront and the marina and Motcombe Gardens in Old Town. Eastbourne's floral displays have been promoted, including the Carpet Gardens along the coastal road near the pier. The displays, and the town, have won the award the 'Coastal Resort B' category in the 2003 Britain in Bloom competition.


Sport and leisure

Eastbourne's Devonshire Park is the venue for the Eastbourne International, a tennis tournament held in the town since 1974 and serving as a warm-up to the Wimbledon Championships. Previously a women only tournament, in 2009 the Lawn Tennis Association merged it with the men only event the ATP Nottingham, Nottingham Open. Eastbourne has three senior football clubs: Eastbourne Borough F.C. play in the National League South. Eastbourne Town F.C. play in the Isthmian League South East Division having played in the Southern Combination Football League until promotion in 2024, and Eastbourne United Association F.C. play in the Southern Combination Football League, Southern Combination League Premier. Until 2021, Langney Wanderers F.C. were also in the Southern Combination Football League, Southern Combination League having won promotion to Division One in 2018 from playing in the local leagues. Eastbourne is home to No 10 Detachment, A Company of the Sussex Army Cadet Force, a volunteer youth organisation, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, which accepts cadets aged between 12 and 18 years of age. Who meet several times a week in the Army Reserve Centre near the seafront. Eastbourne Eagles are a Motorcycle speedway, speedway club located at Arlington Stadium, just outside the town. Between 1997 and 2014, they competed in the Elite League (speedway), Elite League, the highest level of speedway in the UK. They were champions in 2000. They now compete in the National League (speedway), National League. Arlington stadium also sees stock-car racing on Wednesday evenings in the summer months. In 1963, Eastbourne was the location of the 1963 World Netball Championships, first Netball World Cup. Eastbourne hosted a triathlon in 2016 and 2017, which attracted professional triathletes such as Ben Allen, Jacqui Slack, Lawrence Fanous and 2012 Biathle world champion Richard Stannard (triathlete), Richard Stannard in addition to the hundreds of amateurs taking part. The event takes in the town's major landmarks, including the promenade and local South Downs National Park. Other local sports clubs include cricket, Field Hockey, hockey, Rugby football, rugby, lacrosse and golf. Among Eastbourne's golf courses are the Royal Eastbourne, Eastbourne Downs, Willingdon and the Eastbourne Golfing Park. There is an annual extreme sports festival held at the eastern end of the seafront. Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club, on the seafront towards the eastern end, organises dinghy sailing for its members and visitors from Easter to Boxing Day and usually holds a National Championship Series for a popular UK class in the summer months.


Landmarks


Beachy Head and the Downs

The Eastbourne Downland provides a spectacular backdrop to the town. The 4,000 acres of farmland and downland are owned by the town of Eastbourne, following the 1926 Eastbourne Corporation Act, which aimed to protect their unspoilt beauty "in perpetuity". The Eastbourne Downs include
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a Chalk Group, chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, East Sussex, Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters, Sussex, Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative ar ...
cliff, to the west of the town, a famous beauty spot and an infamous suicide spot. Statistics are not officially published to reduce suicidal mimicry, but unofficial statistics show it to be the third most common suicide spot. The lighthouse at the foot of the cliff came into operation in October 1902. Although originally staffed by two keepers, it has been remotely monitored by Trinity House via a landline since June 1983. Prior to its construction, shipping had been warned by the Belle Tout Lighthouse on the cliff top some to the west. Belle Tout Lighthouse was operational from 1834 to 1902, and closed because its light was not visible in mist and low cloud. It became a private residence, but was severely damaged in the Second World War by Canadian artillery. In 1956, it was rebuilt as a house and remains a dwelling to this day. In March 1999, the structure was moved back from the cliff edge to save it from plunging into the sea. The structure may need to be moved again to safeguard it from cliff erosion.


