Sunshine, tennis and Harry Potter - 10 top facts about Eastbourne

Did you know?

1) Eastbourne was developed at the direction of the Duke of Devonshire from 1859 from four separate hamlets.

2) Roman remains beneath the town include a Roman bath and section of pavement between Eastbourne Pier and the Redoubt Fortress. There’s also a Roman villa near the entrance to the pier.

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3) Eastbourne’s fame as a seaside resort grew following a summer holiday visit by four of King George III’s children in 1780.

4) The town suffered badly during the Second World War from air raids. It was designated by the Home Office to have been ‘the most raided town in the South East region’.

5) Eastbourne holds the record for the highest recorded amount of sunshine in a month, 383.9 hours in July 1911.

6) The town and surrounding area has been used in many films. Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters were used as backdrops for scenes from the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

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7) Eastbourne Pier was built between 1866 and 1872. It was badly damaged by fire on July 30 2014. The blaze broke out in the middle building of the pier and the flames were battled by 80 firefighters.

8) Lewis Carroll holidayed in Eastbourne 19 times. A blue plaque in Lushington Road marks the location of his first visit in 1877.

9) UK Prime Minister Theresa May was born in Eastbourne.

10) Eastbourne International tennis tournament has been held in the town since 1974 and serves as a warm-up to Wimbledon.

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