Saltdean
| Saltdean | |
| Sussex | |
|---|---|
 Looking towards Saltdean from the cliff top | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ377022 |
| Location: | 50°48’11"N, 0°2’28"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Brighton |
| Postcode: | BN2 |
| Dialling code: | 01273 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Brighton & Hove / Lewes |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Brighton Kemptown |
Saltdean is a coastal village in Sussex. It is one of a string of seaside villages along the coast stretching eastwards form Brighton: to the east is Rottingdean and to the west is Peacehaven, with little if any gap between them.
The village is founded by the sea in a dry valley, giving the village its name, from the Old English denu, meaning 'valley'. In Sussex, many 'Deans' are found which are in dry valleys specifically. The valley is a dip in the surrounding hills of the South Downs, and at the foot of this valley is the oval shaped Saltdean Park, and beside it the Lido, looking out over the sea
Tree lined roads and avenues radiate out in wide oval curves from the park in order to follow the contours of the local topography. The plan of the village was designed from inception to vary considerably from neighbouring Peacehaven's more grid-like system.
Saltdean is five miles east of central Brighton, and five miles west of Newhaven. Behind it is farmland of the South Downs, which hill impress themselves upon the sea coats here.
History
Saltdean was open farmland, originally a part of the village of Rottingdean, and almost uninhabited until 1924 when land was sold off for speculative housing and property development. Some of this was promoted by entrepreneur Charles W. Neville, who had set up a company to develop the site (he also eventually built nearby towns Peacehaven and parts of Rottingdean).[1]
About the village
At the centre of the village's seafront development is Saltdean Park, laid out in an elegant oval shape.
The Saltdean Lido is perhaps the best known building in the village. It includes a leisure centre, a public library and an iconic open air swimming-pool, designed by architect R.W.H. Jones. The Lido is a Grade II* listed building.[2] Jones also designed other buildings in the area, including the former Grand Ocean Hotel, built using Art Deco 'ocean liner' architecture.[3]
Saltdean has a mainly shingle beach, fronted by a promenade, the Undercliff Walk, which can be reached directly from the cliff top, by steps from the coast road, or by a subway tunnel from the nearby Lido. The Undercliff Walk continues to Brighton, ending by the Palace Pier. The buildings nearest the beach are the most architecturally varied, and include some influenced by international trends of the inter-war years, for example Bauhaus and Cubism, and there are some which are Spanish influenced.
Sport and leisure
- Football: Saltdean United F.C. who play at Hill Park.
Saltdean also has four hard tennis courts, an outdoor Bowls green, a basketball court, and a skateboard park all located within Saltdean Park. A sea swimming group meets weekly on the beach and holds traditional Boxing Day and New Year's Day swims.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Saltdean) |
References
- ↑ "Beginning of Saltdean Today". http://www.saltdean.info/begsaltdean.htm.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1380905: Saltdean Lido (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ Douglas D'Enno (1985). The Saltdean story. Phillimore. ISBN 0-85033-573-6.