English Tourism Week 15th-24th March 2024

We are just reaching the end of English Tourism Week. I hadn't heard of this until today, but will shamelessly use it as an opportunity to tell you about all the attractions you can visit in Bexhill. In tomorrow's post I'll look further afield.

Bexhill-on-Sea

The modernist De La Warr pavilion is a renowned performance venue, with an arty shop, gallery spaces, and a restaurant overlooking the sea.

Bexhill Museum is perfectly situated, five minutes' walk from the De La Warr pavilion, the town centre and the seafront. It also overlooks our lovely, award-winning Egerton Park, which has a great children's playground, an outdoor gym, a lake, tennis courts, a bowls court, and many plants and trees to admire. The museum showcases Bexhill's motoring heritage amongst other things.

Bexhill town centre is full of independent shops, including over 20 charity shops (so come and bag yourself a bargain or two!) There are quite a few vintage/antique shops, and plenty of cafes and restaurants for a tea stop or a meal. For vegans I recommend Syrian Lounge as they have many vegan options, including cake!, and Picasso Express has vegan waffles with biscoff ice cream!

Bexhill's  Old Town is a 10-15 minute walk from Bexhill station, or you can park at the Manor Barn gardens. What was left of the 900-year-old manor house (at one point owned by Queen Elizabeth 1 until she sold it in 1590) was mostly demolished in 1967, but part of it remains as a venue for private events. Have a wander round the well-laid out, peaceful gardens there, then cross the road to visit St Peter's church, which has some beautiful carved wooden screens. There are a couple of cafes on the road up to the church. Bexhill has links with Germany as the King's German Legion was stationed in the Old Town from 1804-1814. Have a look at the Bexhill Hanoverian Study Group's website to find out more. Barrack Road is a 5-10 minute walk from the church, and there is a memorial garden there which used to be a cemetery for the soldiers.

The seafront extends for about 2 miles, so there is plenty of space for everyone. There is a coastal path to Hastings (about 7 miles.) En route I highly recommend The Bathing Hut cafe at Bulverhythe in St Leonards which serves vegetarian and vegan fare. Pick a sunny day for this and do check that they are open.

Art has been flourishing in Bexhill over the last few years. Check out the 'bridge gallery' on the bridge opposite the main post office in Devonshire Square. There are also many large murals around the town created by W.Ave Arts and they have a Bexhill Art Trail Map on their website. Beeching Road Studios is a new artist workspace with exhibitions. Check the site for opening times.

Is that it? Have I missed anything out? We have train links to London, with many great stopping-off points for walks on the South Downs (more on that in another post.)