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67-581: The Eastbourne Downland Estate is an area of downland at the easternmost end of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex , England . It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spots of Beachy Head and the surrounding farmland, which led to a public campaign and Act of Parliament in 1926. It is currently owned and managed, on behalf of the public, by Eastbourne Borough Council . 1,199 hectares (2,960 acres)

134-626: A 20% loss in that period and an assessment of chalk grassland in Dorset found that over 50% had been lost between the mid-1950s and the early 1990s. Much remaining chalk downland has been protected against future development to preserve its unique biodiversity . South Downs National Park Authority The South Downs National Park is England's newest national park , designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of 1,627 square kilometres (628 sq mi) in southern England, stretches for 140 kilometres (87 mi) from Winchester in

201-533: A 23% reduction in the size of the originally proposed national park, focussing it more narrowly on the chalk downland and excluding from it a large part of the existing East Hampshire and Sussex Downs AONBs. This proved highly controversial, leading to calls from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and others for the inclusion of the so-called western Weald , a region within the two AONBs possessing

268-508: A Downs Police Station operated by Eastbourne County Borough Police. He is depicted later, variously: warning children not to sit on the edge of cliffs at Beachy Head; rounding up cattle; saving the lives of a ewe and a pigeon; putting out a small fire; receiving a note from a shepherd. In the late 1990s, "practical management of the land [was] carried out by the Council's Downland Ranger Service and by various contractors who [were] supervised by

335-440: A chalk rendzina soil consists of only a shallow dark humus rich surface layer which grades through a lighter brown hillwash containing small pellets of chalk, to the white of the chalk itself. This is largely because of the purity of the chalk, which is about 98% calcium carbonate , and the consequent absence of soil-building clay minerals which are abundant, for example, in valley floors. Steep slopes on chalk downland develop

402-538: A geology, ecology and landscape quite different from the chalk hills of the South Downs, within the park boundary to ensure that it remained protected from development. The Secretary of State invited objections and representations on new issues relating to the proposed national park in a consultation that ran from 2 July to 13 August 2007. In the light of the responses received, the Secretary of State decided that it

469-573: A much gentler dip slope on the other. Where the downs meet the sea, characteristic white chalk cliffs form, such as the White Cliffs of Dover and Beachy Head . Chalk deposits are generally very permeable, so the height of the water table in chalk hills rises in winter and falls in summer. This leads to characteristic chalk downland features such as dry valleys or coombes , and seasonally-flowing streams or winterbournes . The practice of extracting water from this aquifer, in order to satisfy

536-674: A northward-facing chalk escarpment that rises dramatically above the low-lying vales of the Low Weald. The chalk escarpment reaches the English Channel west of Eastbourne , where it forms the dramatic white cliffs of Beachy Head , the Seven Sisters and Seaford Head. These cliffs were formed after the end of the last ice age , when sea levels rose and the English Channel was formed, resulting in under-cutting of

603-630: A number of boundary revisions, the park incorporates two areas previously designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the East Hampshire AONB and Sussex Downs AONB . The park also includes the Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Petersfield. The South Downs National Park's chalk downland sets it apart from other national parks in Britain. However, almost a quarter (23%) of the national park consists of

670-529: A quite different and strongly contrasting physiographic region, the western Weald , whose densely wooded hills and vales are based on an older Wealden geology of resistant sandstones and softer clays. The highest point in the national park, Blackdown , at 280 m (919 ft) above sea level, is in fact situated in the Weald, on the Greensand Ridge , whereas the highest point on the chalk escarpment of

737-439: A renewed vision for its Downs in harmony with its people. This should respect the fact that the land is held in trust by the Council on behalf of the people of Eastbourne. If you take this approach we will be more than happy to work with you, in partnership, to maximise the benefits from public land ownership; you can be assured that this would be a most popular move, applauded by the people of Eastbourne." A new policy announcement

