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King Edwards Parade, EASTBOURNE, BN20 7XB

This is a cross-grid shot. Nearly everything in the photo lies in the square to the east of the camera. Beyond the town is Pevensey Bay.

Nestled in a wooded enclave carved into the Downs in the shape of an amphitheatre, the Italian Gardens, at the western end of Eastbourne, create an atmosphere akin to that of a secret garden. These secluded and lawned gardens owe their location to a former chalk pit where quarrying was stopped because the excavation was polluting a spring of pure water at Holywell, which was essential for the town’s water supply. In 1905, the Council laid out the area as a garden called Holywell Retreat, but after World War I, it was redesigned in an Italianate style, with the work being done by unemployed men returning from the conflict. The addition of stonework on either side of the central stage in 1922 marked the completion of the work, and from that point onwards, the area became informally known as the Italian Gardens.

The location and natural setting of the Italian Gardens in Holywell, Eastbourne, make it the perfect place for recreational activities such as picnicking in the open air or under a pergola, sunbathing in a sheltered place, or watching open-air theatrical performances. In the immediate surroundings of the gardens, there are a number of woodland paths that make for shaded walks in the summer, while by the nearby beach, there is a dramatic change of scenery and the opportunity to explore rockpools, to walk on the promenade, and to sample the delights of Holywell Tea Chalet.

The end of the 100 or so miles of the South Downs Way at the pier, seen here from almost at the foot of the last last hill of the journey from Winchester

A quiet part of the park above Holywell Retreat.