The town developed during the Middle Ages as the nearby port of Seaford began drying up, forcing a new port to be established. A sheltered harbour was built in the mid-16th century, and a breakwater in the late 18th, to provide continued access to the sea. Newhaven increased in importance following the arrival of the railway in 1847, and regular cross-Channel ferry services to Dieppe. Though these have been reduced in the 21st century, Newhaven still provides regular ferry services and continues to be used as an important freight terminal. In 2021 the parish had a population of 12,854.
Origins
Newhaven lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, in the valley the river has cut through the South Downs. Over the centuries the river has migrated between Newhaven and Seaford in response to the growth and decay of a shingle spit (shoal) at its mouth.
There was a Bronze Age fort on what is now Castle Hill.[3]
In about 480AD,[4] the Saxon people established a village near where Newhaven now stands, which they named "Meeching" (variously known as "Myching" or "Mitching").[5]
Throughout the Middle Ages, the main outlet and port of the Ouse was at Seaford (one of the Cinque Ports).
The growth of the shingle spit hindered the outflow of the river, which consequently flooded the Levels upstream and hindered access to the port. Therefore, a channel through the shingle spit was cut in the mid-16th century below Castle Hill, creating access to a sheltered harbour, better than that at Seaford.[5][6] This was the origin of modern Newhaven.
However, shingle continued to accumulate and so the mouth of the Ouse began to migrate eastwards again. Under the Ouse Navigation Act (1790), a western breakwater was constructed to arrest longshore drift and so cut off the supply of shingle to the spit.[7] A new outlet (The Cut) was built on the river's present course, below Castle Hill. At that time the settlement began to be known as the "new haven". The present breakwater was built in 1890.[4]
It was part of the Holmstrow hundred until the abolition of hundreds in the 19th century.[8]
Although there are some signs of the derelict facilities that serviced the former train ferry operations, the port still sees a great deal of freight and passengers movement.[9] International ferries run to the French port of Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, operated by DFDS Seaways.[10] There are two outbound sailings per day, one in the morning and one in the evening, using the 18,654 GT ro-ro ferry MS Côte D'Albâtre.[11] Rail passengers wishing to connect with the ferries are advised nationally to travel to Newhaven Town, and then use the free bus service; this has resulted in a dramatic fall in passenger services at Newhaven Harbour, leading to questions regarding its future and that of Newhaven Marine.[citation needed]
The port is the proposed main landside site for E.ON's development of the offshore-Rampion Wind Farm.[12]
History
The village was of little maritime importance until the opening of the railway line to Lewes in 1847. In 1848, the exiled French King Louis Philippe I landed here in disguise after abdicating his throne.[13] The London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) constructed their own wharf and facilities on the east side of the river, and opened the Newhaven harbour railway station. The railway also funded the dredging of the channel and other improvements to the harbour between 1850 and 1878, to enable it to be used by cross-channel ferries,[14] and in 1863 the LB&SCR and the Chemin de Fer de l'Ouest introduced the Newhaven-Dieppe passenger service.[15] The harbour was officially recognised as 'The Port of Newhaven' in 1882.[16] Imports at that time included French farm products and manufactures, timber, granite and slates.[16][17]
Newhaven harbour was designated as the principal port for the movement of men and materiel to the European continent during the First World War and was taken over by the military authorities and the ferries requisitioned for the duration of the war. Between 22 September 1916 and 2 December 1918, the port and town of Newhaven were designated a 'Special Military Area' under the 'Defence of the Realm Regulations', and the Harbour station was closed to the public.[18] The port and harbour facilities, rail sidings and warehousing were greatly enlarged at this time and electric lighting installed to allow for 24-hour operation.
During the Second World War, large numbers of Canadian troops were stationed at Newhaven, and the ill-fated Dieppe Raid in 1942 was largely launched from the harbour.
