About us

Discover why this beautiful landscape has been important to people for thousands of years at the new Beachy Head Story visitor experience. Follow our journey through the landscape and experience what makes the Downs around Eastbourne just so.

The exhibition will explain the ever changing nature of the headland in both use and appearance, and you can also discover the connection between a 90 million year old fossil and a fairy loaf!

Exhibition & Gift Shop

Open daily 9am - 5pm from 17 May (subject to government guidelines). Shop open from 12 April. Seasonal opening times may apply.

The latest project from Heritage Eastbourne, following on from the very popular Story of Eastbourne Exhibition. The Beachy Head Story is a brand new exhibition that will allow visitors to discover the beautiful landscape of Beachy Head and the South Downs.

Start at the formation of the Downs and continue through time, discovering the stories of people who have shaped this landscape. Find out why Beachy Head has been so important to people for thousands of years, and why it is still a must-see tourist destination on the South Coast.

The exhibition artwork has been created by local artist Ellie Fryer and evokes the exhibition’s key themes of heritage, environment and folklore. Artefacts in the exhibition include items from the Beachy Head Lighthouse, fossils found on the area, a Roman coin hoard, and the skeleton of the famous Beachy Head Woman.

Our family friendly exhibition will have trails available for children, and staff will be on hand to answer any questions and recommend walks and nature trails in the area.

Once you’ve finished exploring the exhibition, come and see what delights are on offer in our gift shop. We stock a variety of locally sourced and nature inspired products, with a range that will exclusively feature artwork from the exhibition. The perfect place to find a souvenir of your visit or a gift for someone special. All money made from donations, and in our gift shop, will be reinvested into the exhibition and projects that will help to preserve this special Downland landscape.

Facilities

Accessibility:

Step-free access; Large-print interpretation available.

Children:

Children welcome; Trails, activities and nature walk routes available on-site.

Groups:

Facilities for educational visits, groups and coach party visits, please contact us to book and for more details.

Booking and Payment:

Credit Cards accepted (unfortunately we are not able to accept American Express).

Toilets:

Nearby public toilets with disabled access are available at the Beachy Head Car Park.

Transport:

Nearby car and coach parking available at a charge; Bus stop ‘The Beachy Head Hotel’ is outside the exhibition; Nearest station Eastbourne.

Property Facilities:

Free Exhibition; Gift Shop

Visit Us

The Beachy Head Story exhibition and gift shop is located at the former Beachy Head Countryside Centre building next to the Beachy Head pub.

The Beachy Head Story

Beachy Head Road

Eastbourne

East Sussex

BN20 7YA

Tel: 01323 737273

Visit Us

We are a COVID-Ready site

What to Expect when visiting:

Limited numbers may apply due to social distancing and visitors may be asked to wait outside if we have reached capacity.

Enhanced cleaning will be carried out in the exhibition and shop, extra attention will be given to points that come into regular contact with the public or staff.

Where possible doors and windows will be kept open to improve ventilation.

Hand sanitizer stations will be available for visitors.

We ask that visitors follow the directions of our staff and volunteers, especially in regard to one-way systems around the exhibition and queuing.

Social distancing will be in place for staff and visitors.

Test and Trace QR code will be available to scan at the entrance to the exhibition and at the main desk.
Environment
The environment has been at the forefront of our minds when we’ve been designing this exhibition space, we only have to look out the window to see what an amazing landscape we’re part of. We therefore strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible and we’re always looking for ways to lessen our impact on the landscape around us. When sourcing products for our shop we look for ethically and environmentally friendly companies. Where possible we want to support local businesses and buy products made in the UK. As much as we can we’ve refurbished many of our old Perspex display units for this exhibition. We are looking at cutting down our use of single-use plastics and cutting down how much we throw away. We haven’t got everything right yet and there’s always more that can be done but we want to make sure that we’re accountable and are aiming to document what our environmental aims and policies are and what we hope to do in the future. Watch this space… Image by: Lee Roberts