View source for Bexhill-on-Sea

{{short description|Seaside town in East Sussex, England}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox UK place
| official_name            = Bexhill-on-Sea
| local_name               = Bexhill
| country                  = England
| region                   = South East England
| civil_parish             = Bexhill-on-Sea
| static_image_name        = {{multiple image|perrow = 1/2/1|total_width=300|border=none|align=center|footer_align=center
| image1 = Bexhill town limit sign, Bexhill Road.jpg|alt1 = Town welcome sign
| image2 = High Street, Old Town, Bexhill.jpg|alt2 = High Street, Old Town
| image3 = Combe Valley Countryside Park, Bexhill.jpg|alt3 = Combe Valley Countryside Park
| image4 = De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill (aerial) 02.jpg|alt4 = De La Warr Pavilion and Central Parade
| footer = Clockwise from top: Town welcome sign; Combe Valley Countryside Park; De La Warr Pavilion and Central Parade; High Street, Old Town.
}}
| static_image_2_name      = {{multiple image|perrow=1|total_width=150|border=none|align=center|footer_align=center|image_style=background-color:transparent;border:none;margin-top:10px;
| image1 = Bexhill_town_flag.svg|alt1 = Bexhill-on-Sea Town Flag
| image2 = Bexhill coat of arms.svg|alt2 = Bexhill-on-Sea Coat of Arms
| footer = Official flag<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/flags/bexhill-sussex/ | title=Bexhill, Sussex | publisher=Flag Institute | access-date=19 April 2020}}</ref> and coat of arms<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Bexhill-on-Sea | title=Heraldry of the World}}</ref> of Bexhill-on-Sea.
}}
| area_footnotes           = <ref name=ESiF>{{cite web |url=http://www.eastsussexinfigures.org.uk/webview/ |title=East Sussex in Figures |access-date=26 April 2008 |publisher=East Sussex County Council |archive-date=28 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228085807/http://www.eastsussexinfigures.org.uk/webview/welcome.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 32.31
| population               = 41,173
| population_ref           = (2007)<ref name=ESiF /><br />  43,478 (2015)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-southeastengland.php?cityid=E35001397|title=Town population 2011|access-date=25 September 2016|publisher=City Populations|archive-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927172322/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-southeastengland.php?cityid=E35001397|url-status=live}}</ref> <br /> 43,754 (2021) <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southeastengland/east_sussex/E35001397__bexhill/ |title=2021 Population |access-date=7 November 2022 |archive-date=7 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107200120/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southeastengland/east_sussex/E35001397__bexhill/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_density       = {{convert|1274|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}
| os_grid_reference        = TQ737092
| coordinates              = {{coord|50.85|0.47|display=inline,title}}
| post_town                = BEXHILL-ON-SEA
| postcode_area            = TN
| postcode_district        = TN39-40
| dial_code                = 01424
| constituency_westminster = [[Bexhill and Battle (UK Parliament constituency)|Bexhill and Battle]]
| london_distance          = {{convert|52.7|mi}} [[Boxing the compass|NNW]]
| shire_district           = [[Rother District|Rother]]
| shire_county             = [[East Sussex]]
| website                  = 
}}
'''Bexhill-on-Sea''' (often shortened to '''Bexhill'''<ref>Ordnance Survey maps show it as just "Bexhill"</ref>) is a seaside town and [[civil parish]] in the [[Rother District]] in the county of [[East Sussex]] in [[South East England]]. It is located along the [[Sussex Coast]] and between the towns of [[Hastings, England|Hastings]] and [[Eastbourne]].

==History==
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2024}}

The first reference to Bexhill, or Bexelei as it was originally called,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cole |first=Thomas Holwell |title=The Antiquities of Hastings and the Battlefield |publisher=Karl Burg |year=1867 |pages=46}}</ref> was in a charter granted by [[King Offa]] of Mercia in 772&nbsp;AD. It is recorded that Offa had "defeated the men of [[Hastings]]" in 771&nbsp;AD.

At this time, the term Hastings would have referred to this whole area rather than the town itself as it does today. In the charter, Offa established a church and religious community in Bexhill.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

The name Bexhill derives from the [[Old English]] ''byxelēah'' meaning '[[boxtree]] wood or clearing'.<ref>http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Sussex/Bexhill</ref>

During the [[Norman Conquest]] of 1066, it appears that Bexhill was largely destroyed. The Domesday survey of 1086 records that the manor was worth £20 before the conquest, was "waste" in 1066 and was worth £18 10s in 1086. [[William the Conqueror|King William I]] used the lands he had conquered to reward his knights and gave Bexhill manor to Robert, Count of Eu, with most of the Hastings area.<ref>{{cite web|title=Open Domesday: Bexhill|url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ7407/bexhill/|access-date=4 December 2024}}</ref> Robert's grandson, John, Count of Eu, gave back the manor to the bishops of Chichester in 1148 and it is probable that the first manor house was built by the bishops at this time. The later manor house, the ruins of which can still be seen at the Manor Gardens in Bexhill Old Town, was built about 1250, probably on the instructions of [[St. Richard]], Bishop of Chichester. [[St Richard's Catholic College]], the local Catholic school, was duly for said Bishop. The Manor House was the easternmost residence owned by the bishops and would have been used as a place to stay while travelling around or through the eastern part of their diocese. There were often disputes between the Bishops of Chichester and the Abbots of Battle Abbey, usually about land ownership in this area. In 1276 a large portion of Bexhill was made into a park for hunting and in 1447 Bishop Adam de Moleyns was given permission to fortify the Manor House.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In 1561, [[Queen Elizabeth I]] took possession of Bexhill Manor and three years later she gave it to Sir Thomas Sackville, Earl of Dorset. The Earls, later Dukes, of Dorset owned Bexhill until the mid-19th century. Their main residences were Buckhurst Place in Sussex and Knole House in Kent.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In 1804, soldiers of the [[King's German Legion]] were stationed in barracks at Bexhill. These troops were Hanoverians who had escaped when their country was overrun by [[Napoleon]]'s French Army. As King George III was also the Elector of Hanover, he welcomed them and they fought as part of the [[British Army]]. At about this time, defensive [[Martello tower]]s were built along the south east coast, some near Bexhill, in order to repel any French invasion. In 1814 the soldiers of the King's German Legion left Bexhill, eventually playing an important part in the [[Battle of Waterloo]] the following year. The German troops had been here to protect Bexhill from the French. However, many of the local people were actively trading with the enemy by way of smuggling. The best known of the local smugglers were in the Little Common Gang and the most famous incident was the infamous Battle of Sidley Green in 1828.