Eastbourne Pier

Eastbourne Pier was built between 1866 and 1872 at the junction of Grand and Marine Parades. The pier interrupts what would otherwise have been a ribbon development of buildings – to the west, high-class hotels, with modest family hotels and boarding houses to the east. The Eastbourne Pier Company was registered in April 1865 with a capital of £15,000 and on 18 April 1866 work began. It was opened by Lord Edward Cavendish on 13 June 1870, although it was not actually completed until two years later. On New Year's Day 1877 the landward half was swept away in a storm. It was rebuilt at a higher level, creating a drop towards the end of the pier. The pier is effectively built on stilts that rest in cups on the sea-bed allowing the whole structure to move during rough weather. It is roughly 300 metres (1000 ft) long. A domed 400-seater pavilion was constructed at a cost of £250 at the seaward end in 1888. A 1,000-seater theatre, bar, camera obscura and office suite replaced this in 1899/1901. At the same time, two saloons were built midway along the pier. Access to the camera obscura was destroyed by an arson attack in 1970, but was restored in 2003 with a new stairway built.


Eastbourne Pier fire

On 30 July 2014, a fire broke out in the middle building of the pier. BBC News reported that 80 firefighters attended the scene. One third of the pier was badly damaged. On 19 August 2014, a worker from Cumbria died after falling through the decking of the damaged pier. Central government paid Eastbourne Borough Council £2m in one-off funding, to compensate for lost income to the town from the temporary loss of the attraction. The Council spent this on a variety of projects and events in the hope of boosting the local economy.


Eastbourne Redoubt

Eastbourne Redoubt on Royal Parade is one of three examples of a type of fortress built to withstand potential invasion from Napoleon's forces in the early 19th century. It houses collections from the Royal Sussex Regiment, the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars and the Sussex Combined Services Collection; including four Victoria Crosses and General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's Steyr Automobile 1500A Afrika Korps Staff Car.


Education

Eastbourne's reputation for health, enhanced by bracing air and sea breezes contributed to the establishment of many independent schools in the 19th century and in 1871, the year which saw the arrival of Queenwood Ladies College, the town was just beginning a period of growth and prosperity. By 1896, Gowland's Eastbourne Directory listed 76 private schools for boys and girls. However, economic difficulties during the inter-war years saw a gradual decline in the number of independent schools. In 1930, the headmistress of Clovelly-Kepplestone, a well-established boarding school for girls, referred to "heavy financial losses experienced by schools in the past few years". In 1930, this school was forced to merge its junior and senior departments; in 1931, one of its buildings was sold off, and in 1934 the school closed altogether. Finally, indicative of the changes that would later befall many of the larger buildings in the town, the school was demolished to make way for a block of flats, which was completed in 1939. The Eastbourne (Blue Book) Directory for 1938 lists 39 independent schools in the town. With the fall of France in June 1940, and the risk of invasion, most left – the majority never to return. By 2020, the number had reduced to just three: St Andrew's Prep, St. Andrew's Prep, Eastbourne College and Bede's School. Eastbourne has 6 state secondary schools, 17 state primary schools, 1 primary special school and 2 secondary special schools. Parts of the University of Brighton were based in the Meads area of the town. There are several language colleges and schools, with students coming mainly from Europe. East Sussex College is a large further education college with a campus in Eastbourne. This state-funded college provides a range of GCSE, GCE A Level, BTEC and vocational programmes for students aged 16–19 years of age, plus a full range of adult FE programmes. It originated from a 2001 merger between Lewes Tertiary College and Eastbourne College of Arts and Technology (ECAT) to form Sussex Downs College, which then took over Park College (the old Eastbourne Sixth Form college) in 2003. In 2018, a further merger with Sussex Coast College in Hastings formed the current East Sussex College.


Health and emergency services

The town is served by Eastbourne District General Hospital, part of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. As of 2014, the maternity unit of the hospital has been permanently transferred to the Conquest Hospital, Hastings after years of campaigning to save the unit. An earlier hospital, St Mary's, opened on Vicarage Road in 1877 as the infirmary to the local workhouse; it was demolished in 1990. Eastbourne Fire Station is in Whitley Road, and the town's police station is in Grove Road. Eastbourne has an Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RNLI Eastbourne Lifeboat Station, lifeboat station. A new boat named ''Diamond Jubilee'' was launched in 2012 by the Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Earl and Countess of Wessex. Eastbourne Blind Society was founded in 1923, with a centre opened on Longstone Road in 1963. In 2018 the society had almost 800 members.


