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Seaside, EASTBOURNE, BN22 7NA

An information board about some buildings and other features in Seaside. Eastbourne is a town and seaside resort on the south coast of East Sussex, some 54 miles south of London and about 19 miles east of Brighton. Although there is evidence of settlement from the Stone Age onwards, Eastbourne remained an area of small rural settlements until the railway arrived in 1849. A resort, built "for gentlemen by gentlemen", was planned and the town's growth accelerated from a population of less than 4,000 in 1851 to nearly 35,000 by 1891. Tourism is a large and important part of the economy of the town.

Seahouses* Square links Marine Parade with the A259, Seaside. The water fountain in the centre of the square, known as The Curling Drinking Fountain, was originally erected in 1865. It was moved to the corner with Langney Road in the 1950s because it was causing an obstruction to traffic. In 2000, it was restored and relocated to its present position. The fountain is a Grade II listed structure (http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-293634-drinking-fountain-eastbourne British Listed Buildings). (details from a nearby information board) *Seahouses was one of the four hamlets which became Eastbourne from 1850 onwards (http://www.eastbournelive.org.uk/6.html “old Eastbourne” Eastbourne Live)

The plaque on Image] reads: ERECTED AD MDCCCLXV JESUS SAID WHOSOEVER DRINKETH OF THIS WATER SHALL THIRST AGAIN

This information board is located in Sea Houses Square between Marine Parade and Seaside and has been provided by the East of the Pier Heritage Trust. It has the following wording: Sea Houses First column Let's go back to the 1840s. Eastbourne has a population of around 3,000 arranged in three main settlements of the Town around the Parish Church, South Bourne (today's South Street) and here at Sea Houses. This was the time just before the arrival of the railway and the commencement of the Duke of Devonshire's grand project to build an exclusive resort to the west of the Pier. Image of Sea Houses (now Marine Road?) Second column The café here is the only shop premises on the entire seafront. Strict controls were imposed as the town developed to limit where buildings could be used for 'trade'. There is a strong tradition of Italian families running many of the town's cafés. Sea Houses is situated mainly on a large shingle bank, with low-lying marsh just behind. Standing here in the 1840s you would have seen a mixture of fishermen's cottages and a few better quality villas often used for holidays. Residents would have numbered just a few hundred. Image of the former Esplanade Café Third column Just to the west of here along the Seafront is the Riviera Hotel. It was originally called the Anchor Hotel and was built in 1836. You can see the anchor motif on the parapet. The beach opposite was used by fishing boats and by general craft carrying bulk goods such as coal and timber. The beach was then several hundred yards wider than it is today. There would also have been some net drying sheds (dees) and huts for smoking the fish. Image of the former Albion and Anchor Hotels in Marine Parade Fourth column High tides and storm surges meant the sea coming over the top of the bank on occasions. Locals kept a bucket of wet clay (pug) handy and when the sea started to come over the top they cried 'Pug up!' as a warning to seal up doorways. Even when the sea wall had been built, the area was not immune to floods. Image of Seaside in flooding. Lower section Map of Eastbourne town centre and sea front with the following numbered items indicated on it. 1) Pier Gardens 2) Marine Parade 3) Sea Houses Square 4) Marine Gardens 5) Pavilion Gardens 6) Royal Hippodrome Theatre 7) Crown & Anchor 8) Leaf Hall 9) Christ Church 10) Redoubt Fortress

This information board has been provided by the East of the Pier Heritage Trust and is located in Sea Houses Square between Marine Parade and Seaside. It has the following wording: Take a look at Seaside Left column Standing with your back to the sea, Seaside is the main road in front of you. It was managed by a toll company until 1872 when it was handed over to the Local Board. It runs along the north edge of the shingle bank and this is the reason for the steep camber. Directly opposite is a listed building originally known as the Ballroom House because the local garrison used it as assembly rooms for social events. Further east on the same side you will find a fine terrace, also listed. This houses 'Charlie's', a youth facility that has taken its name from Charles Jewell a well known philanthropist. Jewell made his fortune in the early 1900s as a beef farmer in Argentina. Following his retirement to Eastbourne he funded a number of large parties and outings for poor children from the town's east Image of Metropole Court in Royal Parade BN22 7AX Middle column end. Just prior to his death in 1922 he set up an organisation to educate young women and to help them find employment. In 1959 a youth club was funded from the proceeds of his trust. Opposite 'Charlie's' is the Leaf Hall. Built in 1864 for the improvement of the working man, it plays host to a History Corner that you are welcome to visit. It was the first public hall to be built in the town and so was used for a variety of entertainment, lectures and meetings. Times were particularly hard in the 1880s and it was a key point for the distribution of food and fuel to the poor. The drinking fountain in this Square was originally located in the middle of the road outside the Leaf Hall. It was donated by Mrs Curling in response to a serious outbreak of Scarlet Fever in 1863 when many children died. Image of the drinking fountain in Seaside opposite Leaf Hall. Right column Poor quality water was blamed. The fountain soon became a popular meeting point for the area and was known as 'Speakers' Corner'. It was in this vicinity that slipper baths were built in 1902 - the first real investment of public funds in the neighbourhood. You paid 6d (2.5p) for a bath in a cubicle and the taps were controlled remotely by an attendant. A wash and brush up for 1s (5p) was available for visitors to the town who were only staying a week and so did not have need of a bath. Another History Corner is available a few hundred yards further east at Christ Church, or if you turn west towards the town centre there is one at the Hippodrome Theatre. Image of Leaf Hall in Seaside, BN22 7NB Lower section Street map of 'Take a walk through history' with the following numbered items marked on it 1) Pier Gardens 2) Marine Parade 3) Sea Houses Square 4) Marine Gardens 5) Pavilion Gardens 6) Royal Hippodrome Theatre 7) Crown & Anchor 8) Leaf Hall 9) Christ Church 10) Redoubt Fortress

Numbers 27 and 28 Marine Parade are a pair of houses built circa 1840. Constructed of stuccoed brick under a slate roof. The first floor balconies are supported on four Doric columns. Listed, grade II, with details at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1043644 Eastbourne is a town and seaside resort on the south coast of East Sussex, some 54 miles south of London and about 19 miles east of Brighton. Although there is evidence of settlement from the Stone Age onwards, Eastbourne remained an area of small rural settlements until the railway arrived in 1849. A resort, built "for gentlemen by gentlemen", was planned and the town's growth accelerated from a population of less than 4,000 in 1851 to nearly 35,000 by 1891. Tourism is a large and important part of the economy of the town.

Grade II listed. http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101043623-drinking-fountain-eastbourne

Public house in Seaside Road Eastbourne