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Tuesday 18 March 2014

Eastbourne Part 2......

Our second full day in Eastbourne dawned sunny and warm again and after a lovely breakfast we met up with our fellow travellers for that day's excursion which took us first to Beachy Head, a chalk headland close to Eastbourne. The cliff there is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, rising to 162 metres (531 ft) above sea level. The peak allows views of the south east coast from Dungeness in the east, to Selsey Bill in the west. Its height has also made it one of the most notorious suicide spots in the world.  

The name Beachy Head appears as 'Beauchef' in 1274, and was 'Beaucheif' in 1317, becoming consistently Beachy Head by 1724, and has nothing to do with beach. Instead it is a corruption of the original French words meaning "beautiful headland" (beau chef).   We walked up the hill (me not as far as MWM) to take some photos of the views.

MWM discovered this Compass Rose, if you click on the pic and zoom in you should be able to read the inscription.

There is also this World War II memorial. Beachy Head was the major operational route outbound from the UK for the airmen of the RAF Bomber Command.

The next stop was Arundel, famous for it's medieval castle.


The castle was established by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the Earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.



From the 11th century onward, the castle has served as a hereditary stately home and has been in the family of the Duke of Norfolk for over 400 years. It is still the principal seat of the Norfolk family and is a Grade I listed building.
 We found these interesting ruins as we walked into the town, Blackfriars Dominican Priory.




A nice view of the River Arun.



Time for lunch, so off we went to Chichester.




The area around Chichester is believed to have played a significant part during the Roman Invasion of A.D 43, as confirmed by evidence of military storage structures in the area of the nearby Fishbourne Roman Palace. The city centre stands on the foundations of the Romano-British city of Noviomagnus Reginorum, capital of the Civitas Reginorum.




The Chichester Cross, according to the inscription upon it,was built by Edward Story, Bishop of Chichester from 1477 to 1503; but little is known for certain and the style and ornaments of the building suggest that it may date from the reign of Edward IV (1442 - 1483). It was built so that the poor people would have somewhere to sell their wares, and as a meeting point. An earlier wooden cross had been erected on the same site by Bishop Rede (1369-1385).


After some lunch we made our way to the Cathedral
Founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of the bishop was moved from Selsey it has fine architecture in both the Norman and Gothic styles, and has been called "the most typical English Cathedral". Despite this, Chichester has two architectural features that are unique among England's medieval cathedrals—a free-standing medieval bell tower (or campanile)


and double aisles. The cathedral contains two rare medieval sculptures, and many modern art works including tapestries and stained glass.






There are also lists and pictures of all the Bishops of Chichester adorning the walls.


 I found the story behind this Gothic "Arundel Tomb" fascinating

It shows the recumbent Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel (1313–1376), holding hands with his second wife, Eleanor of Lancaster (1318–1372), who by his will were buried together.  The armour and dress suggest a date near 1375.  The knight's attitude is typical of the time but the lady's crossed legs, giving the effect of a turn towards her husband are rare. The joined hands were thought to be due to restoration, but recent research has shown the feature to be original. If so this monument must be one of the earliest showing this concession to affection where the husband was a knight rather than a civilian. How romantic is that?

Another interesting feature was this glass topped tabled, which allowed one to take a photograph of the ceiling above,
 and this is a photograph looking up at the ceiling.

If you ever find yourself in Chichester do go visit the Cathedral, it has a lot of history and interesting features.

By the time we exited the cathedral we had to make our way back to meet the coach to return to the hotel.   We made it back with just enough time for a short rest before getting changed for dinner.

Please join me next time for Eastbourne Part 3, when I will show you Eastbourne itself.

16 comments:

Ron said...

WOW...your shots of Beachy Beach are amazing because you really get a sense of the height and spaciousness of the area. Especially loved the 4th and 5th photos down. Gorgeous!

And someone who loves to visit churches, I so enjoyed the shots inside the cathedral. Love the Norman and Goth styles! Also, I found the "Arundel Tomb" utterly fascinating! And what a great shot of the catherdral ceiling!

As always, m'dear...you never fail to share such interesting and informative posts on your travels. Well done!
X

MorningAJ said...

Amazing photos! It's not an area I know well, though I went to Chichester many years ago. I think it's time I went back.

Cloudia said...

fabulous things to see!

ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral

=^..^= <3


Valerie said...

I am ashamed to say I didn't know all that about Beachy Head.

I would really like to visit that cathedral and see the ruins. Excellent travel report, Pearl.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Akemalula - incredible tour you've taken .. gosh I'd be shattered if I'd seen Beachy Head, Arundel and Chichester in one day .. but you've opened my curiosity as to Arundel and Chichester .. neither of which I've explored at all really.

Well I will .. and now I want to see what you made of 'my town'!!

Cheers and I'll be back to read more of this .. Hilary

Akelamalu said...

Beachy Head is a beautiful place Ron, such a shame that so many people choose to throw themselves off it! The Arundel Tomb really captured my interest, so romantic. Glad you enjoyed the photos m'deario. xx

We have never been there before either AJ, which is why we went, I can recommend a visit. x

Absolutely Cloudia. xx

I didn't know either until we went there Valerie. The Cathedral is well worth a visit. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

We try to pack a lot in wherever we go Hilary LOL We really enjoyed everything we saw and Eastbourne is lovely. Hope you enjoy my 'report' of it next time. xx

Daryl said...

simply spectacular scenery .. thank you for taking these trips and sharing them!

Dumdad said...

I've been to Beachy Head and resisted the temptation to jump!

PS I can't publish this comment under my WordPress blog because Blogger is asking for a whole load of details from me. Sod that for a game of bloggers!

Secret Agent Woman said...

You got some bright blue skies on that visit.

Maggie May said...

Eastbourne is a lovely place. You always take good photos.
Loved the stained glass windows in Chichester Cathedral.
Maggie x

Nuts in May

Akelamalu said...

My pleasure Daryl x

So did I Dumdad! Lol

We did indeed SAW. X

It is Maggie. The cathedral is beautiful, so much to see.

Flowerpot said...

Fabulous pictures Ak - what a trip!

A Lady's Life said...

I love the shots of beachy beach
I have never visited such wonderful castles and the cathedral is really worth the visit.!

Sandi McBride said...

OMG...how wonderful to be able to say, wow, I HAVE BEEN THERE! It brought such wonderful memories of strolling those ancient streets, standing atop Beachy Head with my dearest friend, Bubbles Loxley Green...my heart hurts with the swelling of those memories...thank you so much
Sandi

Jenny Woolf said...

You packed in such a lot, and very interesting it is. I had often wondered of the derivation of "Beachy Head." Your post makes me realise that it's a long time since I've been to this part of the world, which is very beautiful. If the weather keeps improving it'll be time for a hike on the downs!

Flowerpot said...

Amazing pictures - what a great time you had!