Cultural Heritage at Seven Sisters
Seven Sisters is a landscape that has stood the test of time and is brimming with stories old and new.
Some of its amazing stories are hidden within the landscape, in the lumps and bumps in the ground, while other footnotes from history are more obvious. They all come together to give fascinating glimpses into the many people that have lived and worked here over the centuries.
Perhaps the oldest slice of history is the South Downs Way itself – walked by humans for some 5,000 years and a key coastal vantage point for Britain.
Moving through time there are important Stone Age and Bronze Age burial sites, while the memorial stone of the abandoned village of Exceat is a stark relic of the intense hardships faced by medieval communities during the Black Death.
More recent history includes the remnants of the home defences of the Second World War that are dotted around the landscape. Pill Boxes can be discovered along the path to the beach and anti-tank defences known as ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ are close to the lagoons – a constant reminder of how close Britain came to enemy invasion.
At the Visitor Centre you can visit the home of a traditional Sussex Shepherds Hut and take your photograph by the iconic British Grade II listed ‘K6’ telephone box.