In 1813, Elizabeth Sackville married the 5th [[Earl De La Warr]], and when the male line of the Dukes of Dorset died out in 1865 she and her husband inherited Bexhill.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
[[File:Manor Gardens, Old Town, Bexhill-on-Sea.jpg|thumb|left|Manor Gardens, Old Town]]
[[File:Lawns, Manor Gardens, Bexhill.jpg|thumb|left|Manor Barn, as seen from garden, Old Town]]

It was the 7th Earl De La Warr who decided to transform the small rural village of Bexhill into an exclusive seaside resort. He contracted the builder, John Webb, to construct the first sea wall and to lay out De La Warr Parade. Webb, in part payment for his work, was given all the land extending from Sea Road to the Polegrove, south of the railway line.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
Opened in 1890, the luxurious Sackville Hotel was built for the 7th Earl De La Warr and originally included a house for the use of his family. In 1891 [[Viscount]] Cantelupe, his eldest surviving son, married Muriel Brassey, the daughter of Sir Thomas and the late Annie, Lady Brassey of Normanhurst Court near Bexhill. The Manor House was fully refurbished so that Lord and Lady Cantelupe could live in style as Lord and Lady of the Manor. Finally, the 7th Earl De La Warr transferred control of his Bexhill estate to Viscount Cantelupe when the 7th Earl De La Warr died in 1896.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Viscount Cantelupe became the 8th Earl De La Warr. At this time he organised the building on the sea front of the Kursaal, a pavilion for refined entertainment and relaxation. He also had a bicycle track made, with a cycle chalet, at the eastern end of De La Warr Parade. These amenities were provided to promote the new resort. Meanwhile, many independent schools were being attracted to the expanding town due to its health-giving reputation.
The railway came through Bexhill in 1846, the first railway station being a small country halt situated roughly where Sainsbury's car park is today. This was some distance from the village on the hill. A new station, north of Devonshire Square, was opened in 1891 to serve the growing resort. In 1902 the current railway station was opened and a Bexhill West Station was built for the newly built Crowhurst Branch Line.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

1902 was the year that Bexhill became an Incorporated Borough. This was the first Royal Charter granted by Edward VII. Bexhill was the last town in Sussex to be incorporated and it was the first time a Royal Charter was delivered by motorcar. To celebrate the town's newfound status and to promote the resort, the 8th Earl De La Warr organised the country's first ever motorcar races along De La Warr Parade in May 1902. The town was scandalised at this time by the divorce of Earl De La Warr.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Muriel had brought the action on the grounds of adultery and abandonment. She was granted a divorce and given custody of their three children. Muriel, with her children, Myra, Avice and Herbrand, went back to live with Earl Brassey at Normanhurst Court. The 8th Earl De La Warr remarried but was again divorced for adultery. He also suffered recurrent and well-publicised financial difficulties.
At the start of the [[First World War]] in 1914 the Earl bought a Royal Naval commission. He died of fever at Messina in 1915.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Augusta Victoria College, now Lindsay Hall, operated as a pre-war [[finishing school]] for daughters of the high-ranking Nazi elite from 1932 until the outbreak of [[World War II]] in 1939 caused the school to close down. It was dramatised in the British war drama film ''[[Six Minutes to Midnight]]''.

Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville became the 9th Earl De La Warr. He is best known for championing the construction of the [[De La Warr Pavilion]], which was built and opened in 1935. The 9th Earl also became Bexhill's first socialist mayor. He died in 1976.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

The [[Second World War]] caused the evacuation of the schools and substantial bomb-damage to the town. Many schools returned to Bexhill after the war but there was a steady decline in the number of independent schools in the town. The break-up of the [[British Empire]] and in particular the Independence of India in 1947 hastened the process. Most of the schools were boarding and catered largely for the children of the armed forces overseas and of the colonial administration. Although the number of schools decreased, many of the parents and former pupils had fond memories of the town and later retired to Bexhill.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

== Governance ==
[[File:Town Hall Square, Bexhill (aerial).jpg|thumb|Town Hall Square]]

Due to local governance reform in 1974, Bexhill became part of [[Rother District Council]], thereby losing its town council. In its place, Bexhill became a [[charter trustee]]s town, represented by the Bexhill councillors of Rother District Council.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.rother.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2573&articleaction=print 
 |title=Ask the leader 2006, Question 331 
 |publisher=Rother District Council 
 |access-date=22 November 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614043113/http://www.rother.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2573&articleaction=print 
 |archive-date=14 June 2011 
}}</ref> A quarterly forum is held to provide a voice to the community at a local level.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.rother.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=792
| title = Bexhill Town Forum
| publisher = Rother District Council
| access-date = 22 November 2007
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070517030827/http://www.rother.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=792
| archive-date = 17 May 2007
| df = dmy-all
}}</ref>

