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Saltdean
Saltdean.jpg
Looking towards Saltdean from the cliff top
Saltdean is located in East Sussex
Saltdean
Saltdean
District
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BRIGHTON
Postcode district BN2
Dialling code 01273
Police Sussex
Fire East Sussex
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament
  • Brighton Kemptown
List of places
UK
England
East Sussex
50°48′11″N 0°02′28″W / 50.8030°N 0.0411°W / 50.8030; -0.0411

Saltdean is a coastal village in the city of Brighton and Hove, with part (known as East Saltdean) outside the city boundary in Lewes district. Saltdean is approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of central Brighton, 5 miles (8 km) west of Newhaven, and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Lewes. It is bordered by farmland and the South Downs National Park.

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).

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 buildings nearest the beach are the most architecturally varied, and include some influenced by international trends of the inter-war years, e.g. Bauhaus and Cubism, and there are some which are Spanish influenced.

The most famous building is the Saltdean Lido community centre, which includes a public library and iconic open air swimming-pool, designed by architect R.W.H. Jones. He also designed other buildings in the area, including the former Grand Ocean Hotel, built using Art Deco 'ocean liner' architecture.

Saltdean is now a prosperous village suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, whilst its eastern side is administratively part of the neighbouring Lewes District Council.

Geography

Saltdean is situated by the sea in a 'Dean' (Saxon/Old English for 'dry valley'), with the surrounding hills of the South Downs National Park forming a large central dip and valley where the oval shaped Saltdean Park and Lido are located, looking out over the nearby sea.

The 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.

Sport and leisure

Saltdean has a non-League football club 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.

Education

Saltdean Primary School is the only school in Saltdean, it is well subscribed and very highly regarded. There is also a library located in the Lido Community building.

Notable people

  • Glenn Fabry, comics artist.
  • John Avon, illustrator
  • George Robey, music hall comedian
  • Dennis Burnett, Footballer
  • Celeste, singer-songwriter
  • Alfred Lynch, actor
  • John Mann, organist
  • John Nathan-Turner, TV producer
  • Manning O'Brine, writer

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Saltdean para niños

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