Changing Chalk

Changing Chalk: connecting nature, people and heritage

Working in partnership to connect nature, people and heritage for the future of the Downs

Changing Chalk is a partnership of organisations supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund working together for the future of the South Downs. Through this project, we are reversing the decline of the fragile chalk grassland, and connecting local communities to the nationally significant landscape on their doorstep. Led by the National Trust, the partnership connects nature, people and heritage. It is restoring lost landscapes and habitats, bringing history to life and offering new experiences in the outdoors. Find out more about the Changing Chalk partnership here 

Between 26th February  and  2nd March we will be excavating archaeological test pits in Manor Gardens and in the Parsonage of St Mary’s Old Town in partnership with the Blue Heart Project.

From the 13th century there were buildings in this area that were only cleared during the creation of Manor Gardens in the mid 18th century.  We are hoping that the test pits will indicate whether any trace of these buildings, gardens or the wells that served them survive beneath the ground.

We’ll be in Manor Gardens on 26th and 27th February and at the Parsonage daily from 10am – 4pm and visitors are welcome to pop by and see what we’ve uncovered!

We will also have an Open Day at St Mary's Parsonage on 2nd March where visitors can find out more about the archaeology and history of the area and the work the projects are doing.

Discover stories from the last 5000 years and explore the artefacts found in Eastbourne and Willingdon as you walk through and over the archaeology that tells us about life in Eastbourne as a Downland settlement. The walk is reasonably flat but is over open Downland so is more challenging at different stages. You will finish at the Beachy Head Story visitor centre where you can find out more about this incredible landscape.

This walk is available as a self-led trail with information and 3D objects available digitally. Explore the route and the artefacts found along the way here 

News coming soon!

The Downs and Towns have a long, shared history. The rolling chalk grasslands have shaped the development of the urban areas at its fringes, with people through the centuries relying on the unique landscape for their existence and later for their wealth. ​

Yet many of today’s communities are unaware of the unique story lying under the land they walk on every day. Now, the Changing Chalk partnership is taking steps to unearth this hidden history with the launch of the Big Dig led by Eastbourne Borough Council's Heritage Eastbourne team.

They will also officially declare Heritage Eastbourne’s first archaeology amnesty, as part of a wider initiative to delve deeper into the town’s history and everyday life experience through time. ​

The project will engage Eastbourne residents with the origins of their town and how the Downland environment has moulded everyday life for centuries. The project will inspire and empower volunteers to help reveal the story through research and archaeology. The community-led activities in Eastbourne will become a platform for other locales to explore their place within the South Downs.