[[Bexhill Town Hall]] is the seat of Rother District Council, for which elections are held every four years. In total, thirty-eight councillors are elected for Rother, eighteen coming from Bexhill's nine wards.<ref name=BO>{{cite web|url=https://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/politics/rother-district-council-election-results-live-updates-1-8914019|title=Rother District Council election results: live updates|publisher=Bexhill Observer|access-date=3 May 2019|archive-date=3 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503122136/https://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/politics/rother-district-council-election-results-live-updates-1-8914019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, local campaigners initiated a public consultation on the issue of regaining a town council for Bexhill. 9,227 people participated in the consultation, of whom 93.5% expressed a preference for a town council. The consultation was non-binding and, at a meeting in December 2017, Rother District Councillors voted against the formation of such a council by 18 to 13. The meeting was fully attended.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.democracy4bexhill.com/|title=Democracy4Bexhill – Campaigning to bring greater democracy to Bexhill on Sea|access-date=2019-05-26|archive-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526203257/https://www.democracy4bexhill.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> Those who voted against the consultation's outcome mostly expressed concerns about the added burden to local taxpayers that a town council would bring.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/bexhill-campaigners-blast-town-council-decision-by-rother-a-farce-1-8298048|title=Bexhill campaigners blast town council decision by Rother a 'farce'|website=www.bexhillobserver.net|access-date=2019-05-26|archive-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526203256/https://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/bexhill-campaigners-blast-town-council-decision-by-rother-a-farce-1-8298048|url-status=live}}</ref> On 1 April 2021 a civil parish was formed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Resources/Local%20Government%20Orders/South%20East/East%20Sussex/The%20Rother%20District%20Council%20(Reorganisation%20of%20Community%20Governance)%20(Bexhill-on-Sea)%20Order%202021.pdf|title=The Rother District Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) (Bexhill-on-Sea) Order 2021|publisher=[[Local Government Boundary Commission for England]]|accessdate=3 July 2021|archive-date=16 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216071049/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Resources/Local%20Government%20Orders/South%20East/East%20Sussex/The%20Rother%20District%20Council%20(Reorganisation%20of%20Community%20Governance)%20(Bexhill-on-Sea)%20Order%202021.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the local elections in May 2013, the Conservatives had a nett loss of fifteen seats, leaving the Rother District Council composed of fourteen Conservatives, thirteen independents, seven Liberal Democrats, one Green, and three Labour councillors.<ref name=BO/> The changes have meant that the issue of a town council for Bexhill has been reopened. The independents, supported by Labour and others, assented to a motion that would have a Bexhill Town Council up and running by 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/politics/bid-to-establish-town-council-for-bexhill-backed-1-8938263|title=Bid to establish town council for Bexhill backed|website=www.bexhillobserver.net|access-date=2019-05-26|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523131507/https://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/politics/bid-to-establish-town-council-for-bexhill-backed-1-8938263|url-status=live}}</ref>

Above Rother, the next level of government is the [[East Sussex County Council]], with responsibility for education, libraries, social services, highways, civil registration, trading standards, and transport. Elections to the County Council are also held every four years. For these elections, Bexhill is divided into four divisions: North, East, South and West.<ref name="ELECTION">{{cite web
  | title = Declaration of Result of Poll
  | publisher = East Sussex County Council
  | url = https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/media/8426/election-2017-result-rother.pdf
  | access-date = 5 May 2017
  | archive-date = 26 May 2019
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190526203251/https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/media/8426/election-2017-result-rother.pdf
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>

The latest county council election was held on 4 May 2017. Following the result of a by-election in 2019, Bexhill has two independent and two Conservative county councillors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/media/12615/result-of-poll.pdf|title=Declaration of Result of Poll|website=East Sussex County Council|access-date=26 May 2019|archive-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526203253/https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/media/12615/result-of-poll.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Bexhill and Battle (UK Parliament constituency)|Parliamentary Constituency of Bexhill and Battle]], created in 1983, includes the nearby town of [[Battle, East Sussex|Battle]]. Its Member of Parliament was [[Charles Wardle]] until the 2001 election, when he left the Conservatives and was replaced by [[Gregory Barker]]. He was the Member until the 2015 General Election, when he was replaced by [[Huw Merriman]], re-elected in 2019. However, Huw Merriman stood down for the [[2024 United Kingdom general election]], where he was replaced by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Kieran Mullan]].

At the European level, Bexhill was part of the [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South-East England constituency]], which had ten seats in the [[European Parliament]]. The 2019 election returned four [[Brexit Party]] MEPs, three [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]], one  [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]], one [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] and one [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48417228|title=Brexit Party dominates in EU elections|date=2019-05-27|access-date=2019-05-27|archive-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527184010/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48417228|url-status=live}}</ref> They ceased to hold office when [[Brexit|the country left the EU]].

As with most other areas along the South Coast, in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum]] the Rother district voted heavily to leave the EU. Leave won in Rother by a margin of 58.5% to 41.5%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results|title=EU Referendum Results|website=BBC News|access-date=2019-05-27|archive-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624000307/http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Wards===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ward
! Location
! Population<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southeastengland/wards/|title=UNITED KINGDOM: South East England Local Authority Districts and Wards|website=City Population}}</ref>
! Ward
! Location
! Population
|-
|Central
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward Central.png|175px]]
|5,607
|Sackville
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward Sackville.png|175px]]
|4,898
|-
|Collington
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward Collington.png|175px]]
|4,180
|Kewhurst
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward Kewhurst.png|175px]]
|4,735
|-
|St Stephens
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward StStephens.png|175px]]
|4,776
|OldTown & Worsham
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward OldTown&Worsham.png|175px]]
|4,178
|-
|Pebsham & St Michaels
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward Pebsham&StMichaels.png|175px]]
|5,113
|Sidley
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward Sidley.png|175px]]
|6,118
|-
|St Marks
|[[File:Bexhill-on-Sea OpenStreetMap Ward StMarks.png|175px]]
|4,967
|}

==Landmarks==
[[File:De La Warr Pavilion from promenade.JPG|thumb|De La Warr Pavilion from promenade]]
[[File:Flag and gazebo, Bexhill.JPG|thumb|One of the two gazebos at The Colonnade]]

The most notable landmark in Bexhill-on-Sea is the [[De La Warr Pavilion]]. The De La Warr Pavilion is a Grade I listed building, located on the seafront at Bexhill-on-Sea. The seafront building was the result of an architectural competition initiated by Herbrand Sackville, 9th [[Earl De La Warr]], after whom the building was named.
The 9th Earl, a committed socialist and Mayor of Bexhill, persuaded Bexhill council to develop the site as a public building. The competition was announced in ''[[Architects' Journal|The Architects' Journal]]'' in February 1934, with a programme that specified an entertainment hall to seat at least 1500 people; a 200-seat restaurant; a reading room; and a lounge. Initially, the budget for the project was limited to £50,000, although this was later raised to £80,000. Run by the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]], this competition attracted over 230 entrants, many of them practising in the Modernist style.
Shapes tend towards streamlined, industrially-influenced designs. The architects selected for the project, [[Erich Mendelsohn]] and [[Serge Chermayeff]], were leading figures in the Modern Movement.

