East Sussex Totally Explained

Everything about East Sussex totally explained

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel. The ancient kingdom of Sussex has had separate county administrations since the 12th century, with the county town of the eastern division being Lewes (External Link

). This situation was formalised by Parliament in 1865, and the two parts were given distinct elected county councils in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888.
In East Sussex there were three self-administered county boroughs: Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings. In 1974 East Sussex was made a ceremonial county too, and the three county boroughs became districts within the county. At the same time the western boundary was altered, so that the Mid Sussex region (including Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath) was transferred to the county of West Sussex.
In 1997, the Brighton & Hove district of East Sussex became a self-administered unitary authority and was granted city status in 2000. It remains part of the ceremonial county of East Sussex.

History

East Sussex is part of the ancient kingdom of the South Saxons, who established themselves there in the 5th century AD, after the departure of the Romans, although the area had been populated for many thousands of years before then. Archaeological remains are plentiful, especially in the upland areas. The area's position on the coast has also meant that there were many invaders, including the Romans and later the Normans. Earlier industries have included fishing, iron-making, and the wool trade, all of which declined, so that, in more modern times, Sussex has become popular with tourists, so that the main towns are seaside resorts. ť :see the main article History of Sussex

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex (Brighton & Hove has a separate table) at current basic prices published

(pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year	Regional Gross Value Added	Agriculture	Industry	Services
1995	4,359	84	1,053	3,222
2000	4,953	54	1,155	3,744
2003	5,326	69	1,252	4,004

Education

East Sussex has a comprehensive education system with 27 state schools (not including sixth form colleges) and 12 independent schools. The Wealden district has the largest school population, and most schools in the Rother, Eastbourne and Lewes districts don't have sixth forms, but the schools in the other two districts all have sixth forms (except a school in the Wealden district on the outskirts of Eastbourne).

Geography

Geology

From a geological point of view East Sussex is part of southern anticline of the Weald: the South Downs, a range of moderate chalk hills which run across the southern part of the county from west to east and mirrored in Kent by the North Downs. To the north lie parallel valleys and ridges, the highest of which is the Weald itself (the Hastings beds and Wealden Clay). The sandstones and clays come the sea at Hastings; the Downs at Beachy Head. ť :see the map at Geology of the British Isles

Relief and drainage

The relief of the county reflects the geology.

The coast

From west to east along the coast between Brighton and Eastbourne are the gradually rising chalk uplands, with breaks at Newhaven where the River Ouse enters the sea; and likewise at Cuckmere Haven. The cliffs beyond here are named the Seven Sisters, Sussex, and are the remnants of dry valleys cut into the chalk; they end at Beachy Head, 530 feet (162 m) above sea level. To the east of Beachy Head lie the marshlands of the Pevensey Levels, formerly flooded by the sea but now enclosed within deposited beach. At Bexhill the land begins to rise again where the sands and clays of the Weald meet the sea; these culminate in the sandstone cliffs east of Hastings. Further east are the Pett Levels, more marshland; this followed by the estuary of the River Rother. On the far side of the river is Camber Sands.

Inland

The southern part of the county is dominated by the South Downs; its highest point is Firle Beacon, 712 feet (217 m) above sea level. The northern part is dominated by the High Weald. Between the Downs and Weald is a narrow stretch of lower lying land, before the southern slopes of the Weald, through which the rivers mentioned above flow. The highest point in the county is Ditchling Beacon, at 814 feet (248 m). It is also a Marilyn.

Settlements

Towns

Apart from Lewes, the county's administrative centre, the principal towns in East Sussex are concentrated along the coastal strip. From west to east they are:

Brighton and Hove

Peacehaven

Newhaven

Seaford

Eastbourne

Bexhill-on-Sea

Hastings

Rye Larger towns and villages include:

Uckfield

Crowborough

Hailsham

Heathfield

Battle

Villages

For a complete list of the dozens of villages in East Sussex see here

Website containing details (including historical) of 240 villages in East Sussex

Communications

Roads

The main roads through the county are those part of the radial pattern from London, including the A21 to Hastings; and the A22 to Eastbourne and The A23. The A26 takes cross country traffic across the county .There are two coastal routes: the older A259, and the A27 trunk road which begins east of Eastbourne and takes traffic away from the towns. All the main roads, similar to West Sussex, suffer from congestion and traffic problems. The A27 is voted as one of the most Busy trunk roads in the UK.

Railways

The railways serve the main towns in a similar fashion to the roads. Until the closures of many branch railways in the 20th century, East Sussex was well-served by rail. The services today include the East Coastway Line; the London-Hastings line; and the Uckfield branch. The Kent and East Sussex Railway heritage railway operates from Tenterden in Kent to Bodiam. The Bluebell Railway steam heritage railway operates from Sheffield Park to Kingscote with a planned extension to East Grinstead.

Local government

East Sussex is divided into five local government districts, as follows:

Eastbourne

Hastings

Lewes

Rother

Wealden The three latter districts are further subdivided into civil parishes: see List of civil parishes in East Sussex for details.

Places of interest

Brighton: Royal Pavilion

Ditchling Common

Heritage railways: Bluebell Railway, Lavender Line Steam Railway, Kent & East Sussex Railway

Herstmonceux

Lewes Castle

South Downs Way, a long distance footpath

University of Sussex

Eastbourne Redoubt - Home of the Royal Sussex Regimental MuseumFurther Information

Get more info on 'East Sussex'.

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