East Sussex

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This county has a population of 671,000) and covers 693 square miles (1,795 sq km). It is located in the extreme South East of England on the English Channel. East Sussex consists of seven administrative districts: Brighton, Hastings,Eastbourne, Lewes, Hove, Wealdon and Rother. The County Town is Lewes.

In East Sussex there are the popular towns of Hastings, Eastbourne, Lewes, Brighton and Hove.

Geography

Along the coast are the South Downs, a range of chalk hills. On the South East are a line of marshes. To the north is the North Weald which are of sand caped with clay are and heavily wooded. Popular towns include Battle, Bexhill-on-Sea, Brighton, Crowborough, Eastbourne, Hailsham, Hastings, Heathfield, Lewes, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Rye, Seaford, St Leonards-on-Sea, Uckfield.

Industry

An agricultural county with a mainly beef production. Some light industry exists but in the main, tourism makes up the main revenue of the county. Many people commute to London for work.

History

The name Sussex comes from the old name of the Kingdom which was named after the "South Saxons". William I the conqueror fought the battle of Hastings (at Pevensey) and defeated the Saxon King Harold, reputedly dying with an arrow in his eye. Harold had hurried from the North where he had defeated a Danish invasion but need not have given battle to William and could have waited for his full army to assemble or could have starved William out rather than fight. The defeat of Harold was the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in Britain and the whole make up of Britain changed within a very few years.

PLace of Interest

Ashdown Forest, Bateman's, Battle Abbey, Beachy Head, Bodiam Castle, Brighton Royal Pavilion, Ditchling Common, Bluebell Railway, Lavender Line Steam Railway, Kent & East Sussex Railway, Herstmonceux, Lewes Castle, South Downs Way, University of Sussex, Eastbourne Redoubt, Royal Sussex Regimental Museum.