Seafront seen fromt the Pier
Strandpromenade vom Pier gesehen
Eastbourne is a town, seaside resort and borough in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex on the south coast of England, 19 miles (31 km) east of Brighton. Eastbourne is immediately to the east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the larger Eastbourne Downland Estate.
With a seafront consisting largely of Victorian hotels, a pier and a Napoleonic era fort and military museum, Eastbourne was developed at the direction of the Duke of Devonshire from 1859 from four separate hamlets. It has a growing population, a broad economic base and is home to companies in a wide range of industries.
Though Eastbourne is a relatively new town, there is evidence of human occupation in the area from the Stone Age. The town grew as a fashionable tourist resort largely thanks to prominent landowner, William Cavendish, later to become the Duke of Devonshire. Cavendish appointed architect Henry Currey to design a street plan for the town, but not before sending him to Europe to draw inspiration. The resulting mix of architecture is typically Victorian and remains a key feature of Eastbourne.
As a seaside resort Eastbourne derives a large and increasing income from tourism, with revenue from traditional seaside attractions augmented by conferences, public events and cultural sightseeing. The other main industries in Eastbourne include trade and retail, healthcare, education, construction, manufacturing, professional scientific and the technical sector.
Eastbourne's population is growing; between 2001 and 2011 it increased from 89,800 to 99,412. The 2011 census shows that the average age of residents has decreased as the town has attracted students, families and those commuting to London and Brighton.
The South Downs dominate Eastbourne and the Eastbourne Downland Estate can be seen from most of the town. These were originally chalk deposits laid down under the sea during the Late Cretaceous, and were later lifted by the same tectonic plate movements that formed the European Alps, during the middle Tertiary period. The chalk can be clearly seen along the eroded coastline to the west of the town, in the area known as Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters, where continuous erosion keeps the cliff edge vertical and white. The chalk contains many fossils such as ammonites and nautilus. The town area is built on geologically recent alluvial drift, the result of the silting up of a bay. This changes to Weald clay around the Langney estate.[
A part of the South Downs, Willingdon Down is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. This is of archaeological interest due to a Neolithic camp and burial grounds. The area is also a nationally uncommon tract of chalk grassland rich in species. Another SSSI which partially falls with the Eastbourne district is Seaford to Beachy Head. This site, of biological and geological interest, covers the coastline between Eastbourne and Seaford, plus the Seven Sisters country park and the Cuckmere valley. Several nature trails lead across the Downs to areas such as the nearby villages of East Dean and Birling Gap, and landmarks like the Seven Sisters, Belle Tout lighthouse and Beachy Head.
The seafront at Eastbourne consists almost entirely of Victorian hotels. Along with its pier and bandstand, this serves to preserve the front in a somewhat timeless manner. The Duke of Devonshire, retains the rights[clarification needed] to the seafront buildings and does not allow them to be developed into shops.
A stretch of 4 miles (6.4 km) of shingle beach stretches from Sovereign Harbour in the east to Beachy Head in the west. In a 1998 survey, 56% of visitors said that the beach and seafront was one of Eastbourne best features, although 10% listed the pebbled beach as a dislike.
Other recreation facilities include two swimming pools, three fitness centres and other smaller sports clubs including scuba diving.
A children's adventure park is sited at the eastern end of the seafront. There are various other establishments scattered around the town such as crazy golf, go–karting and Laser Quest. The pier is an obvious place to visit and is sometimes used to hold events, such as the international birdman competition held annually, although this was cancelled in 2005 due to a lack of competitors. An annual raft competition used to take place where competitors, usually local businesses, circumnavigate the pier in a raft made by themselves, while being attacked by a water-cannon.
A major event in the tourist programme of Eastbourne Borough Council is Eastbourne Airbourne, a large air show, held annually in August.
Reports claim a £365m revenue from visitors in 2010, with an estimated 7,160 jobs supported by tourism.
The seafront and the iconic cliff at Beachy Head has been used for many scenes in feature films, and the local council set up a film liaison unit to encourage and facilitate the shooting of film sequences in and around the town. The 2006 Academy Award-nominated film Notes on a Scandal includes scenes filmed at Beachy Head, Cavendish Hotel and 117 Royal Parade. Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters were used as backdrops for scenes from the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Scenes from Half a Sixpence (1969) were filmed on the pier and near to the bandstand. The seafront area was also used for the film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging directed by Gurinder Chadha. The Langham Hotel was a filming location for Made in Dagenham, which also featured the seafront and pier. A sequence of a rainy day at the seaside for the Doel family has as its backdrop the Wish Tower, the bandstand, the Cavendish Hotel and the pier in the 1987 British/American drama film 84 Charing Cross Road directed by David Jones.
Television too has used Eastbourne as a backdrop. The series Little Britain had the character Emily Howard strolling along the promenade. Other brief appearances were made in the television series Agatha Christie's Marple, The Two Ronnies, French and Saunders and Foyle's War. A sequence of sketches that appear in each episode of Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer, was shot in the old Jo Pip's / Cunninghams theatre venue on Seaside Road, which has since been developed into flats. The 1993 BBC drama series Westbeach was filmed on location in Eastbourne and surrounding areas.
