East Sussex is an English county on the South coast with a population of 757,000 containing administrative centre Lewes plus Hastings and Eastbourne. Brighton & Hove is contained geographically within the boundary of the county but is a Unitary Authority in its own right due to its large population. The main populations are spread out in almost contiguous line along the South coast facing the Channel.
Lewes lies 10 miles away from Brighton in a gap in the South Downs near the Greenwich Meridian line and has a population of 16,000. The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Hlew’ meaning hill. The philosopher and writer Thomas Paine lived in Lewes and worked as a Customs and Excise man in the town, he wrote Common Sense and other early American pamphlets which are still influencing thought in the 21st century.
Eastbourne has over 93,000 inhabitants and is know as an Edwardian resort town for workers from London and further afield. The town’s main employer is tourism, however there are industrial estates with hi-tech companies. Famous residents on the town are: writer Charles Dickens, 1984 author George Orwell, author Cyril Connolly, designer Sir Cecil Beaton, children’s author Lewis Carroll and explorer Sir Ernest Shacklton.
Hastings was small fishing town, but now is more known for its tourism, with the Country Park, Hastings Pier and two miniature railways.
Traditional East Sussex industries include fishing, iron-making and wool however tourism is the major present employer. |
