In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Beachy Head like this:
BEACHY HEAD, a promontory on the coast of Sussex; at the end of the South Downs, 2½ miles SSE of Eastbourne. Its summit has an altitude of 575 feet above sea-level; and commands a view from Hastings to the Isle of Wight, and across the channel to France. Its front and sea-skirts are precipitous, and pierced with caverns, the resort of multitudes of sea-fowl. ...
Shipwrecks here and in the vicinity used to he frequent and dreadful; but have been less numerous since the erection of the Belle Toute lighthouse in 1831. This stands on a projecting skirt of the promontory; and shows a revolving light, at the height of 285 feet above the sea, flashing every 2 minutes, and visible at the distance of 22 miles. On the 30th of June, 1690, the combined English and Dutch fleets of 56 sail, under Lord Torrington, were defeated within sight of Beachy Head, by the French fleet of 82 sail, under the Count de Jourville.
Additional information about this locality is available for Eastbourne
Beachy Head through time
Beachy Head is now part of Eastbourne district. Click here for graphs and data of how Eastbourne has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Beachy Head itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Beachy Head, in Eastbourne and Sussex | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/25361
Date accessed: 15th May 2024
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