The aesthetics employed in the International Style proved especially suited to the building, tending towards streamlined, industrially-influenced designs, often with expansive metal-framed windows, and eschewing traditional brick and stonework in favour of concrete and steel construction. Among the building's most innovative features was its use of a welded steel frame construction, pioneered by structural engineer Felix Samuely. Construction of the De La Warr Pavilion began in January 1935.

The building was opened on 12 December of the same year by the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).
During World War II, the De La Warr Pavilion was used by the military. Bexhill and Sussex in general were vulnerable if the Germans decided to mount an invasion (Operation Sea Lion). Among those who served at the Pavilion during the War was [[Spike Milligan]], later a noted comedian. The building suffered minor damage to its foundations when the Metropole hotel adjacent to the building's western side was destroyed by German bombers.
After the War, management of the Pavilion was taken over by Bexhill Corporation (which later became Rother District Council). Changes were made to the building, many of which were inconsistent with the original design and aesthetic of the building. Lack of funds also resulted in an ongoing degradation of the building's fabric.

[[File:High Woods Nr Little Common East Sussex - geograph.org.uk - 111197.jpg|thumb|High Woods, Little Common, Bexhill-on-Sea]]
In 1986, the De La Warr Pavilion was granted a Grade I listed building status, essentially protecting the building from further inappropriate alteration. 1989 saw the formation of the Pavilion Trust, a group dedicated to protecting and restoring the building.

Playwright David Hare notioned that the site be used as an art gallery as opposed to an expected privatised redevelopment. In 2002, after a long application process the De La Warr Pavilion was granted £6&nbsp;Million by the Heritage Lottery Fund & the Arts Council, to restore the building and turn it into a contemporary arts centre. Work began in 2004 on the De La Warr Pavilion's regeneration and a transfer of the buildings ownership from Rother District Council to the De La Warr Pavilion Charitable Trust.
[[File:VOC Amsterdam wreck at low tide (aerial) 02.jpg|thumb|Wreck of the ''[[Amsterdam (1748)|VOC Amsterdam]]'', visible at low tide between Bexhill-on-Sea and St Leonards-on-Sea]]

In 2005, after an extensive programme of restoration and regeneration, the De La Warr Pavilion reopened as a contemporary arts centre, encompassing one of the largest galleries on the south coast of England. A small collection of archival materials related to the De La Warr Pavilion is collected in the Serge Chermayeff Papers held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University in New York City.
The Art Deco and International Style building was designed by the architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff and constructed in 1935. Although sometimes claimed to be the first major Modernist public building in Britain, it was in fact preceded by some months by the Dutch-influenced [[Hornsey Town Hall]].

A [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] lies within the Bexhill district&mdash;[[High Woods]]. It is of biological importance because it is the only known sessile oak ''[[Quercus petraea]]'' woodland in East Sussex.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1001606|title=Natural England - SSSI|access-date=27 September 2008|publisher=English Nature|archive-date=25 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525101540/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1001606|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Fossils]] are also commonly found in Bexhill. In 2009 the world's oldest [[spider web]] was found encased in [[amber]] in the town. It was 140&nbsp;million years old.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/8335719.stm |title=Spider web confirmed as 'oldest' |work=BBC News |access-date=3 November 2009 |archive-date=3 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103073110/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/8335719.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2011 it was reported that the world's smallest [[dinosaur]] had been discovered at Ashdown Brickworks near the town. A single [[vertebra]] was found.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/new-dinosaur-found-at-brickworks-in-east-sussex-2297639.html|title=New dinosaur found at brickworks in east Sussex|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|first=Ben|last=Mitchell|date=15 June 2011|access-date=19 September 2017|archive-date=20 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820063813/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/new-dinosaur-found-at-brickworks-in-east-sussex-2297639.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Beeches Farm]] is a Grade II listed building.

The wreck of the ''[[Amsterdam (1748)|VOC Amsterdam]]'', an eighteenth century cargo ship that ran aground between Bexhill and St Leonards, can be seen at low tide.

== Areas ==
; Central ward: The main part of Bexhill. There are several roads with a variety of shops, a railway station, a library and the [[De La Warr Pavilion]] on the seafront.:

; Old Town: The original town on the hill, chartered by King Offa in 772.

; [[Sidley, East Sussex|Sidley]]: Residential area to the north, with its own high street.
[[File:St Mark's Church, Little Common, Bexhill-on-Sea - geograph.org.uk - 1093914.jpg|thumb|St Mark's Church, Little Common]]

; Pebsham: A developing residential area to the east of town.

; Glyne Gap: Easterly low-lying land separating Bexhill from Hastings, its most prominent feature is Ravenside Retail & Leisure Park.

; Collington: A residential area near Cooden.

; Little Common: A small village to the west, with various independent shops.

; Cooden: In the south-west, plays host to a large hotel, golf and tennis clubs.

; The Highlands: A small suburb at the towns highest elevation. Bordered by Turkey Road, Ninfield Road and Bexhill Cemetery.

