Eastbourne may be famous as a Victorian resort, but its history runs far deeper — from a Norman church and a mansion built for a Prime Minister to Napoleonic fortresses and the spring where the town was born. Here’s our guide to the most historic places to visit in Eastbourne, with links to the full story of each one.
Ancient and medieval Eastbourne
Motcombe Gardens & the Bourne. Start where Eastbourne itself started: the spring in Motcombe Gardens, source of the stream that gave the town its name, watched over by a statue of Neptune and a historic flint dovecote.
St Mary’s Church. Just up the hill stands St Mary’s, the town’s ancient parish church, begun in the 12th century — the spiritual heart of the Old Town, whose lanes, flint walls and venerable Lamb Inn make up Eastbourne’s most historic quarter.
Pevensey Castle. A few miles east lies one of England’s most extraordinary monuments: Pevensey Castle, a Roman fortress where William the Conqueror landed in 1066, later a mighty medieval castle — 1,700 years of history in one set of walls.
Fortresses and sea defences
The Wish Tower & the Redoubt. When Napoleon threatened invasion, Eastbourne’s coast was fortified with Martello towers and a great circular fortress. Both survive: read the story of the Wish Tower and the Redoubt, two of the finest Napoleonic defences on the south coast.
The lighthouses of Beachy Head. The great headland’s two lighthouses — clifftop Belle Tout and the red-and-white tower at the foot of the cliffs — tell an epic story of shipwrecks and Victorian engineering, including a lighthouse that was famously moved inland. Below the cliffs lurks the mystery of Parson Darby’s Hole.
The Lifeboat Museum. On the seafront by the Wish Tower, the 1898 William Terriss Memorial Boathouse houses the country’s first lifeboat museum — the perfect place to discover 200 years of Eastbourne lifeboat heroism, free to enter.
The Victorian resort
Eastbourne Pier. The town’s best-loved landmark, opened in 1870 and survivor of storms and fire — the full story is in our guide to Eastbourne Pier.
The seafront ensemble. Between the pier and the Wish Tower runs the great Victorian set piece: the famous Carpet Gardens, the Art Deco bandstand, and the “White Palace” itself, the Grand Hotel, where Debussy finished La Mer. The story of how it was all planned is told in our history of the seafront.
Devonshire Park & the railway station. Inland, Devonshire Park preserves the resort’s cultural quarter — theatres, winter garden and world-famous tennis courts — while the Grade II listed railway station of 1886 and the clock-towered Town Hall complete the Victorian picture.
Hidden historic gems
Compton Place. Behind flint walls near the Old Town hides a Grade I listed mansion built for a Prime Minister and home to the Dukes of Devonshire — the very estate on which the resort was built. Read the story of Compton Place (viewable from the road; it’s private today).
Gildredge Manor. In Gildredge Park stands the Georgian manor of the town’s other great landowning family, later the original Towner gallery — the story of Gildredge Manor is a tale of two dynasties.
Holywell & the Italian Gardens. At the seafront’s far western end, a chalk quarry turned secret garden hides a vanished fishing hamlet and a Victorian telegraph cable — discover Holywell’s hidden history.
Local tip: Several of Eastbourne’s historic houses are private homes or working buildings — Compton Place and Gildredge Manor among them — so enjoy those from the street and the surrounding parks.
A perfect historic day out
You can string the highlights into one glorious day on foot. Start at Motcombe Gardens and St Mary’s in the Old Town, wander down past Gildredge Manor and the walls of Compton Place, then drop to the seafront at the Wish Tower and Lifeboat Museum. Stroll east past the Carpet Gardens and bandstand to the pier, and finish — if your legs allow — with the climb west towards Holywell and the Downs. History fans with a car can add Pevensey Castle for the full 1,700-year sweep. For the complete background before you set out, read our full history of Eastbourne.
Historic Eastbourne: FAQs
What is the oldest building in Eastbourne?
St Mary’s Church in the Old Town is generally regarded as the town’s oldest building, with origins in the 12th century. The Lamb Inn nearby is also centuries old, and Compton Place preserves a Tudor core behind its Georgian face.
What historic sites can you visit for free in Eastbourne?
Plenty: Motcombe Gardens, St Mary’s Church, the Old Town, the seafront ensemble of Carpet Gardens, bandstand and pier, Holywell and the Italian Gardens, and the Lifeboat Museum, which is free to enter.
Is Eastbourne good for history lovers?
Very — the area packs in Roman remains, a Norman conquest site at Pevensey, medieval churches, Napoleonic fortresses, and one of the best-preserved planned Victorian resorts in Britain.
Go deeper: the full history of Eastbourne, the Dukes of Devonshire who built the town, and the famous people of Eastbourne.