Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000.
In the Middle Ages, Seaford was one of the main ports serving Southern England, but the town's fortunes declined due to coastal sedimentation silting up its harbour and persistent raids by French pirates. The coastal confederation of Cinque Ports during its mediaeval period consisted of a confederation of 42 towns and villages in all. This included Seaford under the 'Limb' of Hastings. Between 1350 and 1550, the French burned down the town several times. In the 16th century the people of Seaford were known as the "cormorants" or "shags" because of their enthusiasm for looting ships wrecked in the bay. Local legend has it that Seaford residents would, on occasion, cause ships to run aground by placing fake harbour lights on the cliffs.
"The wily locals exploited their rights to flotsam and jetsam to the full, even to the extent of luring ships onto the beach by lighting fires. Scores of vessels fell prey to the wreckers of Seaford shags. Grounded in the bay they were stripped of their cargos" - Lewes DC local history of Seaford
However, Seaford's fortunes revived in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway connecting the town to Lewes and London. It became a small seaside resort town, and more recently a dormitory town for the nearby larger settlements of Eastbourne and Brighton, as well as for London.
The traditional Sussex pronunciation of the name has a full vowel in each syllable: "sea-ford". However, outside Sussex (and increasingly within), it is commonly pronounced with a reduced vowel on the second syllable: "seaf'd".
Local authority: East Sussex County Council
OS Grid Reference: TV481988
Seaford
Tourist Information Centre
37 Church Street
East Sussex
England
BN25 1HG
Phone 01323 897 426
Email seaford.tic@lewes.gov.uk
http://www.seaford-sussex.co.uk
Photos are automatically tagged by geographic coordinate proximity and/or are submitted by website visitors, and may not necessarily be specifically of Seaford.
Forecast for Sunday 22 April
06:00
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Chance of rain | 0% |
Max temp. | 12°C |
(feels like | 11°C) |
Wind 2mph, gusting to 7mph. | ![]() S |
Pressure | 1012 |
Humidity | 92% |
UV Index | ![]() |
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09:00
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Chance of rain | 0% |
Max temp. | 14°C |
(feels like | 12°C) |
Wind 3mph, gusting to 6mph. | ![]() SW |
Pressure | 1011 |
Humidity | 83% |
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12:00
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Chance of rain | 0% |
Max temp. | 14°C |
(feels like | 11°C) |
Wind 4mph, gusting to 6mph. | ![]() SW |
Pressure | 1011 |
Humidity | 76% |
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15:00
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Chance of rain | 1% |
Max temp. | 12°C |
(feels like | 10°C) |
Wind 4mph, gusting to 7mph. | ![]() WSW |
Pressure | 1011 |
Humidity | 82% |
UV Index | ![]() |
Air Quality | ![]() |
18:00
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Chance of rain | 3% |
Max temp. | 11°C |
(feels like | 8°C) |
Wind 4mph, gusting to 6mph. | ![]() WSW |
Pressure | 1011 |
Humidity | 79% |
UV Index | ![]() |
Air Quality | ![]() |
21:00
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Chance of rain | 0% |
Max temp. | 10°C |
(feels like | 8°C) |
Wind 4mph, gusting to 6mph. | ![]() W |
Pressure | 1013 |
Humidity | 90% |
UV Index | n/a |
Air Quality | ![]() |
The Silverdale is located in the Sussex coastal town of Seaford. Free WiFi is accessible at the hotel, and free parking is possible nearby. Each room here will provide you with a minibar a seating area, a flat-screen TV and an iPod dock. Details...
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Cookie's Cottage is a semi-detached situated within the owner's grounds, one mile from the Sussex village of Hurstpierpoint. This cottage sleeps two people in one twin bedroom. The cottage also has a ground floor shower room and an open plan living area with kitchen, dining area and sitting area. Details...
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