; Barnhorn: An area far west of Bexhill; its name survives in Barnhorne Manor and Barnhorn Road (a section of the A259). The name was recorded in AD 772 in an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] [[charter]] as ''Berna horna''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+108|website=www.Anglo-Saxons.net|title=Berna horna|access-date=15 February 2009|archive-date=11 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011044357/http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+108|url-status=live}}</ref> A new residential development site called Barnhorn Green sets to grow this area significantly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnhorngreen.com/|website=barnhorngreen.com|title=Barnhorn Green development site|access-date=15 September 2017|archive-date=15 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915161212/http://www.barnhorngreen.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Bexhill Farmers' Market, Devonshire Square, Bexhill.jpg|thumb|Bexhill Farmers' Market, Devonshire Square]]

; [[Normans Bay]]: A rural fishing hamlet furthest west close to [[Pevensey Levels]].

== Economy ==
Reginald Sackville, seventh Earl [[De La Warr]], decided to transform what was then a village on a hill around its church into an exclusive seaside resort, which he named Bexhill-on-Sea.{{cn|date=May 2025}} He was instrumental in building a sea wall south of the village, and the road above it was then named De La Warr Parade. Large houses were built inland from there, and the new town began.

In 1890, the luxurious Sackville Hotel was built.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
[[File:The Victorial Era, De La Warr Parade, Bexhill.jpg|thumb|Victorian influences still alive today]]
Bexhill was the location for the first [[motor racing|motor race]] in the United Kingdom, in May 1902.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://royalautomobileclub.co.uk/archive/archive_navmain5.asp?groupid=675&tabstyle=main|title=Learn more about The Royal Automobile Club|work=royalautomobileclub.co.uk|access-date=6 October 2009|archive-date=5 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705200619/https://www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/archive/archive_navmain5.asp?groupid=675&tabstyle=main|url-status=dead}}</ref> Signs at the town's outskirts have the text "Birthplace of British Motor Racing" appended below the town's name. The Bexhill 100 Festival of Motoring, held on Bexhill's seafront, celebrated this important milestone in motoring history from 1990 until 2002. This final festival commemorated the Centenary of the original "Races". During the life of the festival, in 1999, the organisers launched the Bexhill 100 Motoring Club, so although the Festival no longer exists, the club still exists, and their committee organises each year, the Bexhill 100 Motoring Club Classic Car Show held on August bank holiday Monday in the Polegrove, Bexhill.

[[The De La Warr Pavilion]], brainchild of the [[Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr|ninth Earl De La Warr]], opened in 1935 as one of the earliest examples of [[Modern architecture]] in a major British public building. It closed for major restoration work in December 2003 and reopened in October 2005.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

During the [[Second World War]], Bexhill was named as a point to attack as part of [[Operation Sea Lion]] by [[Nazi Germany]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/operation_sealion.htm |title=Operation Sealion |publisher=Historylearningsite.co.uk |access-date=29 May 2013 |archive-date=2 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602012933/http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/operation_sealion.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The town, like many other English seaside resorts, is now much more a settled community. Although there is a small entertainment area on the seafront, it now has a large retired population, like much of the [[South Coast of England|south coast]]. Efforts are being made to increase tourism in Bexhill, including annual events such as the 'Festival of the Sea' and, formerly, 'Roaring Twenties Day', each held during the summer.<ref name=":0" />

The last remaining cinema was sold to the Wetherspoon pub chain on 1 December 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/local/wetherspoon-delighted-to-buy-old-bexhill-cinema-1-6428201|title=Wetherspoon "delighted" to buy old Bexhill cinema|work=bexhillobserver.net|access-date=31 December 2014|archive-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231235005/http://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/local/wetherspoon-delighted-to-buy-old-bexhill-cinema-1-6428201|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:Railway Station, Bexhill-on-Sea - geograph.org.uk - 694294.jpg|thumb|[[Bexhill railway station]]]]
[[File:Cooden Beach station.jpg|thumb|[[Cooden Beach railway station]], Bexhill]]
Bexhill is on the [[A259 road]] which forms the coast road between [[Folkestone]] and [[Brighton]]. Plans of an A259 Bexhill and Hastings bypass have repeatedly been postponed over the past 40 years but the plans were cancelled due to environmental concerns.
A [[A2690|new road]] was approved in 2012 and completed in 2016 at a cost of £100m <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-23201587 |title=Bexhill-to-Hastings link road's costs rise by £13m |work=BBC News |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-date=23 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223201052/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-23201587 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The town is served by the [[East Coastway line|coastal railway line]] between [[Ashford International railway station|Ashford]] and [[Brighton railway station|Brighton]] and has three railway stations, including [[Cooden Beach railway station|Cooden Beach]], [[Collington railway station|Collington]], and [[Bexhill railway station|Bexhill]]. Regular trains run to Ashford, Brighton and [[London Victoria railway station|London Victoria]].

Bexhill is served by 13 bus routes including school routes which serve the surrounding areas like Hastings, Battle, Conquest Hospital, Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay Asda (Free bus on Wednesdays). The area with the most bus services is between Sidley and Bexhill which has the route 2 (Asda free bus), 95, 97 & 98.

The railway built by the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway (later part of the [[London, Brighton & South Coast Railway]]) arrived on 27 June 1846, although the present [[Bexhill railway station|station]] was not built until 1891, when the town had become popular as a resort. A second line, this time built by the [[South Eastern Railway (England)|South Eastern Railway]] and approaching the town from the north, was a branch line from [[Crowhurst railway station|Crowhurst]] via an intermediate station at [[Sidley, East Sussex|Sidley]] to a terminus at [[Bexhill West railway station|Bexhill West]]. The line opened on 1 June 1902 and closed on 15 June 1964.<ref>H P White, ''Southern England (A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Volume 2)'', David & Charles, 1961–1982, page 36.</ref> The branch was also closed temporarily between 1 January 1917 and 1 March 1919 as an economy measure during the [[First World War]].<ref>"[[The Railway Magazine]]", July 1958</ref>

== Sport and leisure ==
[[File:Bexhill United v Storrington (8335967104).jpg|thumb|Sports stand at Polegrove recreation ground]]
[[File:Cricket pitch, Bexhill Down Common, Bexhill.jpg|thumb|Cricket pitch, Bexhill Down]]
Bexhill has three [[Non-League football]] clubs [[Bexhill United F.C.]] who play at The Polegrove [[Little Common F.C.]] who play at The Oval in Eastbourne and [[Sidley United F.C.]] who play at Little Common Recreation Ground.

