Pevensey Bay - Information

Pevensey Bay 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 defences. 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 defences 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 occurred, 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 with much of the coastline development started in the 1930's. Today it is a popular tourist attraction with the nearby historical Pevensey castle (1066 and all that).