Religious life

As well as the medieval parish church of St Mary in Old Town, another church building in Eastbourne is the redbrick St Saviour's Church, Eastbourne, St Saviour's and St Peter's. Originally consecrated under the former name in 1872, it was designed by George Edmund Street but merged with St Peter's in 1971 when the latter was made redundant and demolished. The Our Lady of Ransom Church, Eastbourne, Catholic Church of Our Lady of Ransom is a generously proportioned building with a tall Gothic interior. One of the windows commemorates the exiled Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, Prince Lev Sapieha, who lived in the town, and there is much other artwork in the building. The recently formed Personal Ordinariate of Anglicans reconciled to the Catholic Church meets at St Agnes, another Victorian Gothic building. The tall flint tower of St Michael's at Ocklynge is one of Eastbourne's landmarks. The church was consecrated in 1902 and built on the site of the mission hall where the nonsense writer Lewis Carroll (the clergyman CL Dodgson) is known to have preached during his holidays in the town. All Souls, in Italian style, is a finely proportioned building with an Evangelical church tradition. Holy Trinity also has a strong history of Evangelism, particularly during the early 20th century when Canon Stephen Warner was the vicar for 28 years. There is a Greek Orthodox Church converted from a 19th-century Calvinistic chapel. The Strict Baptist Chapel in Grove Road is an interesting building, despite its rather grim street frontage. The United Reformed Church in Upperton Road has tall rogue Gothic windows set in red brick walls. Several other denominations have similarly interesting church buildings, including some of 20th century design, such as the Baptist Church in Eldon Road. The copyrights of many well-known hymns and contemporary worship songs used in churches around the world were handled by Kingway's Thankyou Music of Eastbourne, also known as Integrity Music. They moved to Brighton in 2019. There is a tradition of Judaism in Eastbourne, and a Jewish rest home. The Islamic community uses a small mosque that was formerly the Seeboard social club.


Transport

Eastbourne is connected by road to London by the A22 road, A22, and to Brighton and Hove and Hastings by the nearby A27 road, A27. It is the largest town in Britain with no direct dual-carriageway link to the national motorway network (followed by Southport and Bath). The car is the most used form of transport in the town, with only 6% of journeys taken by bus; the local council transport plan aims to reduce the amount of car usage. Bus services within Eastbourne have been provided by Stagecoach Group under the name Stagecoach in Eastbourne since November 2008, when the company acquired Eastbourne Buses, a service municipal bus company, run by the local council, and subsequently the independent company Cavendish Motor Services. Eastbourne Buses had been formed in 1903 by the County Borough of Eastbourne, who were the first local authority in the world authorised to run motor buses. As well as local journeys within the town, Stagecoach also runs routes to
Polegate Polegate is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampt ...
, Hailsham, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield and East Grinstead at various frequencies, while the two routes to Hastings via Bexhill-on-Sea, Bexhill are run by Stagecoach South East from Hastings. The other main operator into Eastbourne is Brighton & Hove (bus company), Brighton & Hove, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, which runs frequent services to and from
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
on two routes: Route 12/12A/12X via Seaford, East Sussex, Seaford and Newhaven, East Sussex, Newhaven, and Brighton & Hove Bus Regency Route, Route 28 via Hailsham and Lewes. Limited numbers of additional buses are run by the Cuckmere Buses, and a regular National Express Coaches, National Express coach service operates daily from London's Victoria Coach Station. The main Eastbourne railway station, railway station is situated in the town centre and is served by Southern (train operating company), Southern. The present station (the town's third), designed by F. D. Bannister, dates from 1886. It was originally on what was termed the ''Eastbourne Branch'' from Polegate railway station, Polegate. There was a rarely used triangular junction between Polegate and the now-closed ''Stone Cross'' which allowed trains to bypass the Branch; the track has now been lifted. Also on the erstwhile Branch is Hampden Park railway station to the north of the town. Regular services along the coast have invariably served Eastbourne. All trains, because of the layout, have to pass through Hampden Park once in each direction. This has the effect of making the Hampden Park level crossing very busy. Indeed, it is thought to be the busiest in the country. Regular services are to London Victoria station, London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, Hastings and Ashford International railway station, Ashford International and a commuter service to Brighton. Trains leave from London Victoria to Eastbourne with a journey time of 1hr 36mins. A miniature tramway once ran a mile across "the Crumbles" (then undeveloped) from near Princes Park/Wartling Road towards Langney Point. It opened in 1954 but ceased operation in 1970, relocating to Seaton, Devon, Seaton in Devon after the owners had fallen out with the council; it is now the Seaton Tramway.