Bexhill also share a [[Rugby Union]] club with Hastings, known as Hasting and Bexhill Rugby Football Club. They play at ARK William Parker Academy. Bexhill-on-Sea also has a sports and social club - Bexhill Amateur Athletic Community Association. This club is located on Little Common Road, and also has a football club, Judo, Keepfit classes and a fully equipped gym

Bexhill is home to a detachment of the Sussex [[Army Cadet Force]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sussex Army Cadets |url=https://armycadets.com/county/sussex-acf/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Army Cadets UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> a volunteer youth organisation, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, which accepts cadets aged between 12 and 18 years of age.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-26 |title=The Ministry of Defence cadet forces |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-cadet-forces-and-mods-youth-work |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>

Bexhill-on-Sea Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1890. It closed at the time of WW2.<ref>[http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=831 "Bexhill-on-Sea Golf Club"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090306/http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=831 |date=19 August 2014 }}, "Golf’s Missing Links".</ref>

Bexhill is home to the Little Common Ramblers Cricket Club playing at the Recreation Ground. The 'Ramblers' have 3 adult teams playing in the East Sussex Cricket League. In 2018, the Ramblers 1st XI was promoted to the Sussex County League for the first time in its history. [[File:Bexhill Rowing Club, Central Parade, Bexhill.jpg|thumb|Bexhill Rowing Club boathouse]]Bexhill-on-Sea is also the home of Rother Swim Academy, offering swimming lessons to children. Founded in 1990 and family run.
[[File:Rotary Coin Collector.jpg|thumb|Rotary Club of Bexhill Coin Collector]]
Marina Court Garden officially opened on 6 July 2015 with the Bexhill Rotary Club Wheel Coin collector (Bexhill Observer). The open space on the Marina, next to the De la Warr Pavilion will provide an area to sit and relax. Rother District Council Chairman opened the Garden and President Raouf Oderuth of Bexhill Rotary Club unveiled the Coin Collector. The proceeds will fund local nominated Charities.

== Culture ==
In 2013, the BBC conducted a survey into 'Englishness'. The results of this survey for the [[Rother District|Rother area]], in which Bexhill is found, revealed that 68% of people living in Rother were 'proud to be English' - 11% above the national average of 57%.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-44142843|title=How proud is your area of being English?|date=2018-06-03|access-date=2019-05-27|archive-date=29 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429090400/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-44142843|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bexhill also holds the [[world record]] for the greatest number of mermaids in one area (325), a feat achieved in September 2017 at the annual 'Festival of the Sea'.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2017/09/04/british-mermaids-break-world-record|title=British mermaids break world record|date=2017-09-04|website=euronews|access-date=2019-05-27|archive-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527095934/https://www.euronews.com/2017/09/04/british-mermaids-break-world-record|url-status=live}}</ref> The town also held the record for the largest [[Charleston (dance)|Charleston]] dance, which took place as part of the 'Bexhill Roaring 20s' festival, formerly held every summer, though it was overtaken by [[Shrewsbury]] in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discoverbexhill.com/articles/bexhill-roaring-20s-2017|title=Bexhill Roaring 20s 2017 - A Fitting Finale?|website=www.discoverbexhill.com|access-date=2019-05-27|archive-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527095933/https://www.discoverbexhill.com/articles/bexhill-roaring-20s-2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-charleston-dance|title=Largest Charleston dance|website=Guinness World Records|access-date=2019-05-27|archive-date=14 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514135658/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-charleston-dance|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cultural references===

* In the semi-autobiographical Thai novel ''Lakhon Haeng Chiwit'' or ''The Circus of Life'', written by HSH Prince Arkartdamkeung Rapheephat in 1929, the Victoria House on Middlesex Rd., Bexhill-on-Sea was once the residence of Prince Arkartdamkeung.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thebexhillhistorytrail.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/05-victoria-house-middlesex-road/|title=(05) Victoria House, Middlesex Road|date=15 January 2015|access-date=22 February 2017|archive-date=23 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223045057/https://thebexhillhistorytrail.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/05-victoria-house-middlesex-road/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In the [[Agatha Christie]] novel ''[[The A.B.C. Murders]]'', the second murder is committed in Bexhill-on-Sea.
* In the [[spy film]] [[Confidential Agent]], released in 1945 by [[Warner Brothers]] after [[The Confidential Agent]] written in 1939 by [[Graham Greene]], and starring [[Charles Boyer]] and [[Lauren Bacall]], the hero’s organized escape from England takes place at Bexhill-on-Sea.
* In the 2006 film ''[[Children of Men]]'', Bexhill-on-Sea is the site of Bexhill Refugee Camp, a notorious and violent [[internment camp]] for [[illegal immigrants]].
* The ''[[Goon Show]]'' episode "[[The Dreaded Batter Pudding Hurler (of Bexhill-on-Sea)]]".
*Bexhill is referenced in the film production of ''[[Another Country (1984 film)|Another Country]]''.
*[[Derek Malcolm]] writes of his time in Bexhill in his autobiography ''Family Secrets''.
* The 2012 song "[[Sovereign Light Café]]" by English alternative rock band [[Keane (band)|Keane]] was written with inspiration drawn from Bexhill-on-Sea, where the café is located in real life.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-17310047 |title=BBC News - Keane to start world tour in Bexhill-on-Sea |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2012-03-09 |access-date=2019-07-11 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925155118/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17310047 |url-status=live }}</ref> The music video was also filmed in Bexhill-on-Sea.
* The 2020 film ''[[Six Minutes to Midnight]]'' is set in, and inspired by events in, Bexhill-on-Sea.

