Shortly after the Norman invasion of 1066, Seaford came into being as a port. It subsequently silted up and by around 1500 had pretty much disappeared, so Seaford had to adapt to the changing times. So far the town, and its 22,000 inhabitants, has done pretty well.
AN ICONIC VIEW
The coastguard cottages going down the hill from Seaford Head towards Cuckmere Haven with the Seven Sisters in the background are famous all over the world. It is one of the great iconic views of the UK, visited by thousands of tourists annually
AT THE CENTRE OF THE ACTION
Seaford’s town centre is based around Broad Street, which runs directly off the A259. It’s the main shopping street in town and leads down, somewhat confusingly, to the High Street.
DEFENDING THE COAST
During the French revolutionary wars of the 19th century, a series of 103 Martello Towers were built across the British Empire and other places where the British had interests such as in the Channel Islands, Indonesia, Menorca, Canada, South Africa and Sicily. This one, on the seafront at Seaford, is number 74, and now houses the Seaford Museum.
STRICTLY FOR LOCALS
The Martello beach huts are so popular, they are only offered to Seaford residents. They are available on a three-year lease but they are currently all taken and there is such a long waiting list that it is now closed.
SEAFORD’ S OLDEST BUILDING?
Built in 1767 by Robert Stone, the Bailiff of Seaford, this is thought to be one of the oldest buildings in town. It is now known simply as Stone’s House, although the Grade II listing refers to it as Stone House.
SERVING CONGREGATIONS FOR CENTURIES
Possibly the oldest Saxon church in Sussex is St Andrew’s in Bishopstone, just west of Seaford, in the South Downs National Park. The church is believed to have been built at some point between 600 and 800 AD and there is no part that is later than the 13th century.
JENNINGS’ STOMPING GROUND
If you go down to the beach by the Martello Tower and look back inland, you can’t help but notice a huge property on a patch of high ground. This is Corsica House, so named because its owner, John Whitfield, was involved in the illegal trade in Corsican wine, allegedly. In 1884, the property was taken over by Seaford College. One of the school’s pupils was Anthony Buckeridge, famous for the Jennings series of books, almost certainly based on Buckeridge’s time as a pupil here. The building is now a residential apartment block.
A MEDIEVAL CARVING
This beautiful delicate carving depicting Jesus on the cross is at the top of one of the support pillars in St Leonard’s Church which dates back to the 12th century. The position of Jesus’ feet, on the ground, indicates to historians that this work dates from no later than 1300. It is said that after this date Jesus on the cross was always depicted with his feet off the ground.
PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPE
These cliffs, leading from the town beach towards Seaford Head, are made up chalk laid down more than 80 million years ago, during the late cretaceous period. You can see this view from Splash Point, the furthest point east on the beach..
Janet Kent
‘Seaford is perfectly positioned. We have the sea. We have the Downs. It’s a lovely town which is friendly and has everything we need in it. When I moved here in the mid-90s with my 13-year old daughter she said that Seaford was a great place to get away from. She meant that there were buses to Brighton, Eastbourne and trains, so the transport links are very good.’
Arthur and Christine Bradbury
‘Everybody is so friendly here and makes you feel very welcome. We have easy access from here for London, Gatwick, Heathrow and we have the coast and the countryside. It’s just perfect. There’s mostly free parking here which is great, but we could do with having some more electrical charging spots for cars. My family is visiting at the moment, and they have an electric vehicle. There’s a charging point at Morissons, but it’s not always working and that’s the only one in Seaford. There are due to be some near the Police Station, but they’re not up and running yet. Eastbourne has lots, Lewes has lots, Brighton has lots, but we’ve been forgotten. In a few weeks our last High Street bank, HSBC, will be closing down and that’s not good for local traders, or anyone really. On the positive side, we do have a couple of excellent theatres.’
