The genteel persuasion of Eastbourne

Eastbourne probably used to mean many things to many people but “extreme” was not one of them. And yet the south coast resort is now breaking out of the confines of an old set of expectations.

The town is between its slightly faded elder sister Hastings to the east, and it’s rather raffish and risqué cousin Brighton to the west.

It has become synonymous with the sedate, the well-ordered, the conventional. It has been nick-named (and “God’s waiting room”, a place where those of a certain age take their leisure and where they can parade slowly along the promenade, past the immaculately luxuriant blooms of the flower beds. And then, just for a bit more fun, parade all the way back again.

When they re-made the film of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock a year or so back, most of it was shot in Eastbourne. Brighton was no good because it had changed out of all recognition. Not so Eastbourne, which has avoided high rise blocks of flats, and where the seafront itself is a continuous line of Victorian and Edwardian hotels, with only a couple of more contemporary premises – including a red brick Harry Ramsden’s, which sticks out like a sore thumb. Otherwise Eastbourne looks pretty much as Eastbourne always did.

One of the many reasons why Eastbourne has been stuck in what some would think is a cosy old lint-pink time warp is because large areas of land is owned by the Cavendish family (the Dukes of Devonshire).

And they have refused to let any of their holdings which lie to the left of the Grade II listed pier be adapted or tampered with. A vast statue of one of the Dukes still stands on his plinth opposite the imposing Grand Hotel, looking very sure of himself and his importance.

From time to time, local students take him down a peg or two, just for the fun of it, and when lights dawns over the sea behind, he will be found, draped is swathes of toilet paper, and with an old-fashioned chamberpot on his head.

The town is now marketing itself as “the sunniest place in the UK” – and rival destinations in the Scilly Isles and on Jersey have taken something of an exception to it.

Whatever the claims, there is certainly a lot to see and do. At two extremes, there’s the incredible new state-of-the-art purpose-built Towner Art Gallery on College Road, and the Redoubt Fortress and Military Museum.

Both have exhibitions throughout the year, with the Towner contrasting material from its own impressive collections, and visiting displays. Last summer a John Piper retrospective brought in crowds in their tens of thousands. The Towner also allows visitors at certain times to go behind the scenes to see the treasures in the store-rooms. Along the coast and toward the bustling marina is the Redoubt, a fort originally built during the Napoleonic wars. A huge circle of brick and stone, it is now an imposing home to a fine collection of militaria, memories and artefacts from local regiments, as well as photographs of Eastbourne during the two World Wars. The old girl was in the front firing line in the Second World War when much of the population was evacuated. There are eerie archive pictures of deserted streets and later bomb damage. The Museum of Shops should also be on your agenda. Within one small building and over four crammed floors are a nest of lovingly re-created shop-fronts and interiors, each packed with original tins, bottles, packets and fittings that span a century and more of retail in the high street. It’s enough to make Mary Portas weep with envy.

So far, so sedate. The extreme side of town puts itself on show at the Eastbourne Extreme event. It features just about every activity on skates, wheels and the ends of ropes and kites and sails.

There’s power-boat racing, windsurfing, zero gravity biking, skating, the lot. Mike Marchant, the Extreme organiser and Eastbourne events development manager, says the event is growing fast with some participants coming from as far away as Portugal. They also have the UK Windsurfing event an air show, international tennis tournament and cycling festival. The magnificent Grand Hotel was for many years the home of the long-running BBC radio programme Palm Court Orchestra and it still keeps up the tradition with concerts in the magnificent great hallway.

Eastbourne is also surrounded by glorious countryside (Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters are nearby) with scores of historic sites. The town blends the old and the ultra-modern plus the sedate and the adrenaline-fuelled with apparently effortless ease.

If you think that Eastbourne equals bathchairs and scones at 4.30pm, think again.