Eastbourne Promenade Walk to Holywell

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This Eastbourne print captures the picturesque promenade looking westward. In the distance, beyond Holwell, you can see the lush green hills and iconic chalk cliffs stretching towards Beachy Head.

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Digital pigment print from original ink drawings. Printed on fine art paper using archival inks. Available in sizes A0,A1, A2, A3 or A4 as limited editions of 100. Each print is individually signed and numbered.

Eastbourne Beach

In the distance the hills meet the shore in the shape of imposing white chalk cliffs. Closer to us,  the beach at low tide shows the construction of the numerous  timber groins along the scattered rocks. At the front you can see the promenade with thatched beach shelter below the Italian Gardens and the Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel

Local architect Robert Knott Blessley did the designs for the Grand Hotel which construction happened in 1875. However the local resident William Earp proposed its construction, with a formidable 400-foot frontage at a cost of £50,00

The Grand Hotel is well known for its association with music. Claude Debussy corrected the proofs of La Mer between 24 July and 30 August 1905 in Suite 200, which is now known as the Debussy Suite. Eastbourne was also where Frank Bridge completed work on his suite The Sea in 1911.

Holywell

Some lore-seekers trying to find a reason for the name Holy Well have linked it to the Chapel of St Gregory, thought to have stood near the South Cliff Tower on Bolsover Road. Yet, this spot is quite far from the present Holywell. The fresh water springs flowing from the low cliffs below the fishing settlement are noted in James Royer’s 1787 guide, Eastbourne. A Descriptive Account of that Village. The guide says, “one of the springs is called Holy-well, thought to be so named from the many benefits of drinking those waters.” In 1861, another book, Eastbourne as a Resting Place for Ailing Folk, states: “At Holywell there is an iron-rich spring, whose healing traits gave the name of the Holy Well.” Yet, a later study of the water showed that it had no special ‘healing traits’. The original meaning of “well” is a place where water wells out of the ground – in other words, a spring. (wiki source)