Notable people

Eastbourne can claim some notable visitors, residents and scholars:


Writers

Lewis Carroll holidayed in Eastbourne 19 times, taking lodgings in Lushington Road, where a blue plaque now marks the location of his first visit in 1877. The novelist and children's writer Annie Keary died in the town in 1879. Poet Francis William Bourdillon lived in the town. Aleister Crowley, novelist, poet, occultist and mysticism, mystic attended Eastbourne College and later edited a chess column for the ''Eastbourne Gazette''. Novelist Angela Carter was born in Eastbourne in 1940 before moving to South Yorkshire as a child. Charles Webb (author), Charles Webb, writer of ''The Graduate'', moved to Eastbourne with his wife in 2006 and died there in 2020. Former students at the closed St Cyprian's School include George Orwell, Alaric Jacob, E. H. W. Meyerstein and Alan Hyman (writer), Alan Hyman. The biographer and historian Philip Ziegler was also a pupil, as was the music historian Dyneley Hussey and politician, historian and diarist Alan Clark.


Philosophers

Karl Marx and Frederick Engels often stayed in the area. Engels' ashes were scattered in the sea off Beachy Head at his request. The philosopher A. J. Ayer was a pupil at Ascham St Vincent's School in Carlisle Road.


Musicians

Claude Debussy finished composing ''La mer (Debussy), La mer'' at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne, Grand Hotel in 1905. He described Eastbourne to his publisher as "a charming peaceful spot: the sea unfurls itself with an utterly British correctness."Simeone, N. 'Debussy and expression', in Trezise, S. (ed.) (2003). ''The Cambridge Companion to Debussy''. p.108. Cambridge University Press, UK. The pianist Russ Conway was a resident for many years. Dec Cluskey from the 1960s band The Bachelors is resident in Eastbourne. Several bands have formed in Eastbourne, including: Toploader, Easyworld, the Divided, Roam (band), ROAM and Mobiles (band), Mobiles. Spider Stacy, member of The Pogues, was born in Eastbourne in 1958. David Bowie performed in Eastbourne several times. He included a mention of Eastbourne in his 1967 single, "The Laughing Gnome".


Scientists

"Darwin's Bulldog" Thomas Henry Huxley spent the last few years of his life in Eastbourne. Frederick Gowland Hopkins, biochemist and Nobel prizewinner, was born in Eastbourne. Frederick Soddy, radiochemist and economist, was born in Eastbourne and studied at Eastbourne College. Michael Fish, who forecast the weather for BBC Television from 1974 to 2004, was born in Eastbourne and studied at Eastbourne College. NASA aerospace engineer Bruce Woodgate, who attended Eastbourne Grammar School, was the principal investigator and designer of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, which was installed on the Hubble Space Telescope in 1997.


Explorers

Polar explorer Lawrence Oates attended South Lynn School in Mill Gap Road. George Mallory, the noted mountaineer, attended Glengorse Preparatory School in Chesterfield Road between 1896 and 1900. Count László Almásy, the basis of the lead character of ''The English Patient'', was educated by a private tutor at Berrow, and was a member of the pioneering Eastbourne Flying Club. In 1993, following a suggestion to Eastbourne Borough Council by Eastbourne Civic Society (now Eastbourne Society), a joint project was set up to erect blue plaques on buildings associated with famous people. The principles for selection are broadly those already established by English Heritage for such plaques in London. The first was erected in November 1994 in Milnthorpe Road at the former home of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer.