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804-426: A ribbed pattern of grass covered horizontal steps a foot or two high. Although subsequently emphasised by cattle and sheep walking along them, these terracettes (commonly known as sheep tracks) were formed by the movement of soil downhill, a process known as soil creep . The dominant habitat in chalk downland is typically calcareous grassland , formed by grazing from both livestock and wild animals. Chalk downland

871-710: A summary of goals and strategies for land management of the Estate. According to the Eastbourne Downland Management Plan 2015–22, Appendix A, authored by Eastbourne Borough Council on 8 May 2015, the management of the Estate is also "influenced" by the Eastbourne Downland Forum. The Forum was created in the 1990s, as a means for stakeholders to meet and advise on management of the Estate. Neither minutes of its meetings, nor records of those in attendance, are published. There

938-471: Is a white sedimentary rock, notably homogeneous and fine-grained, and very permeable. It consists of minute calcite plates ( coccoliths ) shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores . The strata include numerous layers of flint nodules , which have been widely exploited as a material for manufacture of stone tools as well as a building material for dwellings. Similar areas in Britain include

1005-555: Is farmed, while 490 hectares (1,200 acres) is open public access land, including the land around the internationally famed Beachy Head beauty spot and Belle Tout Lighthouse . The farmland is divided into four farms: Bullock Down Farm, Chalk Farm, Black Robin Farm and Cornish Farm. The farmers pay rent to the people of Eastbourne through Eastbourne Borough Council. Chalk Farm includes a hotel and learning disabilities centre. The Centre provides: "realistic training and work experience within

1072-741: Is formed by Salisbury Plain , mainly in Wiltshire . To the southwest, downlands continue via Cranborne Chase into Dorset as the Dorset Downs and southwards through Hampshire as the Hampshire Downs onto the Isle of Wight . To the northeast, downlands continue along the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills through parts of Berkshire , Oxfordshire , Buckinghamshire , Hertfordshire , Bedfordshire and into Cambridgeshire . To

1139-901: Is in Hampshire, 807 km (312 sq mi) in West Sussex and 237 km (92 sq mi) in East Sussex. Among the district council areas, Chichester District has the largest area at 544 km (210 sq mi), followed by East Hampshire District with 279 km (108 sq mi), Winchester with 265 km (102 sq mi), Lewes District with 159 km (61 sq mi) and Arun 102 km (39 sq mi). 93 km (36 sq mi) are in Horsham District and 60 km (23 sq mi) in Wealden District. Apart from

1206-528: Is no record of the Eastbourne Downland Forum influencing the Downland management, or even issuing a recommendation or guidance. For most of the 20th Century frontline Estate management was delegated to a Downland Ranger Service. British Pathé News filmed the Downland Ranger for an international newsreel in 1949. In the item, Constable Henry Poole and his horse Thomas are shown to leave a stable at

1273-487: Is often unsuitable for intensive agriculture , horticulture , or development because of the nutrient-poor, shallow soil and difficult slopes. For this reason downland often survived uncultivated when other, more easily worked land was ploughed or reseeded. This shallow soil structure makes downland ecosystems extremely fragile and easy to destroy. With modern machinery and fertilising techniques, it has become possible to use some previously uncultivated downland for farming, and

1340-500: Is relatively soft porous white chalk with only poorly-defined bedding. The chalk is classified as a biomicrite , with microscopic coccoliths and other fine-grained fossil debris in a matrix of micrite mud. Small amounts of silica were also deposited, mainly from sponge spicules , which moved during diagenesis and accumulated to form flints . The Chalk Group either directly overlies the impermeable uppermost Lower Cretaceous Gault Clay or permeable Upper Greensand Formation above

1407-716: The Council for the Preservation of Rural England , led by campaigners including the geographer Vaughan Cornish , submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister urging the case for national parks, including a national park on part of the South Downs. When however, towards the end of World War II , John Dower was asked to report on how a system of national parks in England and Wales might be established, his 1945 report, National Parks in England and Wales , did not identify

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1474-508: The Countryside Stewardship Scheme in 2014, funds are transferred from central government to help maintain and improve the Estate. The Estate is also a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS), a designation given for its value to Earth Science and earth heritage. The estate contains 32 separately designated Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs). The four farms contain a large proportion of those SAMs including

