Seven Sisters - what would these mean to you?

Perhaps seven sisters? Or Artemis’ companions - the Pleiades; a star cluster “Pleiades”; or various locations around the world – a break in a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico; other mountain chains; an area, a road, rail and underground station in London; a group of Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow; high altitude caves on the planet Mars ... or as here a group of chalk cliffs in England .. all named Seven Sisters.

1885 The Pleiades by symbolist painter Elihu Vedder

Our Seven Sisters featured as Wikipedia’s picture of the day on Monday, 9th August 2010, and so I thought a summer tour of places in and around my area of Eastbourne .. simple reading and beautiful pictures. This group of chalk cliffs on the Sussex coast has recently been included within a new National Park, before that the Seven Sisters Country Park covered these remnants of dry valleys in the chalk South Downs, which are gradually being eroded by the sea.

In summer 2009, a similar landscape photograph of the cliffs was chosen as an official desktop wallpaper and included with the Microsoft operating system Windows 7 as part of the "United Kingdom" localised theme; (appropriate that the Seven Sisters picture was chosen for Windows 7).

I walked down to the cottages (see below) and onto the beach recently where the sea is at the edge of the gardens with recent landslips easily seen. Between the cottages and the Seven Sisters stretching towards Beachy Head and Eastbourne beyond, in an area of flood plains lies the ancient smuggling Cuckmere River, now giving budding geographers a magnificent view of a meandering river, containing several oxbows .. artists, photographers, ornithologists and nature lovers flock here to see the wonders abounding in such a picturesque valley.

How Beachy Head lighthouse was built: the photo shows a temporary cable car transporting workers and stones to an iron ocean platform adjacent to the lighthouse, which is nearing completion in 1902. If you knew how unstable these cliffs are .. this photo brings fear to my heart!

Where else would you find names such as Short Bottom, Rough Brow, Brass Point and Limekiln Bottom – for some of the eight (not seven – I thought we could count here in England – perhaps not!) peaks and dips. A New Zealand friend (of South African heritage – where I met her) came to stay for a while .. and she loved walking – so she set off from my house in the middle of Eastbourne to walk to Cuckmere Haven ... she got the bus back – proclaiming on her arrival .. ‘that was some switchback ride!’ .. the ups and downs took their toll – she ached and hobbled for a few days thereafter! The brows and the bottoms are well trodden chalky paths full of sharp flint stones, which hold the chalky cliffs in place until they are dislodged loosening the chalk around them.

The iconic view of the fishermens' cottages across to the Seven (or eight?) Sisters and east towards Beachy Head and Eastbourne at the end of the South Downs, where the English Channel takes over!

Further west along the coast is a tide mill – something I had not heard of .. have you? .. it is now abandoned .. but in the Industrial Revolution times of the 1700s industrialists were keen to extend their skills to new technical applications .. the tide mill, erected by the Duke of Newcastle, was used to grind corn.

Looking at the derelict scrubby coastal area and weather battered coast it is not surprising that the workers’ cottages (housing about 100 workders) supporting the village and its mill were condemned as unfit for habitation in 1936, after the mill closed in 1900 – as newer technologies spread.

The Mill House 1880. Look right and see the remains of the wall highlighted above. The millway siding can be seen which followed today’s pathway. This picture clearly shows the windmill that was also part of the tide mill complex at Tide Mills (the site is derelict today)

The Sussex Archaeological Society has started a long term project ensuring that the relics and available records, including early film, video, recollections and photographs logging the decline of the area are not lost. The area accommodated vast numbers of Canadian troops during World War II – again another reason to clear the land as a clear line of attack/defence, but also for street fighting training.

We have a Long Man (right) – the first recorded drawing was done earlier than the Tide Mill in 1710 .. and over the years has evolved into the Long Man we know today. These prehistoric hill figures, of which not many exist in England, are perhaps pagan symbols or emblems dating back to the Bronze Age. The Long Man of Wilmington is 69.2 metres (227 feet) tall and designed to look in proportion when viewed from below.

The Sussex Archaeological Society now also manage this site and its surrounds, while during the war it was painted green to avoid it being used as a landmark by German aircraft.

A few miles inland up the Cuckmere River where it is still tidal – sits the very picturesque village of Alfriston – where the National Trust bought their first property in 1896 for £10. The timber framed building of the 14th century has a fine detail on the cornice ... perhaps inspring the National Trust’s emblem of an Oak Leaf (see left). Amazing workmanship though .. I love the detail carved into the fabric of the farmhouse that it once was ..

.. where else would you expect to find a rare chalk and sour milk floor?! The rammed chalk flooring was hardened and made relatively dust free by pouring soured milk over it! To keep the dust down – sounds like a good idea .. it doesn’t smell – so I guess the smell dissipates over time.

Now what would be better but a short drive over the Cuckmere River from Alfriston, along its beautiful twisting valley to rise up the Seven Sisters by road and on to Jevington a tiny parish, but with one overriding call of the hungry man – the Hungry Monk restaurant – where Bannoffee pie was invented.

Have you heard of this wonderful, probably now the ubiquitous, gooey toffee banana dessert? It was originally made on a pie crust .. but I have to say I prefer a digestive biscuit base. Crushed biscuits held together with melted butter, a toffee centre, made from ‘boiled in the tin’ condensed milk, sliced bananas and topped with cream of your choice .. deliciously gungy and absolutely calorific .. perhaps the way to a man’s heart .. after the cook has eaten a fair amount in the kitchen before serving?!

Well that was quick tour from a pre-Christian church site at Alfriston, to the 14th century farmer’s cottage, now the National Trust Clergy House ... perhaps the later farmers took their corn to the new-fangled industrial tidal mill for grinding ... to one of the first Societies to preserve our heritage .. the National Trust, while the Sussex Archaeological Society maintains the pagan Long Man site, and records the village community of the tidal mill and its surrounds, to the re-siting of the lighthouse at the base of Beachy Head before satiating ourselves at the Hungry Monk restauarant .. all within a few miles of each other in and around the Sussex coast.

There’s plenty more .. but I need to work the Banoffee pie off – perhaps by a walk through the beautiful downland of the Sussex coast and its environs ..

Dear Mr Postman – we’re back to my mother not being able to hear .. and after the flood – life is still not sorted .. the challenge with not being able to hear is frustrating because I cannot explain to her what is going on. Poor Ma – she keeps saying ‘why can’t you speak up?’ .... ‘can you hear yourself?’ .. but when you can’t explain it’s her hearing! I’ll try again today ..

we had a postcard and she can recognise the writing etc .. and I put two new temporary posters up .. which she seemed to like – copies of posters from my house .. A, B, Cs of African birds and African animals .. – so pictures, writing and things to think about - she’s chatting away to herself .. perhaps philosophising would be a better word!

PS - the recipe .. in case anyone is interested .. I use butter and digestive crumbs as the base - not the pastry .. but your choice! http://www.hungrymonk.co.uk/pages/banoffi.htm

Hilary Melton-Butcher
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