Commonplace 91 George & The East Sussex Coast PART TWO Eastbourne
The south of England will always be associated with George but of all its holiday seaside places, he said it was Eastbourne that he loved the best. His first visit was in autumn, 1886. To find out all about the history of the town, and get a flavour of the English seaside, you couldn't do much better than to watch this film click, but now you're here, read on...
Eastbourne has always considered itself a 'cut above' the usual holiday destination. It once was posh. Nowadays, it is associated with the elders of our community who go there to retire, and with the relative under-development of its amenities. In terms of holiday destination, if you think of the words 'stimulating, exciting, thrilling' and rush to their antonyms, you have Eastbourne. In George's day, it was the sort of place an upwardly mobile middle class snob might think of as 'proper'. Lack of amusements along the seafront would have kept Demos up the coast in Brighton, where fun ruled supreme. In Eastbourne, there were no 'end of the pier' show with its 'What the butler saw' click saucy filth machines cranking out their stuff, so you would have to visit Brighton for that - as George found out!
Much of what George would have seen of the actual tourist heart of Eastbourne when he took his first trip there in 1886, would have been new-build. Eastbourne was originally a small port and fishing community made bigger by the amalgamation of several satellite villages in order to develop it as a seaside resort, thanks in part to the ambitions of the Eighth Duke of Devonshire (the family that was lucky enough to have the glory that was Georgiana in their numbers click and click) compiled from four small villages owned by the Cavendish family (the Duke's family name). Spencer Compton Cavendish, known as Lord Hartington (British aristos have many names) was an interesting cove click, who declined the offer to become Prime Minister three times, but is probably better known as the long-term consort to Catherine Walters, famous to us all as 'Skittles'. For a smidgen of information about this fascinating woman, click - she was a true legend in her lifetime, and probably much more of a Brighton gal at heart.
George, in common with many Victorians, obsessed about the weather's effects on health, so the thought of him yomping across the Downs in winter, is frankly bonkers. In fact, George visiting the English south coast in winter for a holiday is downright dodgy - but he did, in January-February 1888, and was joined by Morley Roberts for some of that time. Did they confine their activities to bracing walks across the Downs eastwards and their nights in smoking themselves daft and discussing poetry, or did they venture into the fleshpots of Brighton via the railway? As cultural anthropologists, of course, not punters... I mean to say, why would two single (well one almost single and one single) upright young male persons with no woman to cuddle up to in their lonely London apartments ever do to amuse themselves on the south coast in a freezing cold winter within (hard) walking distance or a short train ride from the English town that is the natural love child of Paris/Las Vegas? Go figure.
Here is an excellent collection of past and present snaps click showing the various small villages that were eaten up by the mighty metropolis of Eastbourne.
The south of England will always be associated with George but of all its holiday seaside places, he said it was Eastbourne that he loved the best. His first visit was in autumn, 1886. To find out all about the history of the town, and get a flavour of the English seaside, you couldn't do much better than to watch this film click, but now you're here, read on...
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| c1850 before the erection of the Pavilion |
Much of what George would have seen of the actual tourist heart of Eastbourne when he took his first trip there in 1886, would have been new-build. Eastbourne was originally a small port and fishing community made bigger by the amalgamation of several satellite villages in order to develop it as a seaside resort, thanks in part to the ambitions of the Eighth Duke of Devonshire (the family that was lucky enough to have the glory that was Georgiana in their numbers click and click) compiled from four small villages owned by the Cavendish family (the Duke's family name). Spencer Compton Cavendish, known as Lord Hartington (British aristos have many names) was an interesting cove click, who declined the offer to become Prime Minister three times, but is probably better known as the long-term consort to Catherine Walters, famous to us all as 'Skittles'. For a smidgen of information about this fascinating woman, click - she was a true legend in her lifetime, and probably much more of a Brighton gal at heart.
