Seaford, East Sussex
Seaford | |
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East Sussex | |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Seaford Town Council |
Seaford is a town in
In the Middle Ages, Seaford was one of the main ports serving Southern England, but the town's fortunes declined due to coastal sedimentation silting up its harbour and persistent raids by French pirates. The coastal confederation of Cinque Ports in the mediaeval period consisted of forty-two towns and villages; Seaford was included under the "Limb" of Hastings.[4] Between 1350 and 1550, the French burned down the town several times. In the 16th century, the people of Seaford were known as the "
Seaford's fortunes revived in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway connecting the town to Lewes and London. It became a small seaside resort town, and more recently a dormitory town for the nearby larger settlements of Eastbourne and Brighton, as well as for London.
The traditional Sussex pronunciation of the name has a full vowel in each syllable: /ˈsiːfɔːrd/ "sea-ford". However, outside Sussex, and increasingly within, it is commonly pronounced with a reduced vowel on the second syllable: /ˈsiːfərd/ SEE-fərd.
Geography
The town lies on the coast near
The River Ouse used to run parallel to the shore behind the shingle bar, entering the sea close to Seaford. However, a major storm in the 16th century broke through the bar at its western end, creating a new river mouth close to the village then called Meeching but renamed
The town formerly had excellent beaches, which were supplied by
The town's publicity website[9] states: For many, the main attraction in Seaford is the beach. This has an obvious attraction in the summer, when the sea reaches temperatures up to 20 °C (68 °F).
To the east of Seaford, below chalk cliffs, is a beach called Hope Gap.[10] It is a location in the film Hope Gap.
History
In 1620 and 1624, the bailiff of Seaford was William Levett,[11] of an Anglo-Norman family long seated in Sussex.[citation needed] William Levett of Seaford owned the Bunces and Stonehouse manors in Warbleton, probably inheriting them from his father John Levett, who died in 1607. Levett sold the estates in 1628 and died in 1635, his will being filed in Hastings.[12]
The Old Town Hall in South Street was the meeting place of the borough council, which had the power to elect two members of parliament, until the implementation of the Reform Act 1832.[13]
The Levett family intermarried with other Sussex families, including the Gildredges, the Eversfields, the Popes, the Ashburnhams, the Adamses, and the Chaloners. A seal with his arms belonging to John de Livet, Lord of Firle, was found at Eastbourne in 1851.[14]
Politics and administration
From 1894 to 1974 Seaford was an
The town council has 20 members, four elected by each of five wards. The Seaford Community Partnership is a body incorporating representatives drawn from all three tiers of local government and from local civic groups. The partnership seeks to advise on long-term development strategy for the town. Currently the town council is composed of 10 Conservative, 7 Liberal Democrat and 1 Labour, 1 UKIP and 1 independent councillor.
In the Lewes District council elections on 7 May 2015 the town returned 7 Conservative district Councillors and 3 Liberal Democrat district Councillors.[citation needed] The May 2019 elections returned 8 Conservatives and 2 Liberal Democrats, which those of May 2023 returned 6 Liberal Democrats and 4 Greens. For District elections, the wards are the same five as for the Town council (Central, North, East, West, South) however they only return two Councillors to the District council.
The
Seaford is currently part of the Lewes parliamentary constituency. In the 2015 General election the constituency elected Maria Caulfield as MP,[16] defeating the former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker by 1,083 votes. Caulfield was formerly an NHS nurse.[17]
Seaford has been twinned with the town of
Seaford has the westernmost of the South Coast
Seaford lifeguards patrol the beach and water each weekend and bank holiday from May to September. They are made up of volunteers, mainly young people, who give thousands of unpaid hours every year to train and help keep the public safe. They have been recognised as the best equipped and trained non-RNLI beach lifeguard unit in the country. [citation needed]
Sport and leisure
Seaford Cricket Club have played at the Salts Recreation Ground since 1946, though the origins of cricket in Seaford go back to the 18th century. The latest augmentation of facilities was in 2010, when the pavilion was extended.
The town has two golf courses, Seaford Golf Club, a downland course at Firle Road, and Seaford Head Golf Course, from which the coastline and the South Downs can be seen.
Seaford has at least two bowling clubs. They include Seaford Bowling Club, which is a private club at Blatchington Road, dating back to 1912[citation needed], and The Crouch Bowling Club in Crouch Gardens, East Street.