When the high-profile gambler and murder-suspect Lord Lucan vanished in 1974, his car was found abandoned in Norman Road, Newhaven, with traces of blood matching the blood-groups of his children's nanny Sandra Rivett, whom he is believed to have murdered, and his wife, whom he had attempted to murder, according to her testimony. The Newhaven location suggested that he had taken the cross-channel ferry, but no confirmed sighting of him was ever made.[19]
Lifeboat
The Newhaven Lifeboat, the first of which was commissioned in 1803, is among the oldest in Britain, and was established some 20 years before the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The town established the rescue lifeboat in response to the wreck of HMS Brazen in January 1800, from which only one man of her crew of some 105 men could be saved.[20] The town used a combination of funds raised locally and contributed by Lloyd's of London to purchase a lifeboat built to Henry Greathead's "Original" design. Newhaven also has one of the Watch stations of the National Coastwatch Institution.[21]
Industry
The former tidal mill
To the east, in the neighbouring parish of Seaford was the village of Tide Mills, built in 1761, and now derelict. Here are the remains of workers' cottages, the tide mill itself, and a large saline lagoon which was the storage pond for high water to power the mills on the outgoing tide.
The Newhaven Marconi Radio Station was established in 1904, and started running in 1905. The station was owned and operated by the Marconi Radio Company and achieved regular ship to shore radio communications in approximately 1912.
To the east of Newhaven is the 50,000-foot production factory of King & McGaw,[22] This company started out in printed art for professional organizations and was known as King Posters by the late 1980s. It then expanded to business to consumer trading over the internet. It is now the UK's largest online Art provider.[23] The company's contribution to the area was recognised in April 2014 with a visit from local MP Norman Baker.[24]
The Heritage Marine Hospital was built in 1924 to cater for disabled boys who had undergone surgery. It became a casualty of wartime defence work during the Second World War.
The Denton Island Business Park lies to the north of the town on the west bank of the river. The business park has attracted a number of businesses to the area with the basepoint Newhaven Enterprise Centre being the focal point. The centre has attracted a lot of new businesses to the area.
A new waste incinerator, just across from Denton Island, was completed in late 2011 and is now in full operation, despite huge opposition by local residents from across the Lewes District.
Military
Newhaven Fort,[25] one of the Palmerston Forts, was built on Castle Hill on the recommendation of the 1859 Royal Commission to defend the growing harbour. It was the largest defence work ever built in Sussex and is now open as a museum.
The adjacent village of Tide Mills was the site of an experimental seaplane base at the head of the beach. The first formation of No. 242 Squadron RAF was on 15 August 1918 from numbers 408, 409 and 514 Flights at the seaplane station at Newhaven, Sussex. Operating from there and the nearby airfield at Telscombe Cliffs, it was equipped with Short Type 184 seaplanes and carried out anti-submarine patrols over the English Channel until the end of the First World War. Surveys carried out in 2006 have exposed part of the slipway, concrete aprons to both hangars with door tracks and several other slabs presumed to be workshops. Sussex Archaeological Society started a dig in April 2006 to catalogue the entire East Beach site.
Layout
The main part of the town is located on the west side of the river, there is also a residential area at Denton and Mount Pleasant on the slopes of the Downs to the east. Industrial areas lay on the east side of the river as do all three of the railway stations which serve Newhaven; Newhaven Town, Newhaven Harbour and the now redundant Newhaven Marine. Recent housing development has taken place at the West Quay, Harbour Heights, August Fields and the old Parker Pen site (Safford Park).
Governance
Newhaven Town Council was formed in 1974. There are 18 councillors representing four wards: Denton ward (five councillors); South ward (eight); North ward (three) and Central ward (two).
The town comprises two wards of Lewes District (part of the county of East Sussex. Newhaven North ward returns 2 district councillors to the Lewes District Council, and Newhaven South ward returns 3 district councillors. The 4 May 2023 local elections returned 5 Liberal Democrat councillors for the 5 seats.
The parliamentary constituency for Newhaven is Lewes. From 1974 to 1997 John Rankin Rathbone (known as Tim Rathbone) served as the constituency member of parliament, for the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrat Norman Baker was elected member of parliament in 1997 and served until 2015, when Conservative Maria Caulfield was elected.
