Beachy Head To Brighton

Beachy Head

Beachy Head is a prominent chalk headland located in East Sussex. It’s known for its stark white chalk cliffs that rise around 530 feet high, making it the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain. This scenic location offers breathtaking views of the English Channel and the southeastern coast. The name “Beachy Head” is believed to be a corruption of French words that mean “beautiful headland”. The headland has been a significant landmark for sailors for centuries and has seen its fair share of historical events, including battles during various wars.

During World War II, Beachy Head served a strategic role as the Royal Air Force used it for radio communications and radar stations – just about visible on the above photo taken during my grandparents’ 1948 road trip. The land surrounding Beachy Head was bought by Eastbourne Borough Council in 1929 to preserve its natural beauty and historical significance. Beachy Head’s natural beauty is continuously evolving as wave action erodes the chalk cliffs, causing frequent rock falls and occasional mass movements. Despite these changes, the site remains a popular spot for nature lovers and history buffs alike.

The East Sussex landmark has unfortunately gained notoriety for being a site of a high number of suicides. The earliest reports of such tragic incidents date back to the 7th century. Between 1965 and 1979 alone, there were 124 lives lost at the location. According to research conducted by Tom Hunt for his book ‘Cliffs of Dispair’, more than 500 people have tragically ended their lives at Beachy Head since 1965. This grim statistic makes Beachy Head the third most popular place to commit suicide in the world, following San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and Japan’s Aokigahara forest.

Beachy Head Light

On Thursday, August 19th 1828 the secretary of Trinity House, a Mr J Herbert, published a notice in the Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser noting to mariners that the Corporation of Trinity House, in compliance with the request of numerous bodies of merchants, owners, masters of vessels and other persons, had resolved to erect a lighthouse near Beachy Head. Works for effecting the same were much advanced, with a light expected to be exhibited on or about the first day of October and thereafter continued from sunset to sunrise every night.

The light would burn at an elevation of 285ft above sea level on a spot known as Belle Tout, that being the summit of the second cliff to the west of Beachy Head. It was to be powered by a powerful revolving light given by an argon lamp assisted by parabolic reflectors. Mr Herbert promised further particulars regarding the period of revolution of the light, and the compass bearings within which it would be visible, would be published anon.

From the clifftop the Belle Tout light was to serve as an aide to shipping for nearly eight decades. However, in 1893 a heavy fall of rock from the ever-eroding cliff, estimated to be of 85,000 tons, added to another fall of 89,000 tons three years later, meant that the Belle Tout light threatened to become unstable. The distance between the lighthouse tower and the cliff edge had reduced from 100ft to 70ft. Thus a new lighthouse was required on a more solid and enduring site.

This new lighthouse, which illuminated the night sky for the first time on 2nd October 1902, was erected at the foot of the cliffs and remains in use to this day. This historic lighthouse has been guiding vessels for 120 years along cliffs marking the seaward termination of the Sussex Downs. The lighthouse, also built by Trinity House, was constructed with Cornish granite, was automated in 1983 and converted to solar power in 2011. It is presently controlled from Trinity House’s Planning Centre in Harwich.

The ‘new’ light is 108ft high, is a Grade II listed building and sits 165 meters seaward of the cliffs. 3,660 tons of Cornish granite was used in its construction under the direction of Sir Thomas Matthews, the Trinity House Engineer-in-Chief.

Photo three shows the view today with further erosion seemingly having removed the chalk needles close-to in the older photograph. What hasn’t changed is the lighthouse’s noticeable stripes which Trinity House threatened to allow to fade to granite after a 2011 decision to stop repainting. In a public campaign, £27,000 was raised allowing for a red-and-white repaint.

Despite the nay-sayers, Belle Tout is yet to fall into the sea, but did come perilously close. The building was sold off by Trinity House and has changed hands many times. During the war, it was damaged by Canadian artillery fire as they practised shooting at nearby targets. At the moment it is holiday lets. In 1999 the 56ft tall 850-ton building was moved 56ft further away from the edge of the cliff at a cost of £250,000.

Engineers used 22 hydraulic jacks to move the structure. The jacks lifted the building onto four steel-topped concrete beams. Grease was pumped onto the beams to reduce friction and keep the lighthouse moving. Some of the equipment remains in situ so that the process can be repeated when required.

Brighton and Hove

Our next photo was taken after my grandparents had greased it 18 miles along the coast to Brighton. Originally, Brighton was a 16th-century fishing village. However, the decline of the fishing industry led to economic hardship, and the town faced issues such as poverty and poor sanitation. The town’s fortunes changed in the 18th century when doctors started promoting the health benefits of seawater, attracting the wealthy for seaside holidays.

The town further gained popularity through the patronage of the Prince of Wales, later King George IV, who influenced its Regency-style character. Landmarks like the Royal Pavilion and Theatre Royal were built during this time. Brighton’s growth accelerated with the opening of the railway in 1841.

Granted city status in 2000 and now with a population of well over 200,000, the area is these days synonymous with nutty green politics and gheys. However, in my grandparents’ time Brighton was a byword for resting London gangsters, dirty weekends and warring razor gangs at nearby Kemptown races.

Times captured, although perhaps too pessimistically even by his standards, by Graham Greene in his 1938 classic Brighton Rock. The film of the book, with a slightly different ending, was made in 1948 – the year of my grandparents’ visit. A young Dickie Attenburgh played psychopathic teenage hoodlum Pinkie Brown. During the film, journalist Charles “Fred” Hale of the Daily Messenger is chased through the streets on account of having exposed a slot machine racket.

Via North Street, the Clock Tower and Queens Road he reaches the railway station but finding the entrance guarded by two of Pinkie’s men, he turns back down Queens Road and via North Road and Marlborough Place reaches the Palace Pier where he hopes to become lost in the holidaying crowds. Fortunately, my grandmother is pictured a good few hundred yards away to the west, further along the seafront in a photograph captioned ‘Brighton Promenade Gardens.’

Contemporary photos from elsewhere confirm the location. Note the low walls and water-filled channels containing rectangular plant troughs. In the linked photograph, the Brighton Beach bandstand can be seen in the distance, allowing for the exact location to be found on Google Street View . Allowed to become nothing but grass, the area is now known as Hove Lawns.

Although no longer gardens, the Lawns do have their plus points as a picturesque location spanning along the seafront from the Brighton boundary to St John’s Road. The open grassed area, part of the Avenues and Brunswick Town Conservation Area, is characterized by linear paths that lead directly to the seafront. Besides the lawns’ historical significance, they are a hub of activity during the summer, often swarming with people revelling in the warm weather.

Visitors often appreciate the lawns’ openness, offering a sense of place and a less crowded alternative to the busier parts of Brighton’s seafront. The lawns are surrounded by listed buildings along Kingsway, adding to their charm. Some of the shelters on the lawns are replicas of the historic ones lost in the 1987 hurricane.

The walking route around Hove Lawns is easy and enjoyable, spanning 1.4 miles with no elevational gain. In the summer, Brighton Beach becomes busy, and Hove Lawns provides a more serene alternative. The area showcases many local landmarks like Adelaide Crescent (pictured above), Palmeira Square, and Kings House, all contributing to its rich history and appeal. Puffins can have a look around and even wander about by following this link.
 

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