Downs Leisure Centre operates 'The Wave' in Seaford. The Wave is a leisure centre offering a range of sports and pastimes, including badminton, indoor bowls, children's disco dancing, line-dancing and fitness classes.[20] It should not be confused with WAVES, which is a Seaford-based charity supporting families in difficulties.
Swimming facilities are provided for the town at Seaford Head Swimming Pool, which is also run by Wave Leisure.[21]
Towards the western end of Seaford Bay lies Newhaven and Seaford Sailing Club. Founded in 1952 by a group of sailing enthusiasts, the club now has two sites – racing off Seaford Beach and sailing at Piddinghoe Lake near Newhaven where the
The area around Seaford, such as up the Cuckmere Valley and along the South Downs Way, offers many walking routes.[23][24][25]
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by
Transport
Two local half-hourly circular bus services, the 119 and 120, are provided by Cuckmere Buses (Monday-Friday) and Compass Bus on Saturdays, who also run bus 126 from Seaford via Alfriston to Eastbourne.
Brighton & Hove operate two frequent bus services, the 12 and 12A (up to every 10 minutes), routed along the A259 south coast road through Seaford (the 12A goes via the Chyngton Estate on the east side of Seaford) which take passengers to Brighton or Eastbourne which both have extensive onward bus services.
Notable people
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2022) |
- Sir Anthony Blunt, the former keeper of the Queen's paintings who was revealed to be a Soviet spy, went to school in Seaford.
- Actor Tony Caunter, who played Roy Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, once lived in Seaford.
- Clementine Churchill, wife of British prime minister Winston Churchill, lived in Seaford.
- Actor Nigel Davenport, attended St Peter's School, Seaford.
- Actor Maurice Denham lived in Seaford.
- Composer and concert pianist Norman Fraser retired to Seaford in 1971.
- Paul Garred, drummer of the band The Kooks, grew up in Seaford.
- Comedian Dickie Henderson went to school in Seaford.
- Musician Robyn Hitchcock spent time in Seaford, writing about it in his song "Museum of Sex".
- Chess player David Howell, the UK's youngest grandmaster and British champion, grew up in Seaford.
- Sex boutique in the King's Roadarea of London in the mid-1970s, was born in Seaford, and worked in the town as a veterinary nurse.
- Actor Dame Penelope Keith went to school in Seaford.[29]
- Former motorcycling stunt rider Eddie Kidd now lives in Seaford.
- Saint Lewine, an early British martyr: her relics were translated to Seaford in 1058 AD.
- Actor Oscar Lloyd, who appears in ITV soap Emmerdale, was born in Seaford.
- black Britons of all time and was the founder of The Voice, lived in Seaford until his death in 2002.
- Michael Olowokandi, from Nigeria, former NBA basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves and most recently the Boston Celtics 2006–2007, went to school for a short time at Newlands Manor School, Seaford.
- Don Partridge, singer-songwriter, lived in Seaford.
- Twin sisters Connie Powney and Cassie Powney, who played Mel and Sophie Burton in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, grew up in Seaford.
- Actress Margaret Rutherford went to school in Seaford.[29]
- The Preparatory School, Seaford.
- Woodcut artist Eric Slater lived and died in Seaford, and is buried there.
- Bruce Stewart, writer of the 1970, ITV series Timeslip, lived in Seaford.
- Pete Thomas, drummer with a 30-year association with Elvis Costello, was brought up in Seaford.
- Tennessee Thomas, drummer of The Like and fashion model, lived in Seaford before moving to California.
- Colin Wells, ex-professional cricketer for Sussex and Derbyshire, lives in Seaford.
- Grace Robertson OBE, photographer for Picture Post lived in Seaford with her husband Thurston Hopkins, also a photojournalist, from the 1980s up until her death at age 90 in 2021.
