Promenade in 1850 along the Eastbourne seafront …

No development yet … settlement, with grand estates, yes, but no seaside town … however the railways had arrived in 1849 … life was moving on … a new seaside town had been promulgated.

 

Cavendish Arms
(the grandson of the Duke holds the title
Earl of Burlington as a courtesy title)

The Earl of Burlington, before he became the 7^th Duke of Devonshire in 1858, had had plans produced in 1836, but it was not until 1859 and 1872, after new plans were adopted, that the formation of the town as we know it today commenced.

Burlington Hotel, just west of the Claremont -
burnt down in 2019

The promenade is a wonderful straight … with three levels … class came into play in the 1800s … us, them, and me!  Well no – you know what I mean … them up there, the middle lot and the rest: e.g. the servants …

Eastbourne - the straight promenade;
the pier to the east, beyond which would be the servants'
quarters, the kitchen gardens, orchards, etc
while to the west along the front were the
high-class hotels, the theatres, Devonshire Park tennis
courts (part of the Devonshire estate)  and other
developments

At the easterly end the pier was built – a defining point along the seafront … it interrupts what would otherwise have been a ribbon development of buildings: to the west, high class hotels, with modest family hotels and boarding houses to the east.

The Claremont in full conflagration, the Burlington Hotel
abuts the Claremont.  The entrance to the pier is
nearly opposite, at the easterly end of the Promenade

The pier is opposite the end of the Claremont, as it was, to the west stretches the Grand Parade towards the Downs and Beachy Head, while eastwards were the kitchen gardens, laundries, coal stores, lodgings for the servants, gardeners etc …

Sorry - one of my blue mobile phone pics ...
it is a drawing done in 1850 - looking west towards
Beachy Head; the Roman Villa remains are shown in
the lower left of the image - where the pier has been built.

… it was at this point 2,000 years ago that a Roman Villa stood – so one advantage to come out of Claremont’s conflagration is that 21^st century archaeological techniques can be used to perhaps uncover hidden treasures …

The Claremont as it was in the 21st century

… there was a Foundation Stone ‘the foundation of the new town laid in the spring of 1851’, which was still there in 1898 – its whereabouts unknown today – so who knows what might be found.

Not much as changed really from about 1900 - the end of the
terrace before conversion to the hotels

The fire that destroyed the Claremont claimed about one third of the Grade II* Listed building … 

You can see the end of the burnt hotel -
similar in appearance to the one taken about 120 years before

... originally designed as a terrace of 19 four storey high houses – before being converted into the hotels we see today … the Burlington occupying the other two-thirds of the Victorian Terrace.

I won’t be doing the A – Z … tempted though I might be – I will try and do a few fun posts and will do the WEP prompt during April and then get to the more interesting posts about my escapades to various museums and exhibitions as the year moves on.

Tempted I am – but I must put priorities first – and home needs some major sorting … which confinement will help … just hope it doesn’t last the gestatory nine months!  That would surprise a few …

Take care – there’s much to worry us at the moment … I’m trying to keep away from posting about it – too much other information around … my cherubic, non-opinionated jottings will have to do  … to keep us connected.  Enjoy the A - Z anyone who is participating …

Youtube: “Class System” skit 1966 with John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett … this clarifies our classes!!  Absolutely classic ... makes me laugh and remember back to watching with my parents ... just brilliant ... enjoy.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

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