The sad decline of British seaside towns 🇬🇧
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- Throughout the Victorian era up until the late 1990s, British seaside towns and their respective resorts were thriving. They brought in millions into the British economy and employed millions more.
However, domestic travel became saturated, taxed and expensive while international travel became more affordable. Consequently the towns that used to thrive off British tourism, declined.
Today we explore the town of Eastbourne in East Sussex to see if life has gotten any better here.
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In the past the was loads of people coming down from the north for long weekend, filling the seafront hotels. Many of the hotels are now migrant accommodation. No longer spaces for as many visitors, so less money coming into the town.
@@frogmaster83 couldn't agree more mate. Many thanks for your comment also it supports the channel a great deal 😀
It's all by design. Slowly but surely. Alcohol and pubs will be next, making way for the islamic state of Britain.
EXACTLY WHAT I SAY! ALL BY DESIGN!!!!!
Yawn
What a mongy comment 😂
@@richierich8334 it’s ok,climate change,will kill everyone long before that happens.
Hampden Park with the lake ,is one of Eastbournes best kept secrets ,great for walks,play area for kids,not many cars,love it.
Yeah I enjoyed it a lot, I was surprised as to how nice it was
I was in Eastbourne for the 7 Sisters in 2017. It seemed okay, but what struck me was that the cab driver didn’t say a word on the way except “Do you know people come here for suicide?” Then he fell in silence. The cliffs were amazing though.
It's beautiful there but my god the stories are so depressing:( what a shame
@@EdBrinton not only the suicides,one of Peter Tobins victims was killed in the bushes,it is alleged.
@@robertjsmith very true yes mate, how tragic
Craig house (2.26) is part of Eastbourne College (a private school) they broke up for the summer holidays end of June. The town center and seaside have seen better times. A lot of the wealthy residents who used to commute to London moved further inland into Sussex away from the coast. I grew up in Eastbourne and the town centre is in a horrible state.
@@tombarnard4355 interesting mate, thanks for the comment I appreciate it! 😀
Thanks for your video. I now want to revisit this coastal town. I see potential there. Wonderful architecture, peaceful environment.
@@adventurerful thanks so much for your comment, means a lot to me! And yes I might revisit it too, very beautiful place 😄
It’s a shame the people have let Eastbourne become so run down and deprived. It could be so much more.
@@TheThatguy123456789 for sure mate
Good to see you getting a few more subs, you deserve more. Good content again.
@@archie592 thank you mate I really appreciate that 😄
Another good video mate. Always enjoy your content.
@@avacyn2000 cheers ❤️❤️❤️
To be fair to Eastbourne, this isn't just an Eastbourne problem - most seaside resort towns are on their arse to some degree, compared to they heydays of the 1950s-1970s. The invention of the package holiday in the late 1970s was the start, but there's wider macro causes too: significant rise in disposal income, greater annual leave allowances, and the endless holiday shows on TV during the 80s and 90s, replaced with online stuff from the 00s. Covid travel restrictions aside, you'd have be mental or on the interpol watch list to want to spend a fortnight in Eastbourne for the same or more money as a two week all-inclusive package to somewhere in the Med.
At the same time the package holiday boomed, the Thatcher era saw the wholesale sell off of council housing stock to tenants. Population growth from the 90s onwards, against the the lack of social housing, meant that councils started using guest houses/B&Bs as temporary accommodation. Given the vast majority of Guest/B&B is in seaside resorts, that's where people got shipped to. Net result - councils pissing money away on landlords who have no compelling reason to keep the property nice, the socially deprived and care dependent (drug addicts, homeless, etc) getting moved to coastal towns, and little to no tourist income. For a while, East Sussex Council was doing a roaring trade in taking everyone else's problem cases and putting them up in B&Bs in Hastings, Eastbourne, and Bexhill.
Eastbourne was a quiet retirement backwater when I was growing up in Sussex. Presumably the people that had holidayed there in the 1950s and 60s and had fond memories. But inevitably that generation of retirees gets replaced, but by the late 90s it was much easier to retire to the Med. On top of that, there's also been a subtle cultural shift in retirement habits in the UK - these days people are much less likely to hit 65, sell the suburban family home and buy a bungalow in a quiet seaside town. People are having kids later, and increasingly providing childcare for grandkids, which tends to keep them in the same area as their kids until later in life.
All that said, I think it's worth looking at the other side of the coin to the seaside towns that have boomed and thrived - mostly in Cornwall. There the opposite has occurred - second home money has destroyed the property market for locals. As nobody can afford to actually live there properly, these places start to die too.