==Climate==
As with the rest of the [[British Isles]] and Southern England, Bexhill experiences a [[maritime climate]] with cool summers and mild winters. In terms of the local climate, Bexhill is on the eastern edge of what is, on average, the sunniest part of the UK, the stretch of coast from the Isle of Wight to the Hastings area.

{{Weather box|location = Hastings 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 15.0
|Feb record high C = 14.0
|Mar record high C = 19.0
|Apr record high C = 24.4
|May record high C = 26.1
|Jun record high C = 32.3
|Jul record high C = 33.2
|Aug record high C = 31.5
|Sep record high C = 27.2
|Oct record high C = 22.2
|Nov record high C = 17.2
|Dec record high C = 14.5
|year record high C = 33.2
|Jan high C = 7.7
|Feb high C = 7.6
|Mar high C = 9.9
|Apr high C = 12.6
|May high C = 15.9
|Jun high C = 18.5
|Jul high C = 20.7
|Aug high C = 21.0
|Sep high C = 18.7
|Oct high C = 15.2
|Nov high C = 11.3
|Dec high C = 8.4
|year high C = 
|Jan low C = 3.1
|Feb low C = 2.7
|Mar low C = 4.2
|Apr low C = 5.9
|May low C = 9.1
|Jun low C = 11.7
|Jul low C = 14.0
|Aug low C = 14.2
|Sep low C = 12.3
|Oct low C = 9.6
|Nov low C = 6.1
|Dec low C = 3.8
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = -9.8
|Feb record low C = −8.8
|Mar record low C = -6.1
|Apr record low C = −2.1
|May record low C = 0.0
|Jun record low C = 2.8
|Jul record low C = 6.7
|Aug record low C = 7.4
|Sep record low C = 4.4
|Oct record low C = 0.2
|Nov record low C = −5.6
|Dec record low C = −6.7
|year record low C = −9.8
|Jan precipitation mm = 75
|Feb precipitation mm = 52
|Mar precipitation mm = 53
|Apr precipitation mm = 48
|May precipitation mm = 48
|Jun precipitation mm = 50
|Jul precipitation mm = 49
|Aug precipitation mm = 52
|Sep precipitation mm = 60
|Oct precipitation mm = 96
|Nov precipitation mm = 87
|Dec precipitation mm = 61
|year precipitation mm = 
|Jan sun = 72
|Feb sun = 90
|Mar sun = 127
|Apr sun = 196
|May sun = 230
|Jun sun = 232
|Jul sun = 247
|Aug sun = 235
|Sep sun = 168
|Oct sun = 128
|Nov sun = 85
|Dec sun = 61
|year sun =
|source 1 = [[Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/mapserver/anomaly.php?indexcat=**&indexid=TNn&year=1987&seasonid=7&create_image=true&minx=-1111428.5714287&miny=-4687142.8571429&maxx=621904.76190476&maxy=-3387142.8571428&MapSize=560%2C420&imagewidth=560&imageheight=420&mainmap.x=376&mainmap.y=371&CMD=QUERY_POINT&CMD=QUERY_POINT#bottom | title = Hastings Climate | access-date = 11 November 2011 | publisher = [[KNMI (institute)|KNMI]] | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120608171237/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/mapserver/anomaly.php?indexcat=**&indexid=TNn&year=1987&seasonid=7&create_image=true&minx=-1111428.5714287&miny=-4687142.8571429&maxx=621904.76190476&maxy=-3387142.8571428&MapSize=560,420&imagewidth=560&imageheight=420&mainmap.x=376&mainmap.y=371&CMD=QUERY_POINT&CMD=QUERY_POINT#bottom | archive-date = 8 June 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
|source 2 = Met Office [http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/hastings-east-sussex#?tab=climateTables]}}