Demography
Newhaven's population (12,232 persons) are 59% of working age; 22% are 15 and under; and 19% retirement age. There are over 360 businesses in the town.
Landmarks
The main landmark in the town is the Newhaven Fort. The new waste incinerator is a major landmark, the chimney being visible from the sea as well as from Firle Beacon and parts of Seaford.[citation needed]
The open land surrounding Newhaven to the west, north and east is part of the South Downs National Park, although the town itself is excluded from the boundaries.
There is one secondary school in the town: Seahaven Academy (previously known as Tideway Comprehensive),[28] There are four primary schools:[29] Denton Community Primary, Breakwater academy, Harbour Primary School and High cliff Academy which opened in September 2015 in a brand-new building in Southdown Road, on what was part of the Tideway Comprehensive School site.[30]
The Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum is operated by the Newhaven Historical Society and is a registered charity. The Planet Earth Museum and Sussex History Trail is dedicated to the history of the earth.[31] They are both located at Paradise Park which is a garden centre owned by the Tate family.[32]
The town is featured in Crime Is My Business by W. Howard Baker (Sexton Blake Library No 408, Amalgamated Press, 1958) and possibly based on an idea or material by Jack Trevor Story. Although mentioned (along with Brighton, Beachy Head, and Eastbourne), the references are vague and one would not recognise the town from the book. Other references in the text (a typical Sexton Blake adventure) suggest a roadside café somewhere in the region of the recently demolished Peacehaven Motel, which was formerly situated at the eastern end of Peacehaven.
Newhaven has a thriving art community with the art club being formed in the 1960's and new galleries displaying local work in the town.
Newhaven is home to a marina: the Newhaven and Seaford Sailing Club[35] is based there; scuba diving, water skiing and surfboarding are also practised. Newhaven Football Club plays in the Sussex County League; there is a thriving archery club.[36] The town also boasts a large and modern indoor bowls centre, and there is an outdoor Lawn bowling green located close to the marina. Newhaven Bowling club was formed in 1902 and is a founder member of the English Bowls Association and Sussex County Bowls. There are also two cricket grounds, one located near the marina, west of the river, and the other close to Denton Village, east of the river, plus a tennis club also near the marina.
Local Media
Local news and television programmes is provided by BBC South East and ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Heathfield[37] and the local relay transmitter.[38]
The town's local radio stations are BBC Radio Sussex on 95.0 FM, some programmes are from Brighton, Seahaven FM on 96.3 FM whose studios are in Seaford and Heart South on 96.9 FM, but Heart no longer has a local base as all programmes come from London.
Local newspapers that cover the town is The Argus and Haven News.[39]
Notable people
Charles Wells, the "man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo" casino,[40] who bought a house in Fort Road with some of the proceeds
East Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Brighton and Hove, and the county town is Lewes.
The Ouse is a 35 miles long river in the English counties of West and East Sussex. It rises near Lower Beeding in West Sussex, and flows eastwards and then southwards to reach the sea at Newhaven. It skirts Haywards Heath and passes through Lewes. It forms the main spine of an extensive network of smaller streams, of which the River Uck is the main tributary. As it nears the coast it passes through the Lewes and Laughton Levels, an area of flat, low-lying land that borders the river and another tributary, the Glynde Reach. It was a large tidal inlet at the time of the Domesday book in 1086, but over the following centuries, some attempts were made to reclaim some of the valley floor for agriculture, by building embankments, but the drainage was hampered by the buildup of a large shingle bar which formed across the mouth of the river by longshore drift.
Seaford is a town in East Sussex, England, east of Newhaven and west of Eastbourne.
Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is 52 miles (84 km) south south-west of London, 19 miles (31 km) west of Brighton and 10 miles (16 km) east of the county town of Chichester.