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| 1916, revealing a teasing glimpse of the 'Carpet Gardens'. |
As the town was being constructed for industries that demanded a façade of welcoming order, these streets are wide and tree-lined. Pavements were in place to protect tourists' footwear and skirt hems; weatherproof road surfaces were laid for the new-fangled motor car; tea shops and cafés abounded; small shops selling souvenirs and antiques dotted the esplanade. Spectacular laid gardens and parks offset the jewelled beauty of the English Channel - and stand in stark contrast to the South Downs that circle the town. Hilly in places, the path atop the sea cliffs form part of the South Coast Way click, which George would have known well. Walking was a big leisure pursuit in the Victorian Age, mainly by those who did little or no manual labour - Demos was probably too exhausted from working like a slave all week to enjoy walking over hill and dale - and parks often catered for strolling activities by providing interesting vistas and features such as grottoes and waterfalls to amuse the visitors. The South Downs cliffs above Eastbourne contain the notorious Beachy Head which gives a sheer drop to the shore below. 
Above, we see the view back from part-way up the slope, c 1930. And below, it is in its glory, the Seven Sisters, looking westwards to Brighton - the very walk George took in 1866, in the opposite direction, from Brighton to Eastbourne, carrying his travelling bag - a distance of approximately 25 miles in one day - a likely story!
Beachy Head has always been a beacon for sailors, and for the Luftwaffe in WWII. It is also a place where people commit suicide, but people do fall off the edge accidentally, of course. There is a helpful phone box and contact details for the charity The Samaritans click at the site, to deter jumpers, and this crew of heroes and heroines click. For a more detailed look at the phenomena (and to balance the karma of me actually mentioning it and putting the thought in your mind click.
There was one Eastbourne shop George liked very much - the tobacconist at 13, Church Street in what is now the area of Old Town. Maybe he found the place in 1886, when he prowled the back lanes of what was the satellite village comprising the Old Town area. Here is the church of Saint Mary The Virgin that gives the street its name and click to know more.
Above, we see the view back from part-way up the slope, c 1930. And below, it is in its glory, the Seven Sisters, looking westwards to Brighton - the very walk George took in 1866, in the opposite direction, from Brighton to Eastbourne, carrying his travelling bag - a distance of approximately 25 miles in one day - a likely story!
Beachy Head has always been a beacon for sailors, and for the Luftwaffe in WWII. It is also a place where people commit suicide, but people do fall off the edge accidentally, of course. There is a helpful phone box and contact details for the charity The Samaritans click at the site, to deter jumpers, and this crew of heroes and heroines click. For a more detailed look at the phenomena (and to balance the karma of me actually mentioning it and putting the thought in your mind click.
There was one Eastbourne shop George liked very much - the tobacconist at 13, Church Street in what is now the area of Old Town. Maybe he found the place in 1886, when he prowled the back lanes of what was the satellite village comprising the Old Town area. Here is the church of Saint Mary The Virgin that gives the street its name and click to know more.
And below is the original Tally Ho public house (now made-over into a hideous gastro pub) at 42, Church Street. Incidentally, the Lion Brewery was based in Lambeth, within a stone's throw of where Marianne aka Nell lived.
George, in common with many Victorians, obsessed about the weather's effects on health, so the thought of him yomping across the Downs in winter, is frankly bonkers. In fact, George visiting the English south coast in winter for a holiday is downright dodgy - but he did, in January-February 1888, and was joined by Morley Roberts for some of that time. Did they confine their activities to bracing walks across the Downs eastwards and their nights in smoking themselves daft and discussing poetry, or did they venture into the fleshpots of Brighton via the railway? As cultural anthropologists, of course, not punters... I mean to say, why would two single (well one almost single and one single) upright young male persons with no woman to cuddle up to in their lonely London apartments ever do to amuse themselves on the south coast in a freezing cold winter within (hard) walking distance or a short train ride from the English town that is the natural love child of Paris/Las Vegas? Go figure.Here is an excellent collection of past and present snaps click showing the various small villages that were eaten up by the mighty metropolis of Eastbourne.
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