==Notable people==
{{Alumni|residents|date=January 2018}}
<!-- Any claimed notables added here with no inline cites that they are associated with Bexhill will be removed. Only add names of people with their own WP article, indicating notability. However, any mention of Bexhill in their article without a supporting reliable source is not good enough. A red link can be added to a name here if there are multiple reliable refs added after their name that indicate the person deserves a WP article.-->
* [[Hertha Marks Ayrton]], engineer, mathematician, physicist, and inventor who was awarded the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society for her work on electric arcs and ripples in sand and water.
* [[John Logie Baird]], Scottish inventor of [[television]], resided in a house by the station towards the end of his life.
* [[James Beeching]] (1788–1858), shipbuilder and inventor of the self-righting lifeboat.
* [[Joyce Lankester Brisley]] (1896–1978), writer of the Milly-Molly-Mandy stories, etc. – exact place of birth unidentified.
* [[Georgina Fanny Cheffins]] (1863–1932), militant suffragette, lived here in her later years
* [[Michael Cowpland]], founder of high-tech companies [[Mitel]], [[Corel]], and [[Zim corporation|ZIM]], lived in Bexhill and went to [[Bexhill College]] until he was 18.
* [[Fanny Cradock]] and [[Johnnie Cradock]], chef-broadcasters, lived in Cooden Drive, Bexhill.
* [[Max Faulkner]], professional golfer and Open champion in 1951.
* [[Norman Franks]], aviation historian and author of over 120 books on military aviation.
* [[William Kelsey Fry]] (1889-1963), dental and plastic surgeon 
* [[Ruth Gipps]], composer and music impresario, founder of London Repertoire Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://londonrepertoireorchestra.org.uk/|title=London Repertoire Orchestra – Exploring orchestral repertoire since 1955|website=londonrepertoireorchestra.org.uk|access-date=21 February 2018|archive-date=21 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221100445/http://londonrepertoireorchestra.org.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* [[Jimmy Glover]] (1861–1931), an Irish composer and conductor, was Mayor of Bexhill-on-Sea for 1906–07.<ref>"Glover, James Mackey", in ''[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]'' (London: A. & C. Black, 1919), p. 964</ref> 
* [[David Hare (dramatist)|Sir David Hare]] (born 1947), British dramatist.
* [[Peter Katin]], (1930–2015) concert pianist, recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist, made Bexhill his home.
* [[Henry Richard Kenwood]] public health specialist, born here.
* [[Philip Ledger|Sir Philip Ledger]] (1937–2012), classical musician, choral composer and scholar, was born in Bexhill.
* [[Desmond Llewelyn]], the [[James Bond]] actor who played Q, lived in the town until his death in 1999.
* [[Ted Lowe]], commentator on BBC's 'Pot Black', which brought snooker to prominence on British TV, was a longtime resident of Bexhill until his death in May 2011.
* [[Kate Marsden]] (1859–1931), nurse who travelled through Siberia helping Yakut lepers, lived in Bexhill in the 1910s and became a founder of [[Bexhill Museum]].<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://www.bexhillmuseum.co.uk/index.php?pid=13
 | title         = About Bexhill Museum
 | publisher         = The Society of Bexhill Museums
 | access-date         = 14 December 2011
 | archive-url         = https://web.archive.org/web/20150914073434/http://www.bexhillmuseum.co.uk/index.php?pid=13
 | archive-date         = 14 September 2015
 | url-status         = dead
 }}</ref>
* [[Spike Milligan]] (1918-2002) was stationed in Bexhill while in the army during the Second World War, and most of the first volume of his war memoirs takes place there.
* [[Hayley Okines]] (1997–2015), patient with the rare premature ageing disease [[progeria]].
* [[Jimmy Robertson (snooker player)|Jimmy Robertson]] (born 1986), professional snooker player, was born in Bexhill.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wst.tv/players/jimmy-robertson/|title=Jimmy Robertson|website=wst.tv/players|access-date=21 August 2021|archive-date=15 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815013906/https://wst.tv/players/jimmy-robertson/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Andrew Sachs]] (1930–2016), actor, had his stage début in 1947 at the De La Warr Pavilion, where he also worked as an assistant stage manager.<ref>{{cite news
 | url         = https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/dec/02/andrew-sachs-obituary
 | title         = Andrew Sachs obituary
 | newspaper         = The Guardian
 | access-date         = 21 September 2017
 | archive-date         = 21 September 2017
 | archive-url         = https://web.archive.org/web/20170921144734/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/dec/02/andrew-sachs-obituary
 | url-status         = live
 }}</ref>
* [[Alex Sanders (Wiccan)|Alex Saunders]] (1926–1988), the founder of Alexandrian Witchcraft lived in the Old Town at 1 Chantry Cottage.
* [[Ronald Skirth]] (1897–1977), conscientious objector and author of the [[First World War]] memoir ''The Reluctant Tommy'', grew up in Bexhill and describes it at length in his book.
* [[Eric Slater]] (1896–1963), English artist and printmaker, lived in Bexhill and created images of the surrounding countryside.
* [[Gwyneth Strong]], the ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' actress who played [[Cassandra Trotter]] lives in Bexhill.
* [[Oli Thompson]], [[Strongman (strength athlete)|strongman]] and 2006 winner of [[Britain's Strongest Man]].
* [[Leslie Weatherhead]], preacher and theologian, retired to Bexhill.
* [[Hugh Williams]] (1904–1969), actor, playwright and dramatist.
* [[Angus Wilson]]  (1913 -1991) Novelist, short story writer and campaigner for homosexual equality. He was born in Bexhill, lived in Dorset Road and Marina Court and attended Kindergarten in the town before his family moved to Eastbourne.<ref>Angus Wilson;A Biography, Margaret Drabble, Secker & Warburg, 1995.</ref>

==Freedom of the Town==
The following people and military units have received the [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Town]] of Bexhill-on-Sea.<ref>{{cite web |title=Freedoms of Bexhill |url=https://www.discoverbexhill.com/history/freedom-of-bexhill.php |website=Discover Bexhill |access-date=19 July 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812034938/https://www.discoverbexhill.com/history/freedom-of-bexhill.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
{{Incomplete list|date=July 2021}}

===Individuals===
* [[Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey]]: 9 November 1911.
* John Alexander Paton: 29 March 1920.
* William Nicholson Cuthbert: 25 January 1943.
* Christine Isabella Meads: 5 March 1952.
* Ernest William Bowrey: 5 March 1952.
* Richard Cecil Sewell: 5 March 1952.
* Frances Burrows: 29 January 1958.
* Claude Pycroft: 27 September 1962.
* Joyce Alexander: 2 October 1968.
* Harry Riley: 2 October 1968.
* Ian Allen: 29 July 2009.
* Matthew Hellier: 29 July 2009.
* Nick McCorry: 29 July 2009.
* Phil McCorry: 29 July 2009.
* Stuart Earl: 13 October 2019.
* Alexis Markwick: 11 May 2022.
* Christopher Speck: 8 March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/bexhillonseatc/posts/226822269734000 |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref>
* Jimmy Carroll: 6 March 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/bexhillonseatc/posts/421220466960845 |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref>
* Lynn Langlands: 26 March 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umDeDQyfp74 |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of places of worship in Rother]]
* [[St Richard's Catholic College]]
* [[Bexhill High Academy]]
* [[Bexhill College]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline}}
* [http://bexhill-osm.org.uk/ Bexhill-OSM] - A community built map. Discover points of interest, walking directions and other information.
* [http://www.discoverbexhill.com/ Discover Bexhill] - Non-profit guide to Bexhill's history and tourist information
* [https://www.visit1066country.com/explore-1066-country/bexhill-on-sea 1066 Country] - Official Destination Management Organisation
* [http://www.dlwp.com De La Warr Pavilion]

{{Rother}}
{{East Sussex1}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bexhill}}
[[Category:Bexhill-on-Sea| ]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in East Sussex]]
[[Category:Beaches of East Sussex]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in East Sussex]]
[[Category:Rother District]]
[[Category:Towns in East Sussex]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 2021]]