I honestly don’t know what I did with my time when I lived in London. I definitely didn’t spend much of it exploring the south coast. I’m beginning to regret that as I get to know this corner of England better. In the popular imagination, seaside towns in Britain fall into two categories: gentrified by an urban elite and priced accordingly; or places of decay, decline and poverty left behind as foreign holidays and government indifference became the norm.
There is truth to both stereotypes, but there is a lot more in between. A few years ago, we went to Hastings which was both of these thing combined. Except they weren’t combined they were two distinct and separate worlds. Yet, it was a wonderful place to stay. I had imagined Eastbourne to fall into the ‘left behind’ category, and I was proved to be very wrong. It’s not without its issues, but I had a really enjoyable time.
I’d arrived in the late afternoon after getting caught in a downpour on the last leg of the South Downs Way but, by the time I’d had a shower and change of clothes at Ravilious Hotel, it was early evening and the sun was back out. I had one destination in mind, the highly recommended Holiday Inn Fish Restaurant. which has been doing excellent fish and chips for more than 40 years. To recover, I took a stroll along the promenade.
It was a warm and dry Friday evening, but Eastbourne’s Victorian-era promenade wasn’t very busy. It was very attractive though. Sparkling lights were strung across the path, the classic 1870s wrought iron pier was illuminated in the distance, and waves gently washed into the pebble beach. As I approached the bandstand I could hear music, a band was knocking out ABBA covers with gusto.
I was tired after six days on the South Downs Way, so I went in search of a nightcap at a pub recommended by my hotel owners and called it a night. The next day dawned bright and sunny, and I set off to explore the town. I headed back to the beach and took a stroll along a waterfront bathed in golden light. Eastbourne is on the edge of the South Downs and I could see the chalk cliffs at Beachy Head in the distance. It was glorious.
Eastbourne was little more than a collection of villages until the 19th century craze for holidaying by the sea transformed it into one of the premier resort towns in the country. A visit to the area by members of the royal family increased its popularity and the arrival of the railway in 1849 accelerated its development into a Victorian seaside resort. Classic 19th century hotels and pastel-coloured townhouses line the promenade.
I strolled along the front and onto the pier. It was still early and everything was closed, but the views were fabulous. A bit further down the coast I turned back into the centre towards South Street and Grove Road. These two roads are filled with interesting independent shops, cafes and restaurants, and could be described as a little bohemian enclave not too far from the massive shopping centre called The Beacon.
Grove Road is home to the ‘must see to believe’ Camilla’s. On the outside it looks like any other second hand bookshop. On the inside it’s an Aladdin’s Cave rammed full of pile-upon-pile of books. It’s probably not somewhere to visit if you suffer from claustrophobia because every available space is taken up with thousands of books. The owner greeted me by the entrance where she was feeding the resident parrot.
I continued onwards into the Old Town. Before the Victorian resort was built, there was a small settlement of around a thousand people, at the centre of which was St. Mary the Virgin Church. This 12th century church stands next to The Lamb Inn, which dates to the 11th century – the current building is 14th century. I popped in for a spot of lunch. Across the street is a timber-framed house where Charles Díckens frequently stayed.
I had one more thing to do before my train to London, a visit to Towner. Named for John Chisholm Towner – who founded it with a bequest of 20 paintings in 1820 – it’s a fabulous museum of contemporary art. This includes the largest collection of works by Eric Ravilious, Eastbourne’s most celebrated artist. The Ravilious room alone is worth a visit. I left feeling uplifted, grabbed my rucksack and headed back to Brussels.
