Seaford is a small town lying south of Lewes on the coast , and on the opposite side of the river Ouse from the port of Newhaven. The Romans settled here and used the port in the town for sea communication to Europe. During the Saxon times it is believed that King Alfred the Great whose palace was found at nearby West Dean , used the area for his fleet and defense of the area from the Vikings . The Domesday book records that the town provided 20 ships for the service of the crown, so it must have been a wealthy port even in those times. Seaford has been associated with the Cinque Ports from the mid 12th century, where it is reported as a limb(associate) of Hastings . The document records that Seaford , Pevenshey( Pevensey ), Hodeney , Winchelsey ( Winchelsea ) , Rye , Ihame ( Icklesham ) , Bekesborne , Grenge , Northie ( Northeye ), Bulwerhethe ( Bulverhythe ) were all associated with Hastings . By 1290 Seaford was one of the major ports in the South of England exporting wool from the area and importing wine. The 100 Years War which started in 1337 marked the end of Seaford as a wealthy port, with the French continuously raiding the town, and then the Black Death hitting the town badly in 1348 . By 1357 the town was reported to have been mostly burnt down and that there were not enough people left to defend the town. Seaford used to have a fine harbour which by the late 1500's had silted up, making landing impossible, and the harbour was moved to nearby Newhaven about 2 miles to the west some time before 1565 . The area continued to be raided by the French until 1545 when they attacked Brighton , Newhaven and Seaford , Sir Nicholas Pelham from nearby Laughton together with a band of locals drove the French off. From 1562 the people of Seaford were known as the 'cormorants' or 'shags' because of their efficiency in looting ships wrecked in the bay. They were also not averse to helping ships run aground with fake harbour lights on the cliffs. The civil war found Seaford on the side of the Parliamentarians together with the other Cinque Ports . The Napoleonic Wars brought the construction of the Martello tower number 74 in 1811, which was the most western tower in the chain stretching from Hythe in the East. On June 1st 1863 work started on the branch line from Newhaven which was completed the next year. It was built on an embankment which acted as a flood barrier , helping to prevent the flooding which had influenced the area in previous times. The railway was the key to the current Seaford , in that it unlocked tourist traffic into the town. The only problem that Seaford had as a seaside resort was that it was near Brighton with its easy access to London, so that Seaford never made it as a serious resort. However nowadays Seaford is a very pleasant seaside town and well worth visiting.

Services

Seaford has a wide range of services as you would expect from a small town. There are many shops locally, and if you travel to Newhaven about 2 miles to the west there are a number of larger supermarkets. The trains run from the station into Lewes for transfer on to the coastal lines. Busses service the town with regular services to Lewes and Eastbourne .

Views

Seaford is on the coast, and although the beach is made of shingle it is very pleasant. To the east are the South Downs with their wide views and many walks. In the town is Martello Tower No74, which is currently a museum with a very extensive range of exhibits, making it a bit like Dr Who's Tardis from the BBC TV series, which looks small on the outside but large on the inside.