@@duncanhamilton5841 well said mate, thanks for sharing:)
I went to the seven sisters as well years ago and found it nice and tranquil there with the chalk cliffs!
@@joannesaltfleet2071 id argue it's the most beautiful sight in Sussex actually ☺️
Sorry, I keep on forgetting. On the summer weekends it's really busy. Even yesterday on Friday town was packed, people were singing and there weren't any dodgy people around. I was quite surprised as I hadn't been in the main town part since last summer, the place now looked well looked after and it was happy yesterday, some good street performers where the crowd were singing and dancing. Another thing about Eastbourne is that there is a very string community that does their best to keep the place clean, and it was pretty clean and tidy.
Another reason why only relatively wealthy people come down to Eastbourne, is because its very expensive, not only to live but to stay. Eastbourne has some brilliant restaurants but the prices aren't too far off from London prices. And people would rather go abroad as you can go for quite cheap. Loads of hidden gems in Eastbourne, especially round the little villages scattered around where you'll more than likely find beautiful coffee shops and pubs.
I'll have to visit on the weekends. Also thanks for the comment I really look forward to ones like these that just give some more insight.
Comments like these make the video better so cheers mate
I do love Eastbourne, the cleanest seaside in UK, Seagulls are desperate, hence the ice cream stealing 🍦🍦 The Debenhams use to have a gorgeous staircase. Fuschiardi ice cream parlour do lovely ice cream 👍😁😎
@@LeeJohn70 thanks for the comment and yes I'll have to go back sometime 😁
Oh and i forgot to mention, Eastbournes main problem, is the population. A town that is home to well over 100,000 where it really should be home to half that.
Many people are really wealthy in Eastbourne and its a beautiful place.
Regarding the shopping centre, i do find it enjoyable ane there are some good shops. But some places are boarded up due to the astronomical rent, not too far from London prices.
I went on a 15 mile walk round Eastbourne yesterday, from treasure island through town and onto the beautiful cliff's and the people in town were no trouble at all, its only when it gets dark the weirdos come out. Same as every town though. The nice areas of Eastbourne will always be nice and haven't changed at all. Its just places like Shinewater have gotten worse and been filled with drug people from.London. Shame, but Eastbournes probably one of the nest large towns to live in if youre middle class and abobe
@@pyro7598 I couldn't agree more mate
You just reminded me I miss Eastbourne. You didn't see the main part of town & shopping mall. Also there is a stunning park at Hampden Park. Maybe you need a revisit it is suffering with hotels being taken over to house the migrants 🙄
@@SazzyLaws-it4eg yeah I keep getting told that I feel stupid now 🤣. Thanks for the comment though I appreciate
Thanks for a really interesting video. The western side of Eastbourne is very prosperous. The centre of town has suffered recently but that's a broader problem across the UK. I think Eastbourne is actually gradually becoming more gentrified not less, driven by the excellent climate, countryside and period properties, as the "daily commute" becomes less of a thing.
Sure, it's taken a while to rotate away from being a working/lower middle class "seaside resort" but that ship sailed decades ago. Eastbourne suffers from having very little Higher Education money (the greatest levelling up mechanism in the UK, rarely talked about) compared to, for example, Brighton, as well as slower rail services to London (but see comment above about the lessening importance of the daily commute).
It's an attractive town for people who have reached retirement age, but that's not a bad thing as they tend to bring their accumulated savings with them. All-in-all, I would say Eastbourne has a decent future.
I should add that I don't live in Eastbourne (I am over near Lewes). I would recommend the Towner Gallery which is excellent - fabulous art gallery, cafe/restaurant and (now) a cinema. Starting to sound like the local Tourist Board ...
@@digitaurus thanks for the comment and subscribing I really appreciate that. Would. Lewes video be a good one you reckon?
@@EdBrinton Hi Ed - I think Lewes could be interesting depending on where you want to take the channel. The classic angle on Lewes (perhaps stereotypical) is Bonfire Night but I do think it is probably a good way in as the sheer madness of the 5 November celebrations do reflect the spirit of independence that still attaches itself to Lewes and the surrounding Weald. "We wunt be druv" is the unofficial slogan for the area and has some truth to it. If you haven't been before, come down to Lewes for Bonfire Night celebrations (warning: sort out accommodation a long time in advance and beware of the reduced public transport and car bans) - if nothing else it is something worth experiencing.
@@digitaurus woah that does sound pretty intriguing id love to check it out! Yeah Id like to do other videos aside from the worst places also
I agree.
I do like your positive comments on Eastbourne. I think these former seaside holiday towhs need to reinvent themselves. They should be places where more people want to live and work, or retire to, rather than just be treated as holiday resorts. We have a beautiful coastline and I think our seaside towns deserve better.
