About the Town of Seaford

The history of Seaford goes back several centuries, and there are many ups and downs in the fortunes of the town.

These days the town is sometimes overshadowed by nearby Newhaven, as one of the main ports on the South Coast.  During the middle ages,  however, the main port was Seaford.  The town gained its importance as the mouth of the river Ouse, but this importance was not to last.  The river suffered from silting, which made trafic difficult, and the town also suffered from repeated attacks by French Pirates.  The town was repeatedly burned down and rebuilt in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries.  In those days the locals had a reputation for looting and causing shipwrecks.

In 1539 Seaford lost its position as a major harbour, after the course of the river Ouse was altered to nearby Meeching, which was subsequently renamed to New Haven.  The town survived throughout the next few centuries, and regained some of its former glory after the arrival of the railway in the middle of the 19th century.

These days the town is a small resort, which still attracts plenty of visitors, many of whom will enjoy the town itself,  and the nearby countryside, notably the famous Seven Sisters.