Pevensey Bay - (Fishing and Martello Towers)

General Details

Pevensey Bay in East Sussex is an old fishing village founded in the 1600's as Wallsend , the end of the sea wall from Eastbourne . Even now it is only just above sea level, and at high tide in the winter, the sea sometimes breaks through the sea defenses. The village is located about 2 miles to the east of Eastbourne , on the English Channel coastline, and about 3 miles south east of the old settlement of Pevensey .

This area was underwater during the Norman invasion, and only the constant erosion of Beachy Head at Eastbourne , has allowed the pebbles to build up. The area was originally a spit of land attached to Eastbourne , but with the Sea Level dropping, the shingle has now spread through to Bexhill in the east.

The area to the north east , the Pevensey Levels is a natural haven for wild birds, flowers and animals. The area is very flat and still marshy, with many areas flooding in the winter.

Pevensey Bay was part of the Napoleonic defenses of England in the early 1800's. Many Martello towers were built between Eastbourne and Hastings to try to prevent invasion.

The towers were manned by the army who were based at the barracks in Hailsham .

At the time, the only people who lived here were a few fishermen, or smugglers.

In 1831 the Coastguard took over the coastal policing, and from 1832-33 a number of violent events occured, culminating with a fight at Pevensey Sluice in 1833, which seemed to be the end of the smuggling in this area.

In the early 1900's the village became the holiday resort it is today, and is popular for windsurfing and fishing.

Views

In the High Street, if you look to the west, you see the splendour of the South Downs, this is magnificent if there is a beautiful sunset, or in the dark when the lights of Eastbourne sparkle. To the east lies the flat lands of the Pevensey Levels, only a few centuries ago these were under water.

Also in this area are many Martello Towers .

Services

Pevensey Bay in East Sussex is a small village, but it does have many of the facilities usually associated with larger Seaside Resorts.

The nearest major shopping centre is about 2 miles away in Eastbourne .

Trains can be caught in Westham village, about 4 miles away to the north west.

Map

Pevensey Bay is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages
(click on symbol to see the village page)