Um! Very selective indeed.And you mentioned Bournemouth which receives three and a half million holiday makes every year .A Beautiful town and amazing beach But if you only go to look at empty shops Then that's what you will find in any town .If you check up on Brighton you will find over 15 national well known shop chains have closed down in the last few years . Eastbourne is a lovely town if you would bother to look at it properly.Of course it hasn't got golden sands like Bournemouth and Sandbanks but it's still nice with the pebbles and stones.
@@vinnywarren2144 yeah it seemed pretty nice there, just a shame it's so run down with many closed down shops. Remember though when I visit these places I've only been for a few hours so my opinions or what I physically saw might differ from a local or anyone who's been for longer :) just sharing what I saw in the 4 hours I was there
I see you haven't got over Luton yet, Ed!
A good video.
@@viv73903 hahah I don't think I will ever get over Luton lol!
And thanks so much, your comment has made my day 😀
Unfortunately, once pleasant and select post-war coastal resorts were transformed by London councils dumping their problem families out of mind and out of sight down on the coast.
Places like Hastings, Eastbourne, Worthing, Bognor etc suffered greatly as a result…
@@lawrieflowers8314 well said, it's the sad reality
How can a country so lovely be so damaged? It has been over 20 years since my last visit to England / Brittan but bloody hell. How can a government trash such a lovely place. Wow.
@@robertfear7021 I know mate it's crazy honestly:( thanks for your comment also
I just thought Eastbourne was a retirement home.
@@Harry-ks5cj hahah I was the youngest person there
It is a cemetery with traffic lights!!
That was many years ago isn’t so much now
@@makeshift1012 interesting 🤔
@@EdBrinton bexhill is the new spot
I used to work in Eastbourne 2011 was nice.
Took my grandson on a welsh beach friday and the lifeguard came over and warned us against going on the beach cos of the sewage
seaside towns are probly finished sadly for many reasons
@@jelhinks3381 yeah that's a good point I forgot to mention the sewage issue on so many British beaches. Thanks for the comment btw I appreciate it a lot 😁
I'd like to add that this is has lot to do with covid. I think you'll find this in most UK towns and cities not just seaside towns. You could have mentioned these:
-Eastbourne is still under the jurisdiction of the Duke Of Devonshire which is why, unlike some seaside towns, tattoo parlours, kebab shops etc are not allowed on the seafront.
-Eastbourne has a Towner Gallery which houses art that you may find in galleries in major city galleries such as the Tate.
-Eastbourne hosts an International tennis tournament every year with the Williams sisters and Andy Murray and their followers adding an extra cosmopolitan feel to the town.
-Eastbourne has the Grand Hotel which again helps the economic footfall of the town. it was the inspiration for Casino Royale and Debussy wrote Le mer in, wait for it!, the Debussy suite.
-Micro climate
-the town centre is a 30 minute walk from the South Downs national park.
-1hour and 25 mins to Victoria via train.
@@onlinemusiclessonsadamphil4677 thanks for sharing this I really appreciate it 😁
Great videos 👍 sadly most of the UK like this now Penzance is an utter dump now shops closed up . Everyone wants to drive to the giant supermarkets and out of town malls. It’s killed most towns
@@David-uf8ex thank you brother I really appreciate that!
And yes I totally agree, the retail parks have killed the highstreet
I’ve lived in this town for five years it really isn’t a bad place , of course, you have your odd bit of theft and occasional youth violence and people from foreign backgrounds making Eastbourne their home and obviously bringing certain elements with them. For me, it’s much better than living in London
@@makeshift1012 yeah it was lovely there, much better than it's reputation!
@@EdBrinton well, I lived in Kingsmere Way estate considerably dumpy people just chucking rubbish on the street does have some youth issue but it’s only changed really after Covid New residence
As an Eastbourne resident, I can sum you up the parts of Eastbourne and where and where not to live.
Poor parts
Langney and Shinewater, where lots of the "so called negative and scummy people live" for a lack of better word. Drugs problem.
Some parts of seaside are really bad down the wreck park.
Roselands is very good for middle aged couples with kids, as there are quite a few schools and nursery's in that area. Quite nice but overpriced.
Willingdon is very nice, good properties but expensive.
Hampden park is quite nice, but all depends what areas.
Meads is very nice and where all the multi millionaires live.
Ratton village is lovely as well, wealthy.
Old Town is very nice aswell.
Harbour is brilliant
Overall its a nice place to live and I love living here, nice people. But in some of the scrappy areas it can become quite unsafe, but Eastbourne has more positives than negatives
@@pyro7598 I echo these comments for sure
Did you add a filter for some effect? or is it really this blueish-gray irl?
