Eastbourne

Eastbourne, borough and county district, East Sussex, south-eastern England, on the English Channel. A seaside resort, Eastbourne is noted for its seafront esplanade and gardens. Among its attractions is the Wish Tower (a Martello tower), one of many built to guard the coast against a threatened Napoleonic invasion. It is now a museum. The original settlement, now called Old Town, is somewhat inland and contains the 12th-century church of St Mary. To the west of the town is Beachy Head, a chalk cliff 175 m (575 ft) above sea level, forming the eastern end of the South Downs. Population 89,667 (2001).