1541-561: The East Hampshire AONB in 1962 and the Sussex Downs AONB in 1966. These were later to form the basis of the South Downs National Park. In September 1999 the government, following a review of national parks policy, declared support for a South Downs National Park, and announced a consultation on its creation. In January 2003 the then Countryside Agency (now Natural England ) made an Order to designate

1608-562: The Downs during the 19th and 20th centuries. By contrast, the park includes a number of towns situated in the western Weald , including Petersfield , Liss , Midhurst and Petworth , and the two historic Sussex towns of Arundel and Lewes . The total population living within the national park is approximately 108,000. Of these 42,000 live in Hampshire, 40,000 in West Sussex and 25,000 in East Sussex. East Hampshire District Council area and Chichester District each have around 30,000 residents in

1675-580: The Downs in perpetuity?" The Mayor replied: "Absolutely." In 2017, hundreds of concerned Eastbourne residents campaigned and marched for the continued public ownership of the Estate. Public pressure led to a policy change by Eastbourne Borough Council, cancelling the planned sale of the four farms within the estate. On 30 January 2017, Dr Tony Whitbread, Chair of the South Downs Network, an "independent, voluntary network of conservation, environmental and community organisations with an interest in

1742-605: The Eastbourne Downland Estate. The Park is managed by the South Downs National Park Authority . The Countryside Commission (predecessor to Natural England ), designated the coastal part of the Estate the country's first ever stretch of Heritage Coast . This designation is for coast that "is of particular natural beauty or importance and is managed to preserve this largely undeveloped beauty". The Eastbourne Downland Estate

1809-468: The Eastbourne Downland Estate. They include Willingdon Down , designated in 1986. The chalk aquifer underneath the Downland Estate is part of a larger natural water supply, that provides drinking water for 700,000 in the region. The Eastbourne Downland Estate falls into a government-designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zone . On 12 November 2009, the South Downs National Park was created, including

1876-662: The Gault Clay. Since its deposition, the chalk in southern England has been uplifted, faulted , fractured and folded by the distant effects of the Alpine Orogeny . The fracturing has greatly increased the chalk's permeability, such that it is a major aquifer . Sedimentary basins formed by rifting during the Triassic to Early Cretaceous were inverted during the Late Paleogene to Miocene leading to

1943-628: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee has identified this area as being at high risk of damage and degradation due to the presence of sensitive habitats and species. The Estate is home to several designated Plant Important Areas, in recognition of the variety and ecological value of plant life in the area. At a marine level, these include areas with rich populations of algae. As part of the Rural Development Programme for England, which replaced

2010-487: The National Park and to create an internationally respected exemplar of chalk grassland restoration. This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for this precious downland." Caroline Ansell MP said on 8 March 2017: "The argument around protection of the land had not been won and the consultation with local people was deeply flawed." There are several designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest within

2077-695: The Ranger Service. The Council also [had] an Arboriculturist Officer to supervise the management of the 250 acres of deciduous woodland mostly on the Eastbourne Downland eastern escarpment." The Downland Ranger Service was closed in 2008 by Eastbourne Borough Council. The Council argued that the South Downs National Park Authority would serve as a replacement. The Authority was not founded until 2009 and replacement Eastbourne Downland Ranger posts were not created, as of 2016. Downland The largest area of downland in southern England

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2144-532: The Roman era, in approximately 245 AD. During a 2014 heritage project, it was further discovered that the skeleton had genetic heritage from sub-Saharan Africa. Jo Seaman, heritage officer at Eastbourne Borough Council was quoted as reporting: "We know this lady was around 30 years old [when she died], grew up in the vicinity of what is now East Sussex, ate a good diet of fish and vegetables, her bones were without disease and her teeth were in good condition." As of 2016,