@@Cpt.Zenobia nope just classic British summer lol
you avoided the main town center and indoor shopping center and any decent part was obviously edited out to make Eastbourne look far worse than it is. eastbourne has better shopping than hastings. Eastbourne has pretty much the same retail stores as any major high street, such as next, river island, m and s, prime mark. where was this in your video ?. every town has good and bad parts all over the country.Also all the seafront hotels were not included.
@@ThomasBaker-v1u cry
Nah Eastbourne is a shithole, get over it
I live in a city in California called Oakland. People making videos only show the run down parts, while neglecting the nicer areas. There are some absolutely beautiful areas, but people watching these types of videos will never know 😒.
@@ThomasBaker-v1u he literally went to the nicest bit and the town centre 🤣🤣
@@Lechonberryph lol you can never win with these people but their comments help the algorithm so keep em coming I say haha
I would say Eastbourne is one of the nicest sea-side towns on the Southcoast, lovely coastal walks, parks, affluent areas, and the southdowns which is great for long walks and hiking..an area i thoroughly enjoy visiting for the scenery and a nice-break 👍
@@jamesMcdonald-m7z yeah it felt super nice there actually, such a shame it's been left to rot :(
Oh and sorry once again. Eastbourne Borough football club are looking to become a successful league football club in the near future as the backer has a lot of dosh and wants to get more people to come to Eastbourne. It's definitely got a bright future even if the rest of the UK might not look like it
@@pyro7598 I agree mate
I've seen your videos on Eastbourne and Hastings. If you had to choose one to live in, would it be Hastings or Eastbourne?
@@mikekellock5009 good question. They are similar.
Hastings has more to do, and has less boarded up stores so I'd have to go with Hastings. Both were pretty nice in some parts but there's no getting away from the shut down stores from lack of government investment on these poor towns.
Thanks for watching and commenting mate it really helps my channel when it's so small
@EdBrinton Thanks for the reply its appreciated 👍. Just another question have you ever been to Llandudno? I'm wondering which you would choose to live in out of Llandudno and Hastings?
@@mikekellock5009 cheers mate and I have never been actually. Is it worth visiting?
@EdBrinton For me it is yes. They say like they do in most seaside towns, that's it's full of older people. I wouldn't say that's the case. It's a really calm town and has great terrain views and a pretty decent sized town centre that's really well kept. There's also a cable car and funicular going up the orme. It's definitely worth checking out 👍
@@mikekellock5009 thanks mate I'll have to visit there some time actually. Also thanks for the comment it really helps with the channel being so small currently. I'm going further afield real soon
I went to Eastbourne many years ago and really enjoyed it there!
@@joannesaltfleet2071 I'm glad to hear that 😁
Well - peak of summer eh? Look at the weather!! No wonder the British seaside is in decline when you can go and get actual sun and a sandy beach for a few hundred quid and a fews hours...
@@jackgillies5638 literally mate it's crazy
I lived in Kings Park and it was nice really, the bungalows were not very well built, the town centre l never went to but Charlie Brown's restaurant was the best in town.
@@CarlosAlberto-ii1li I'll have to check it out mate cheers
“entire town centre” you completely missed the brand new shopping centre next to the train station - quite misleading.
@@papa2k I don't live there so I don't know where everything is, to my knowledge that was the whole town centre. Not misleading anyone though, I had no idea bro
Didnt go to the old town neither
@@geozvision_hiking4views I went through it but I didn't record it ;)
@@EdBrinton thats a shame . Also the marina is nice . I think eastbourne is doing better than alot of seaside towns
@@geozvision_hiking4views interesting I'll have to give it a second message mate! Cheers:)
Eastbourne is a gem of a city, and I'm sure if you're aiming to find bad parts of any town you can find them. I would hardly call what you shown a "decline."
You don't see the shut down buildings, trash and high crime rates decline? Intresting
Uk as an island does not sit at a good location to have good beaches. It's cold, windy and just not as blue as let's say Spain or Italy and France.
@@DardaniaLion we used to be influenced heavily by the jet stream too but not so much these days. Cheers for the comment btw I appreciate it
This is really negative video. The cinema closed because of the new cinema at the Beacon Centre. Debenhams has closed throughout the country. I spent a lot of time here and although it has its problems, the facilities and natural features more than compensate. I was lucky to spend most of the covid pandemic there.
