Eastbourne

Eastbourne Borough of Eastbourne
Town and borough
Eastbourne
Beach huts on the front, the main railway station, historic bandstand, Sovereign Harbour, town hall and the pier
Coordinates: 50°46′N 0°17′E / 50.77°N 0.28°E / 50.77; 0.28
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East England
Non-metropolitan county	East Sussex
Status	Non-metropolitan district
Government
• MP	Caroline Ansell MP (Conservative)
Area
• Total	17.05 sq mi (44.16 km2)
• Rank	252nd (of 296)
Population  (2021 census)
• Total	101,700[1]
• Rank	238th (of 296)
• Density	6,000/sq mi (2,300/km2)
Ethnicity (2021) [2]
• Ethnic groups	List 90.8% White 3.5% Asian 2.8% Mixed 1.7% other 1.3% Black
Religion (2021) [2]
• Religion	List 45.9% Christianity 43.2% no religion 6.7% not stated 2.2% Islam 0.7% other 0.6% Buddhism 0.5% Hinduism 0.2% Judaism 0.1% Sikhism
Time zone	UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcodes	BN20-23
Area code	01323
ONS code	21UC (ONS) E07000061 (GSS)
OS grid reference	TV608991
Website	Eastbourne Borough Council at www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk

Eastbourne (/ˈiːstbɔːrn/ ^ⓘ) is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, 19 miles (31 km) east of Brighton and 54 miles (87 km) south of London. It is also a local government district with borough status. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the larger Eastbourne Downland Estate.

The seafront consists largely of Victorian hotels, a pier, theatre, contemporary art gallery and a Napoleonic era fort and military museum. Although Eastbourne is a relatively new town, there is evidence of human occupation in the area from the Stone Age. The town grew as a fashionable tourist resort largely thanks to prominent landowner William Cavendish, later to become the Duke of Devonshire. Cavendish appointed architect Henry Currey to design a street plan for the town, but not before sending him to Europe to draw inspiration. The resulting mix of architecture is typically Victorian and remains a key feature of Eastbourne.^[3]

As a seaside resort, Eastbourne derives a large and increasing income from tourism, with revenue from traditional seaside attractions augmented by conferences, public events and cultural sightseeing. The other main industries in Eastbourne include trade and retail, healthcare, education, construction, manufacturing, professional scientific and the technical sector.^[4]

Eastbourne's population is growing; between 2001 and 2011, it increased from 89,800 to 99,412. The 2011 census shows that the average age of residents has decreased as the town has attracted students, families and those commuting to London and Brighton.^[5] In the 2021 census, the population of Eastbourne was 101,700.^[6]