Situated at the eastern end of the South Downs and alongside the famous Beachy Head cliff is the large town of Eastbourne, East Sussex. Due to its sheltered position behind the cliffs Eastbourne awarded itself the name ‘The Sunshine Coast’. As you discover the reasons to move to Eastbourne you may feel curious about the average house price in Eastbourne. Property in Eastbourne and Eastbourne property prices are also discussed in this article.

Eastbourne has an estimated population of just over 97,000, most of who are younger than you might imagine. Along with Hastings and Brighton it became a prime Victorian seaside resort and still is to this day. Theatres, museums (the recently opened Towner Art Gallery is a fantastic building housing the Towner collection next to the large Congress Theatre), numerous parks and a bandstand are just a few great reasons to move to Eastbourne, East Sussex, and there is a lot more on offer too.

The seafront is distinguished by the fact it has shop fronts opening onto it, and attractive Victorian hotels dominate the road. The pier and bandstand are preserved in a timeless manner. This is due in large part to much of Eastbourne belonging to the Duke of Devonshire, who retains the rights to these buildings and stops them from being developed into shops.

Many media connections can be made with Eastbourne. The iconic cliff at Beachy Head and the seafront have both been featured in films and in TV series. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Quadrophenia, The Life and Loves of a She Devil, Battle of Britain, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, The War Games – Doctor Who 1965, Atonement, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to name but a few.

The James Bond film ‘The Living Daylights’ involved a sequence of Bond parachuting out of a Land Rover in Gibraltar, which was actually filmed at Beachy Head. Vehicles were catapulted over the cliff with dummies extracted by fishing line to release the parachute upon exiting. The first shot was scrapped due to onlookers being visible in the background. The filming took on its own action movie, when the boat at the bottom of the cliffs positioned to film the descent got into difficulty in a heavy swell, and the local Birling Gap lifeboats were launched to pull the crew off the cliffs, resulting in bravery awards for some members.

When the film opened in Eastbourne, Desmond Llewelyn (aka Q) who lived locally at Bexhill attended with some ‘Bond gadgets’ as a thank you. Part of the filming contract stipulated that remnants of impacted vehicles some 550 ft below had to be cleared up.

One of the latest films to be partly shot in Eastbourne was ‘Notes on a Scandal’, which also included scenes at The Cavendish Hotel. Other notable appearances have been in the TV series ‘Foyles War’ and Little Britain have both used Eastbourne as a backdrop. The town council has a Film Location Officer’ and they obviously turn a few quid in location fees.

Hampden Park was the first public park opened in Eastbourne. The facilities here are mainly sport related benefiting from football pitches, a rugby club and tennis courts. There is also a large lake and lakeside cafe. Gildredge Park and Manor Gardens are more suited to families, with a children’s playground, bowls lawn, cafe, lawns and rose gardens. At the eastern end of the seafront is Princes Park, home to a large lake that is noted for its swans. The lake gets used by a nearby water-sports centre and offers kayak and windsurfing training.

Eastbourne is host to many annual events throughout the year. One of the most popular being the international air show ‘Airbourne’. A four day event which first started in 1993, it features displays from the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flights and aircraft from the RAF and USAF. The famous Chinese State Circus performs once a year at Princes Park. There is also an annual beer festival – yummy! Then there’s the International Lawn Tennis Association’s Ladies Event in Devonshire Park just before Wimbledon every year.

On the retail side there is the Arndale Shopping Centre in the heart of the town with over 70 stores, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways. The high street is lined with some fabulous boutique shops. In Little Chelsea you will find quirky antique shops and art galleries, gift shops and boutiques all in a quaint Victorian style street. Other shopping areas include Sovereign Harbour and Langney Shopping centre.

Eastbourne has four independent schools, six secondary and seventeen primary schools. All of these undergo regular inspections by Ofsted and education is considered to be good and improving in Eastbourne. There are several language schools in Eastbourne welcoming students mainly from Germany, Japan, Spain and Italy. Well known people who have studied in the town include Prunella Scales and Eddie Izzard.

The main train station can be found in the town centre with regular services to London Victoria, Gatwick airport and Hastings. Commuter services include Brighton and Polegate. Within the town the bus service is provided by Stagecoach and runs services to Polegate, Uckfield, Tunbridge Wells and Hailsham.

Property in Eastbourne ranges from £60,000 for a 1 bed flat to £1,500,000 for a six bed period feature house. The average Eastbourne house price paid is £204,300.