@@markgidley7089 the video was meant to showcase the decline of British seaside towns, nothing against Eastbourne. As you say, it's actually a pretty nice place. Just a shame most seaside towns have been neglected now
Eastbourne looking crazy
@@Lechonberryph yeah it was definitely an interesting one 😅
eastbourne is lovely old but great dont run eastbourne down has a lot to offer
@@classics144sportscarschannel it was a lot better than I expected, run down yes but didn't feel unsafe. Felt like a few years back it'd be a great place for a holiday
@@EdBrinton Your running Eastbourne down just for the sake of it, it’s not going to compare to a busy city like Brighton, which is only down the road, Eastbourne has always been known to be a quiet seaside town.
I love it when a foetus gives us his vast wisdom
@@hmq9052 well more wisdom than people who leave hate comments on small UA-camrs 😉
@@EdBrinton Good luck with the thing
@@hmq9052 thank you I appreciate that 😄
Well the pandemic killed the economy worldwide- Eastbourne is still a lovely place though but a the population is getting worse 😢
@@Jo-up1pg yeah it's crazy how many towns have been destroyed by the lockdowns. Thanks for the comment by the way I appreciate it 😁
You don't really know the history of the town so perhaps research first? ❤
@@user-xn7mi2gb3d thanks for the comment I appreciate that ❤️
13:00 woahhh
where are you from originally
Tottenham mate
Or maybe the privatisation of railways led to the death of people making journeys to seaside… it’s cheaper to fly to flipping greece than to take a train from Edinburgh to Brighton
@@kimjong-un464 yeah it's crazy compared to every country I've been it's more expensive
Do these places vote tory for years of austerity and brexit
@@jamesmilne2455 many of them do unfortunately
Just flipped from Tory to Lib Dem.
@@papa2k yeah lots of the south did interestingly same with west south London
There's no doubt English seaside towns have gone down. Everybody has followed the sun to Spain ect.
@@oreilly1237878 exactly this mate
you want to do vid of bexhill next thats ok but like everywhere has its issues. one think bexhill is famous for is cars , and racing of cars
@@classics144sportscarschannel I'll definitely give it a visit, how does it compare to Hastings and Eastbourne?
@@EdBrinton bexhill is a safe place would say in between some what, also try and visit brighton thats got a little run down over years but has classic car events there at different months of year
@@classics144sportscarschannel I love classic cars mate, and yeah Brighton is good but I preferred Hastings honestly felt more authentic
@@EdBrinton if u love classic cars in bexhill august bank holiday monday car show in there sports ground .plus bexhill does have other car events on sea front too
@@EdBrinton o ok. mysel;f only lives hour away of maidstone in kent
u deffo went there on wrong weather season? where is our summer?
@@classics144sportscarschannel you know how British summer is my friend 🤣
danm awelfull this year grrr
@@classics144sportscarschannel I was worried it was gunna rain and ruin the video lol
@@EdBrinton good job it did not supposed to be summer?
@@classics144sportscarschannel yeah supposed to be..... Apparently haha
end of a cycle bro.....decay has much further to go.
@@waykiwayki you reckon it'll get worse bro?
@@EdBrinton for sure... See some of my work.... It's all by design...
if you had bothered to walk the other way of terminus road you would have seen alot better image of the town and the revamped beacon centre with cineworld . i found the video to only show the bad bits and not the good bits trying to just give a negative view of the town. maybe do avideo when the tennis is on or airbourne which is the largest free airshow in the uk would show you how good and popular our town is.
@@stevewarren9508 I did walk there but I didn't film it because the video was meant to showcase the decline of British seaside towns. Nothing against Eastbourne. My overall opinion is it's actually a lovely place, super friendly people also brother. Thanks for your feedback though I'll keep that in mind
That was not the town centre.. you didn’t visit The Beacon shopping centre.. this video is totally misleading.. google The Beacon in Eastbourne.. this video is absolute rubbish..
@@Andy.001. don't watch it then
front........line,,dec =decline !!!!!!!!
Jumping on the bandwagon eh
@@Fakewokeagenda ?
Your name makes me sick
Doesn't portray eastbourne at all to be honest
@@Gaming_spotlight thanks for the comment I appreciate that ❤️
Gaming, you should do your own video mate more the merrier
@@makeshift1012 i was really considering it after watching this
Hello how are you 😊😊
If you live in London you are not going to Eastbourne. You will head to Spain etc.
@@agyemanboaten4385 very true
That’s not true I lived in London for 23 years every couple of years, I would travel to Eastbourne for a holiday with the family
@@makeshift1012 I used to cycle down from Croydon on a Saturday morning then stay Saturday and Sunday then take the train back. Somehow could never find enough to do there. Albeit this was in the early 2000s three or 4 times a year.