2211-477: The South Downs for national park status, but rather included it in a list of "other amenity areas". Sir Arthur Hobhouse 's 1947 Report of the National Parks Committee took a different view, and he included the South Downs in his list of twelve areas recommended for designation as a national park, defined by John Dower as an "extensive area of beautiful and relatively wild country in which, for

2278-525: The South Downs", published an open letter on the Network's behalf, addressed to David Tutt of Eastbourne Borough Council : "We... urge you to stop the proposed sale... comprising three-quarters of the Eastbourne Downland Estate. This land is an invaluable public asset for the people of Eastbourne, for the local area and visitors from further afield. It has great value for its rich natural capital , its biodiversity and cultural heritage, to public amenity and

2345-594: The South Downs, Butser Hill , has an elevation of 271 m (889 ft) above sea level. Within the national park there are two chalk hill figures , the Litlington White Horse and the Long Man of Wilmington . Most of the national park consists of chalk downland , although a significant part consists of the sandstones and clays of the western Weald , a strongly contrasting and distinctive landscape of densely wooded hills and vales. The chalk

2412-402: The area and Lewes District 22,000. Winchester has 11,500 residents in the park, with much smaller numbers for the other districts and boroughs. The area receives about 39 million visits each year, which is thought likely to increase as a result of the creation of the national park. The national park has an area of 1,625 km (627 sq mi), of which 544 km (210 sq mi)

2479-415: The case for the South Downs as a national park, it found designation no longer appropriate, noting that the value of the South Downs as a potential national park had been reduced by cultivation. It did however recognise the "great natural beauty" of the area, and proposed it be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . In due course two AONBs were designated, split along the county boundary, namely

2546-483: The chair of SDNPA is Vanessa Rowlands, and the chief executive (interim) is Tim Slaney. The South Downs National Park stretches for 140 km (87 mi) across southern England from St Catherine's Hill near Winchester in Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head , near Eastbourne in East Sussex in the east. In its western half, the southern boundary of the park lies up to 10 km (6.2 mi) inland from

2613-474: The chalk and the modification of existing valleys due to a combination of frozen ground and snowmelt . Downland develops when chalk rock becomes exposed at the surface. The chalk slowly erodes to form characteristic rolling hills and valleys. As the Cretaceous chalk layer in southern England is typically tilted, chalk downland hills often have a marked scarp slope on one side, which is very steep, and

2680-618: The chalk by the sea. The South Downs run linearly west-north-westwards from the Eastbourne area through southern Sussex to the Hampshire downs, separating the south coastal plain from the clays and sandstones of the Weald . Behind the escarpment, on the dip slope, are the characteristic high, smooth, rolling downland hills interrupted by dry valleys and wind gaps, and the major river gaps of the Cuckmere , Ouse , Adur and Arun . The chalk

2747-441: The decline of extensive grazing has meant that many areas of downland, neither cultivated nor grazed, revert to scrub or other less rare habitat, essentially destroying the delicate calcareous grassland. The UK cover of lowland calcareous grassland has suffered a sharp decline in extent since the middle of the twentieth century. There are no comprehensive figures, but a sample of chalk sites in England surveyed in 1966 and 1980 showed

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2814-720: The east downlands are found north of the Weald in Surrey , Kent and part of Greater London , forming the North Downs . To the southeast the downlands continue into West Sussex and East Sussex as the South Downs . Similar chalk hills are also found further north in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire where they are known as the Wolds . The Chalk Group is a sequence of Upper Cretaceous limestones . The dominant lithology

2881-418: The entire length of the park and is the only National Trail that lies wholly within a national park. The idea of a South Downs National Park originated in the 1920s, when public concern was mounting about increasing threats to the beautiful downland environment, particularly the impact of indiscriminate speculative housing development on the eastern Sussex Downs ( Peacehaven was an example of this). In 1929,

2948-527: The first Norman Lord of Pevensey and half-brother of William the Conqueror . The Eastbourne Corporation Act of 1926 was passed in both Houses of Parliament . The new law empowered the local authority in the area of the Eastbourne Downland Estate, to increase local taxation to fund a compulsory purchase of the land comprising the Estate. The purchase was completed in 1929, with tax money being transferred to two major local aristocratic landowning families for

