The area we now call Eastbourne has been settled since 500BC when nomadic Celts put down roots and started farming on the South Downs.

In 43AD, the Romans developed farms, built pavements and baths, the ruins of which were discovered in 1712 and 1841 opposite where the pier now stands. There is also evidence of Roman mosaic flooring beneath the Burlington Hotel.

However, before the famous Dr Richard Russell wrote about medical benefits of the seaside in 1752, Eastbourne barely existed.

The town grew in popularity following a royal holiday by four of George III’s offspring in 1870, and became known as the Empress of Watering Places, while Brighton was merely Queen of Watering Places.

It was following the railway’s arrival in 1849 that Eastbourne started to expand rapidly into the town famous for its pier, cliffs, tennis and air show.

Its sheltered position in the lee of the South Downs gives the town its famously high sunshine record - the highest recorded amount of sunshine in Britain in a month - 383.9 hours in July 1911.

Eastbourne, like many other East Sussex resorts, was seen as a first line of defence against an invasion by France during the Napoleonic wars and is the site of one of the famous Redoubt Towers, which along with the smaller Martello Towers, dot the coastline.

During WWII the town was badly bombed and known as the most raided town in the south east.

Wimbledon's Centre Court may need a roof to protect against rain but with Eastbourne's excellent weather Devonshire Park, which hosts the annual AEGON International Tennis Championships, has no such problem. The best tennis players from around the world play in this annual tournament.

Along with Devonshire Park, Eastbourne has three other council-owned theatres, Royal Hippodrome, Congress and Winter Garden, all hosting a range of concerts, plays and musicals. There is also the historic Lamb Inn and Theatre, built in the 14th century, where Charles Dickens performed amateur dramatics during the 1830s.

A few miles to the north-east is the village of Pevensey and the famous Pevensey Bay, landing place of William the Conqueror and his invading army in 1066. The bay has extensive pebble and sand beaches with safe bathing and clean waters. Swimming, boating, kite surfing and angling are popular pursuits. The well preserved Napoleonic Martello Towers stand on this stretch of coast and many have been converted into homes. The bay is one of the few remaining coastlines in Sussex where you can buy homes directly on the beach with private beach frontages and sea views. Its real popularity lies in being natural and unspoilt.

Five miles from Eastbourne is Polegate. Until the coming of the railways in the 1840s, Polegate was a small settlement within the parish of Hailsham. The Roman road from Pevensey to Lewes passed through here, and the turnpike between London and Eastbourne was developed in the 18th century; but it was the opening of the railway between Lewes and Hastings, with later branches to Eastbourne and Hailsham, that meant growth for Polegate

With a rich variety of rural and urban landscape, it is a very pleasant place to live. The town and civil parish features a grade II listed tower mill, built in 1817, that has been restored and is open to the public. The town has a range of shops and restaurants, plus sporting facilities for football, cricket and stoolball on the well tended public recreation ground, as well as a nearby children’s play area.

There are four streets in Polegate named after Sussex landowners, the Anglo-Norman Levett family – Levett Close, Levett Road, Levett Avenue and Levett Way.