Killer Facts About Eastbourne

Eastbourne; the best place to live, work and play in the UK!

And here's why......

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Eastbourne tops the list of Time Out’s UK Best Places to Visit in 2023

We have the best connectivity with easy access to 1,000 mbps up and download speeds.

We have a great work / life balance in beautiful countryside with lovely beaches.

We have an excellent Enterprise Culture as we all work together to develop a successful economy with quality jobs, all year round.

We are the Gateway to Britain’s newest National Park and the nearest National Park to London

Award winning events include Airbourne, the largest free airshow in Europe

The International Lawn Tennis in Eastbourne goes out to 25 million viewers globally and attracts 55,000 visitors annually

It is recognised as one of the most important tennis tounaments worldwide

The Eastbourne Tennis Tournament has seen winners like Novak Djokavic, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniaki, Kim Clijsters, and Andy Roddick,

Eastbourne Lawn Tennis is like Wimbledon 50 years ago; intimate, laid back and relaxed

According to the Met Office, Eastbourne is the sunniest place in the UK

31.4% of the population of Eastbourne is under 30 years old

Eastbourne has the UK’s only 5* seaside hotel – the much loved Grand Hotel

Eastbourne has appeared in these blockbuster movies;  Harry Potter; James Bond The Living Daylights; Brighton Rock; Made in Dagenham; Pearl Harbour; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Diana to name but a few!

Eastbourne has featured in some great Television shows including; The Crown; Poirot; The Lives and Loves of a She Devil;  Little Britain; Foyle’s War; Miss Marple; Top Gear; That Mitchell and Webb Look

With perfect temperatures and chalky soil East Sussex is excellent for producing world class Sussex Sparkling wines and frequently beats Champagne in blind tastings

Debussy wrote “La Mer” at The Grand Hotel in 1905

We have the UK’s busiest Bandstand

Sovereign Harbour is Europe’s largest man-made marina

Natalie Imbruglia and Katie Melua have both recorded music at Echo Zoo Studios in Eastbourne, along with other famous musicians.

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The UK’s most under-appreciated town is finally back in the spotlight (The Times Newspaper March 2023)

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Many A-list guests have visited Eastbourne over the years.

For example Paul Robeson, the legendary black American socialist, singer and film star, filled the Winter Gardens 10 times when he performed here in the late 1920's and 30's. It is believed that Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx completed Das Kaptial in Eastbourne! Who knew!

Also, many celebrities have stayed at the lovely 5* Grand Hotel, including:

• Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (before he became King George VI)
• Winston Churchill
• Haile Sellasie
• Princess Margaret
• Lord Snowdon
• Liam Gallagher
• Ernest Shackleton
• Dame Nellie Melba
• Anna Pavlova
• Arthur Conan Doyle
• Edward Elgar
• Claud Debussy
• King Constantine of Greece
• Sophie Queen of Greece and Princess of Prussia
• George, Duke of Sparta
• The Duke of Richmond
• The Duke of Norfolk
• Lord Beaverbrook
• Rab Butler
• Chris Evert Lloyd
• Charlie Chaplin
• Martina Navratilova
• Novak Djokovic
• Johanna Konta
• Fred Perry
• Roger Taylor
• Anthony Hopkins
• Omar Sharif
• David Steel
• Yehudi Menuhin
• Harold MacMillan
• Harold Wilson
• Harold Pinter
• Lady Antonia Fraser
• Martin Shaw
• Dennis Potter
• Peggy Ashcroft
• Pete Murray
• Oliver Reed
• Stanley Baxter
• Alec Guinness
• Jimmy Tarbuck
• Bruce Forsyth
• Edward Heath
• Clement Atlee
• Cliff Richard
• And 'suspected' murderer Dr John Bodkin Adams

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Historic Firsts

Eastbourne is the birthplace of shoe empires Russell and Bromley and Jones the Bootmaker

Eastbourne introduced the world’s first municipal motorbus service in 1903

Eastbourne built the first seaplanes in 1912

Eastbourne hosted the first roller skating rink in the UK at the Winter Garden's Floral Hall

Eastbourne was the first to install British made traffic lights in 1931

Eastbourne was a pilot town for the introduction of STOP lines at junctions

The Royal Sovereign was the first lightship in the world with a revolving light in 1875

Eastbourne ran the country’s largest indoor saltwater baths

The first motor dealer electric car lift was installed at Caffyns in Eastbourne

Eastbourne was the first council to use CPO powers for amenity purposes when it acquired the Downs

William the Conqueror landed at Pevensey in 1066 and we haven’t looked back since!

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