3015-476: The following duty: The SDNPA is a public body, funded by central government, and run by a board of twenty seven members. The board consists of seven national members, appointed by the environment secretary by means of an open recruitment process; fourteen local authority nominees drawn from the fifteen local authorities covering the park area with Adur and Worthing opting to share a place; and six parish council representatives, two for each county. As at June 2024,

3082-615: The formation of structures such as the Wealden Anticline and the Portland-Wight Monocline . Later erosion has produced the characteristic ridges of the downland landscape. The landscape was further modified during the Quaternary period by the area's proximity to the southern edge of the ice sheets formed during the last ice age . These periglacial effects included significant amounts of dissolution of

3149-524: The general amenities. I do not think there is any question about that. The land in question consists of 4,100 acres. We want to ensure that the character of the land is preserved as it is at present." Examination of the Mayor, Alderman Charles Knight, before the same Select Committee: "It is the deliberate intention of the Corporation, in promoting this clause, to secure the public the free and open use of

3216-423: The increasing demand for water, may be putting some of these streams under stress. In the valleys below the downs at the base of the chalk layer, greensand or gault clay comes to the surface and at the interface at the top of the gault a springline can occur where water emerges from the porous chalk or the underlying greensand. Along this line, settlements and farms were often built, as on the higher land no water

3283-733: The inquiry were expected by the end of 2005, but were delayed pending a legal issue arising from a High Court case challenging part of the Order designating the New Forest National Park . Following an appeal on the High Court case and new legislation included in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, the South Downs Inquiry report was published on 31 March 2006. It recommended

3350-570: The land, sold at market rates. The amount paid was £91,291, 1s, 7d. Here are notable extracts from the detailed minutes of evidence given before a Select Committee of the House of Lords in 1926: Mr J Abady, Learned Counsel for Eastbourne Corporation, giving evidence: "The Corporation's desire, and I do not know that anybody questions it, is to preserve that beauty spot, to preserve it in its existing condition without being fenced in or ploughed up or built upon or dealt with in any way which would affect

3417-427: The management of the Eastbourne Downland Estate is the overall responsibility of Eastbourne Borough Council. The Council delegate day-to-day responsibility to Strutt & Parker (part of Christie's group), who act as land management agents, and to the four working farmers for various processes of land management work. Eastbourne Borough Council publish an Eastbourne Downland Management Plan periodically, intended as

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3484-455: The market square of Petersfield , a town situated in the western Weald just 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the chalk escarpment of the South Downs. In 2016 the national park was granted International Dark Sky Reserve status, to restrict artificial light pollution above the park. It was the second such area in England and the 11th in the world. The national park is administered by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA). The SDNPA

3551-580: The most important of all: the Combe Hill Neolithic Causewayed Camp, as well as the much-researched Bullock Down prehistoric field system, the Eastdean Down field system, and many prehistoric burial barrows. Remains of flint flakes, hand tools and metal making have been found and studied on the areas now known as Bullock Down and Cornish Farms. Flints were selected to make Neolithic axes between 8500 and 4000BCE. There

3618-510: The nation's benefit...the characteristic landscape beauty is strictly preserved". The South Downs was the last of the original twelve recommended national parks to be designated. Extensive damage to the chalk downland from 1940 onwards through arable farming, and a resulting decline in sheep grazing, militated at an early stage against further work on designation. When in 1956 the National Parks Commission came to consider

3685-440: The order confirming the designation. He confirmed that a number of hotly disputed areas – including the western Weald, the town of Lewes and the village of Ditchling – would be included within the national park. The new national park came into full operation on 1 April 2011 when the new South Downs National Park Authority assumed statutory responsibility for it. The occasion was marked by an opening ceremony which took place in

3752-532: The proposed park in 2003 which was submitted to the Secretary of State for the Environment on 27 January 2003. As a result of objections and representations received on the proposed Order, a public inquiry was conducted between 10 November 2003 and 23 March 2005, with the aim of recommending to ministers whether a national park should be confirmed and, if so, where its boundaries should be. The results of