Visual artists

The artist Eric Ravilious grew up, was educated and taught in Eastbourne. Artists Cedric Morris and David Kindersley attended St Cyprian's School.


Dramatic artists and comedians

Comedian Ronald Frankau died at Eastbourne in 1951. Vernon Dobtcheff, Prunella Scales, Eddie Izzard, Hugh Skinner and Ed Speleers attended school in Eastbourne. Annie Castledine spent the end years of her life living in and working from the town.


Politicians

Former students at St Cyprian's include the politicians Richard Wood, Baron Holderness, Richard Wood, who had lost both legs in war, and David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech, David Ormsby-Gore, later ambassador to the USA. Theresa May, a former prime minister of the United Kingdom, was born in the town. Ed Balls, former MP Morley and Outwood (UK Parliament constituency), Morley and Outwood and BBC ''Strictly Come Dancing (series 14), Strictly Come Dancing'' contestant, married Yvette Cooper, MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency), Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford in Eastbourne in January 1998.


Others

Three Victoria Cross recipients of the British Army have died at Eastbourne: Captain Henry Mitchell Jones (Crimean War) in 1916, Brigadier-General Edmond Costello (Siege of Malakand, Malakand Frontier War) in 1949 and Colonel James Lennox Dawson (World War I) in 1967. In addition, two alumni of Eastbourne College have received the VC:Webster F.A.M., (1937), ''Our Great Public Schools'', (Butler & Tanner: London) Captain Henry Singleton Pennell (Tirah Campaign, India) and
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
Group Captain Lionel Rees (World War I). The leading evangelist Canon Stephen Warner was the vicar of Holy Trinity between 1919 and 1947.
John Bodkin Adams John Bodkin Adams (21 January 18994 July 1983) was a British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, 163 of his patients died while in comas, which was deemed to be worthy of investigation ...
, the
general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...
, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer, who lived and died at Eastbourne. Douglas Bader, who became a successful Second World War fighter pilot despite having lost both legs in a flying accident, attended Temple Grove Preparatory School in Compton Place Road. Percy Sillitoe, director of MI5, lived in the town in the 1950s. Johanna Konta, British number one tennis player and Grand Slam semi-finalist. Henry Allingham, briefly the world's oldest man when he died in 2009, aged 113, was a resident of the town when he was made a freeman in 2006. Olav Bjortomt, English international quiz player, four-time world champion (2003, 2015, 2018, 2019) and three time individual European champion (2010, 2014, 2015), was born in Eastbourne. Colin Perrin, award-winning commissioning editor of academic works in critical legal theory, lives in Eastbourne. Military figures who had been students at St Cyprian's include: Lashmer Whistler, General Sir Lashmer Whistler; Henry Robert Bowreman Foote, Major General Henry Foote VC; the submarine commander Rupert Lonsdale. Other ex-students at St Cyprian's include: the amateur jockey Anthony Bingham Mildmay, 2nd Baron Mildmay of Flete, Anthony Mildmay; Seymour de Lotbiniere, one-time Director of Outside Broadcasts at the BBC; Jagaddipendra Narayan, a reigning Maharaja of Cooch Behar while at the school.St Cyprian's Chronicle 1914–1930 (at Eastbourne Reference Library)


References

;Citations ;Works cited *


External links

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Visit Eastbourne
Official tourism site
Engels in Eastbourne – Commemorating the life, work and legacy of Friedrich Engels in Eastbourne
{{Authority control Eastbourne, Towns in East Sussex Seaside resorts in England Market towns in East Sussex Beaches of East Sussex Unparished areas in East Sussex Non-metropolitan districts of East Sussex Boroughs in England Former civil parishes in East Sussex