Education
Between the late 19th century and the 1950s, Seaford was renowned as a "school town". The many
Most of these independent schools, such as Ladycross School and St Peter's School were closed and the land used for new housing estates in the last decades of the 20th century. The last girls' school, Micklefield, closed in 1994.[30]
Although it has many primary schools (Chyngton, Cradle Hill, Annecy, Seaford County Primary), from the nursery to the "sixth year" of education, the town of Seaford has only one state-run secondary school, Seaford Head School, which in 2009 closed its sixth form, but re-opened it in 2014. Seaford was also home to an independent school, Newlands Preparatory and Manor, which included a specialist unit for pupils with specific learning difficulties. However, the school closed for good in July 2014.[31] Its previous site is currently being redeveloped into a housing estate.[32]
The town is also home to a
Places of worship
Parts of the
The
W.F. Poulton designed a Gothic Revival chapel for
Military
The Romans are known to have had a camp in Seaford.[41] From 1794 coastal defence barracks were established at East Blatchington. In 1806–1808 a Martello Tower was built at the eastern end of Seaford Bay. It is the most westerly of the towers, numbered tower 74.
During the
Seaford has seven Victoria Cross holders associated with the town:
- William George Walker lived and died in Seaford
- Cuthbert Bromley lived in Seaford
- William Frederick McFadzeantrained at the North Camp, Seaford
- Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyesattended King's Mead School, Seaford
- David Auldjo Jamiesonattended Ladycross School, Seaford
- Claud Raymond lived in Seaford
- H. Jones attended St Peter's School, Seaford
Twin towns
- Bönningstedt, Germany
- Crivitz, Germany[43]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Seaford.
Individuals
- Field Marshal Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond: 1789.
- William Pitt the Younger: 1789.
- Neil Moffett: 1980.
- Laurie Holland: 30 September 2012.
- Donald Mabey: 30 September 2012.
- Keith Blackburn: February 2019.
Military Units
- 210 (Sussex) Field Squadron, RE (TA): 1959.
See also
- Seaford Museum
- Seaford Head Nature Reserve
- Seaford railway station, East Sussex
- Bishopstone
- Bishopstone railway station
- Tide Mills, East Sussex
- East Blatchington
- Alfriston
- Seahaven FM 96.3 Ofcom licensed Community Radio Station based in Seaford
- St. Leonard's & St. Luke's Churches
References
- ^ "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
{{cite web}}
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- ^ Simon. "Cinque Ports 1155 to 1500 - History effecting Kent & Sussex". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ Village Net :Seaford Archived 9 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "SSSI Citation – Seaford to Beachy Head" (PDF). Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ "Sand management" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ^ Sand management
- ^ "Welcome to Seaford - Sussex". Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey". Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- doi:10.5284/1085158.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". Archived from the original on 10 August 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- ^ "The History of Politics: The Rotten Boroughs of England". Julia Herdman Books. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ Chambers, George Frederick (1 January 1885). "A handbook for East-Bourne and Seaford, and the neighbourhood" – via Google Books.
- ^ "Home". Archived from the original on 7 November 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2005.
- ^ "Lewes parliamentary constituency - Election 2015 - BBC News". Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Maria Caulfield - MP for Lewes". Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
- ^ "New pavilion at Seaford Cricket Club is cause for celebration". Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ "Information - Seaford Cricket Club". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ Wave Leisure :website Archived 1 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Seaford Head swimming pool :website Archived 1 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Newhaven & Seaford Sailing Club (NSSC), Home Page". Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Local Walks and Trails". Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ "Best Trails in Seaford". Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ "Freeview Light on the Newhaven (East Sussex, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. May 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "Seahaven FM". Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "South Coast Leader". British Papers. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Head girl who went on to play Miss Marple". Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ "History". 6 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Newlands School in Seaford closes". Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ "Seaford housing development for former school site given thumbs up". Sussex Express. 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Bowden House Special School, East Sussex, UK". Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ ISBN 0-14-071028-0.
- ^ Eberhard, Robert (September 2011). "Stained Glass Windows at St. Leonard, Seaford, Sussex". Stained Glass Records website. Robert Eberhard. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ a b Allen, John (11 April 2011). "Seaford – (1) St Leonard and (2) St Luke". Sussex Parish Churches website. Sussex Parish Churches (www.sussexparishchurches.org). Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ Historic England (2007). "The Parish Church of St Leonard, Church Street, Seaford, Lewes, East Sussex (1352955)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ "English Heritage Review of Diocesan Churches 2005 (Extract): St Thomas More, Seaford" (PDF). English Heritage. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ ISBN 0-9533132-7-1.
- ^ ISBN 0-9533132-7-1.
- ^ "Heritage Gateway - Results". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Twin towns". www.eastsussex.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "Freedom of the Town". Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.