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey. It was bounded on its western side by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR), which provided an alternative route to Portsmouth. On its eastern side the LB&SCR was bounded by the South Eastern Railway (SER)—later one component of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR)—which provided an alternative route to Bexhill, St Leonards-on-Sea, and Hastings. The LB&SCR had the most direct routes from London to the south coast seaside resorts of Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, and to the ports of Newhaven and Shoreham-by-Sea. It served the inland towns and cities of Chichester, Horsham, East Grinstead and Lewes, and jointly served Croydon, Tunbridge Wells, Dorking and Guildford. At the London end was a complicated suburban and outer-suburban network of lines emanating from London Bridge and Victoria, and shared interests in two cross-London lines.
Newhaven Town railway station is the main station serving Newhaven, East Sussex, England, the other being Newhaven Harbour. A third station, Newhaven Marine, formally closed in October 2020, but had not had a train service since 2006.
Lewes is a constituency in East Sussex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Maria Caulfield, a Conservative.
Newhaven Harbour railway station is a railway station in Newhaven, East Sussex, England. It originally served boat train services to Dieppe, but that was taken over by Newhaven Marine and then Newhaven Town.
Southease is a small village and civil parish in East Sussex, in South East England between the A26 road and the C7 road from Lewes to Newhaven. The village is to the west of the River Ouse, Sussex and has a church dedicated to Saint Peter. Southease railway station lies roughly a kilometre east over the river and may be reached via a swing bridge.
Piddinghoe is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located in the valley of the River Ouse between Lewes and Newhaven, five miles (8 km) south of the former, downstream of Southease.
Dieppe Maritime station was a railway station in the town of Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France and was built by CF de l'Ouest in 1874. The station was the station for passengers from Paris to Newhaven, by steamers and then ferries.
Public transport in Brighton and Hove, a city on the south coast of England, dates back to 1840. Brighton and Hove has a major railway station, an extensive bus service, many taxis, coach services, and it has previously had trolley buses, ferries, trams, auto rickshaws and hydrofoils.
The Seaford branch line is a rural railway line in East Sussex constructed in 1864 primarily to serve the port of Newhaven and the town of Seaford. It now sees fairly regular trains across the line except for the branch to the closed Newhaven Marine station.
Seahaven is the name given to an area in East Sussex that includes the towns of Seaford and Newhaven and Peacehaven and the surrounding towns in the Ouse Valley which leads to the East Sussex county town of Lewes.
Newhaven Marine railway station was a station in Newhaven, East Sussex, England, at the end of a short branch off the Seaford branch line near Newhaven Harbour. It was the last station to open in Newhaven, in 1886, following redevelopment and expansion of the Port of Newhaven and served cross-Channel boat trains to Dieppe, France.
The Port of Newhaven is a port and associated docks complex located within Newhaven, East Sussex, England, situated at the mouth of the River Ouse.
Newhaven Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Newhaven in the English county of East Sussex in the United Kingdom. The original station was established in 1803 and taken over by the RNLI in 1854.
Glynde Reach is a river in East Sussex, England and tributary of the River Ouse. The main channel is fed from sources near Laughton, Rushy Green on the outskirts of Ringmer, two streams near Selmeston and several near Ripe.
The Lewes and Laughton Levels are an area of low-lying land bordering the River Ouse near Lewes and the Glynde Reach near Laughton in East Sussex, England. The area was probably a tidal inlet in Norman times, but by the early 14th century, some meadows had been created by building embankments. Conditions deteriorated later that century, and by 1537, most of the meadows were permanently flooded. Part of the problem was the buildup of shingle across the mouth of the Ouse, but in 1537 a scot tax was raised, and a new channel cut through the shingle. By the mid 17th century, shingle was again preventing the region from draining properly, until the new channel was reinstated around 1731. In 1758 John Smeaton surveyed the area with a view to improving it for agriculture. He suggested straightening and widening the river channel, raising the banks around meadows, and building a large sluice near Piddinghoe, to keep the tides out. Some dredging and widening were carried out, but the straightending and sluice were discarded.
↑ Brandon, P. and Short, B., 1990: The South-East from AD 1000. Longman.
↑ Woodcock, A., 2003: The archaeological implications of coastal change in Sussex. pp1-16 in Rudling, D., (ed.), The Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000. Heritage, University of Sussex.
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