Eastbourne secrets revealed in a dig on the South Downs

The discovery of a basement wall from over 300 years ago and 18th-century sewing pins were among the highlights of an archaeological excavation in Eastbourne.

Eastbourne takes its name from the ancient Bourne settlement and stream which developed into the town we know today.

Archaeologists believe that from the 13th century there were buildings in the Manor Gardens and Parsonage areas of the town that were later cleared when Manor Gardens was created in the mid-18th century.

Teams excavated in archaeological test pits in Manor Gardens in Borough Lane and in the parsonage of St Mary’s Church in Old Town.

The excavation, which happened from February 26 to March 2, was led by Heritage Eastbourne in partnership with the Blue Heart Project, an East Sussex County Council initiative to understand the local water catchment and communicate flooding risk to residents of Eastbourne and south Wealden.

Some of the finds from Manor Gardens including medieval pottery oyster shells and animal bone (Image: Lee Roberts/Heritage Eastbourne)

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Its aims were to discover if any trace of these buildings, gardens or the wells that served them survive beneath the ground.

Discovery of basement wall (Image: Lee Roberts/Heritage Eastbourne)

Katherine Buckland, heritage engagement officer for Eastbourne and Lewes Councils, said: “The excavation solved some of the mysteries of Eastbourne as a Downland settlement. The discovery of a basement wall from the 17th century from a house that was demolished almost 300 years ago gives us another clue to piece together the story of what life was like for people living here over the last 1000 years or so.

“A selection of 18th-century sewing pins and buckles as well as pottery, clay pipes and animal bone have also provided insight into what the day to day would have been for people living in this Downland settlement."

The Big Dig is run by Eastbourne Borough Council and is part of the Changing Chalk Partnership, led by the National Trust, which aims to connect people to the nature and heritage of the South Downs.

The Big Dig aims to uncover the development of a downland settlement from a small farming community to a thriving conurbation through community test-pitting.