3819-460: The setting of a fully functioning hotel... for adults with learning disabilities, when they leave full-time education [and] for adults with learning disabilities of any working age." The ultimate aim of the centre is "to help students to increase their independent living skills as well as their ability to enter the real job market". The hotel was once a Priory, reportedly connected with The Benedictine Abbey of Grestein and once owned by Robert de Norton,

3886-411: The south coast; it thus excludes the major coastal towns and cities of Southampton , Portsmouth , Chichester , Bognor Regis and Littlehampton . Further east, where the park's southern boundary lies much closer to the coast, it has been carefully drawn to exclude the urban areas of Worthing , Brighton and Hove , Newhaven , Seaford and Eastbourne , which had all made substantial encroachments onto

3953-401: The town’s drinking water supply. It is vital that ownership and management rest with... the democratic, publicly accountable local authority for Eastbourne... complying with the words and spirit of the 1926 Eastbourne Corporation Act. We strongly recommend that the Council rethinks its policy, looks more closely at the range of ecosystem services that the Eastbourne Downland generates and sets out

4020-434: The west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hampshire , West Sussex and East Sussex . The national park covers the chalk hills of the South Downs (which on the English Channel coast form the white cliffs of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head ) and a substantial part of a separate physiographic region, the western Weald , with its heavily wooded sandstone and clay hills and vales. The South Downs Way spans

4087-401: Was a flint mine on Wilmington Hill. There are three ‘settlement’ sites and a causewayed enclosure at Combe Hill (identified by Musson in 1950). Most of the sites are artefacts find-spots and although one cremation site (Drewett 1982) and two inhumations (Ray 1909) are recorded. A skeleton was discovered during archaeological work in 1953. It has been dated as belonging to a person who lived in

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4154-411: Was appropriate to re-open the 2003–05 public inquiry. The inquiry re-opened on 12 February 2008 and was closed on 4 July 2008 after 27 sitting days. The Inspector's report was submitted on 28 November 2008. On 31 March 2009 the result of the inquiry was published. The Secretary of State , Hilary Benn , announced that the South Downs would be designated a national park, and on 12 November 2009 he signed

4221-615: Was available. This is demonstrated very clearly beneath the scarp of the White Horse Hills , above the Vale of White Horse . In many chalk downland areas there is no surface water at all other than artificially created dewponds . The soil profile of chalk downland in England is a thin soil overlaying the parent chalk . Weathering of the chalk has created a characteristic soil known as rendzina . Unlike many soils in which there are easily distinguished layers or soil horizons ,

4288-543: Was established on 1 April 2010, and became fully functioning, including becoming the planning authority for the national park, on 1 April 2011. It is responsible for promoting the statutory purposes of the national park and the interests of the people who live and work within it. The statutory purposes of the SDNPA, as a national park authority, are specified by the Environment Act 1995 ; these are: It must also fulfil

4355-592: Was formed in the Late Cretaceous epoch , between 100 million and 66 million years ago, when the area was under the sea. During the Cenozoic era the chalk was uplifted as part of the Weald uplift which created the great Weald-Artois Anticline , caused by the same orogenic movements that created the Alps. The relatively resistant chalk rock has, through weathering , resulted in a classic cuesta landform, with

4422-543: Was included in the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), designated by the Countryside Commission on 22 June 1965. The area west of Beachy Head was designated as an inshore marine conservation zone on 21 November 2013, titled Beachy Head West. There have been calls from wildlife groups, politicians and local fishermen to create a Beachy Head East zone. Natural England and

4489-482: Was made at the start of March 2017, with the sale of the Downland Estate said to be "off the table". Margaret Paren, the Chair of the South Downs National Park Authority said on 7 March 2017: "We believe that this is a good decision for the farmers, for the environment, for the people of Eastbourne and for the National Park. The SDNPA will seek to work in partnership with... stakeholders to improve Eastbourne’s gateway to

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