The elderly female residents of Eastbourne were the inspiration for the song "Eastbourne Ladies" by English singer Kevin Coyne, which appeared on his 1973 album Marjory Razorblade.
(Wikipedia)
Eastbourne ist ein Seebad am Ärmelkanal in der Grafschaft East Sussex in England, Vereinigtes Königreich. Mit einer Einwohnerzahl von 102.000 ist sie, laut einer Schätzung aus dem Jahr 2014, die zweitgrößte Stadt der Grafschaft. Sie ist zugleich ein Distrikt von East Sussex und gehört zur Region South East England.
Die Stadt liegt am Rand der South Downs, einer hügeligen Kreidelandschaft in den Grafschaften East Sussex, West Sussex und Hampshire im Süden Englands. Südwestlich der Stadt befindet sich die Landspitze Beachy Head, die mit 162 Meter hohen Kreidefelsen abschließt.
Geschützt durch Felsen und Hügel zählt Eastbourne zu den Orten Englands mit den meisten Sonnenstunden im Jahr. Die Stadt nennt sich selbst gern The Sunshine Coast.
Obwohl es Gewerbe- und Industriegebiete in Eastbourne gibt, ist die Stadt vorwiegend ein Badeort, der seine Einnahmen aus dem Tourismus bezieht. Eastbourne leidet jedoch unter der allgemeinen Tendenz der Briten, Urlaub im Ausland zu machen. Die Stadt hat vier Theater, zahlreiche Parkanlagen, einen Konzertpavillon („Bandstand“ an der Strandpromenade) und einige Museen. Das Zentrum der Tourismusbranche ist ein 8 km langer Kiesstrand mit drei terrassenförmig angelegten Promenaden. Die oben gelegene Uferpromenade wird von Hotels und Pensionen im viktorianischen Stil gesäumt. Geschäfte sind dort nicht zu finden, weil William Cavendish, 7. Duke of Devonshire, dem große Teile Eastbournes gehörten, den Umbau der Hotels verboten hatte. Zum historischen Aussehen der Stadt trägt auch der im Jahr 1870 eröffnete, 304 m lange und 20 m breite Pier bei, auf dem sich Unterhaltungs- und Vergnügungseinrichtungen (u. a. die Diskothek „Atlantis“ und eine „Blue Saloon“ genannte Spielhalle) befinden; der Blue Saloon brannte jedoch am 30. Juli 2014 vollständig ab und verhinderte danach den Zugang zum Pier. Ein im Stil ähnlicher Pier befindet sich auch im westlich gelegenen Seebad Brighton. Zu den weiteren Sehenswürdigkeiten in Eastbourne gehört der 1935 erbaute, am Strand gelegene Orchesterpavillon „Bandstand“.
Eastbourne wurde durch seine jährliche „Airbourne“-Flugschau auch international bekannt. Jährlich im Sommer kommen tausende Briten nach Eastbourne, um sich die am Wochenende stattfindende Airbourne anzusehen. Während der Show fliegen Bomber, Düsenjäger und Hubschrauber nur meterweit über der Wasseroberfläche an der Küste vorbei, wobei der Höhepunkt die Vorführung der Flugstaffel Red Arrows ist. Der Name „Airbourne“ ist ein Wortspiel aus dem Namen der Stadt und dem englischen Wort airborne („luftgetragen“). Im Jahr 2000 kam es bei der Veranstaltung zu einem tödlichen Unfall, als ein Kunstflieger ins Wasser stürzte. Nach diesem Ereignis wurde die Flugschau in Frage gestellt. Sie findet aber weiterhin statt.
Eastbourne wird von vielen als Ort für ältere Menschen angesehen, weil es früher als Alterswohnsitz sehr beliebt war. Dieser Ruf ist heute aber nicht mehr gerechtfertigt, da die Stadtentwicklung in jüngerer Zeit vermehrt darauf abzielte, junge Familien mit Kindern anzuziehen. Dazu gehörte beispielsweise die Sicherung einer ausreichenden Schulversorgung.
Die Stadt ist eine beliebte Kulisse für Film und Fernsehen: So kommt sie in der Fernsehserie Little Britain vor, zudem wurde der Film Tagebuch eines Skandals mit Cate Blanchett und Judi Dench teilweise in der Stadt gedreht, weiterhin auch Teile der Filmreihe Harry Potter.
Die Lage an der Südküste macht Eastbourne zu einem beliebten Ferienort. Die Stadt bietet mit den zahlreichen Hotels und dem gut ausgebauten ÖPNV-System eine angenehme und zweckmäßige Tourismus-Infrastruktur.
Vor allem ältere Menschen aus dem nördlichen Teil des Vereinigten Königreiches machen dort Urlaub oder verlegten ihren Wohnsitz nach Eastbourne, vor allem wegen des guten Klimas. Deshalb wird die Stadt auch häufig God’s Waiting Room genannt.
(Wikipedia)
