The
Countryside Commission also designated
the white chalk cliffs between Beachy
Head and the Seven Sisters and Seaford
Head as the first ever stretch of Heritage
Coastline - a stretch of coastline which
is of particular natural beauty or importance
and is managed to preserve this largely
undeveloped beauty.
In 1929
Eastbourne Borough Council purchased
4000 acres of the South Downs for a
total of �91,291 - 1s - 7d. Part of
the deal was that the Council, or Corporation
as it was then known, would 'secure
the public the free and open use of
the Downs in perpetuity.' The Council
remains committed to that promise and
more than 1,200 acres are designated
'Open Downland' - free, open access
land for the public to enjoy, whilst
the rest is let to tenant farms.
The 4000
acres of land purchased by the Council
- the Eastbourne Downland - is a triangular
shaped landholding at the easternmost
end of the South Downs. Its boundaries
are marked by the Eastern Escarpment,
the end of the Downs where the chalk
hills meet Eastbourne, the Northern
Escarpment, facing the Weald of Sussex,
Willingdon Hill and East Dean in the
West and the Southern Escarpment, which
has been eroded by the seas to forms
the famous white cliffs.
The Eastbourne
Downland is visited by a million people
every year, making it one of the country's
most popular natural beauty spots. It
offers fine views out to sea and inland,
over the ridges and dry valleys, and
is a rich source of wildlife. In September
1999 the Minister for Environment, Transport
and the Regions asked the Countryside
Agency to consider awarding the South
Downs National Park status.
