Beachy Head

Beachy Head is a headland on the south coast near the town of Eastbourne in East Sussex. The chalk cliffs of the South Downs, the 162 m above sea level, the highest in the UK. He is followed by the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs above seven other.

The name has nothing to do with English beach ( beach ). The cliff was in 1274 with French Beauchef ( nice chap ), designated in 1317 with Beauchief and from 1724 Beachy Head.

The good visibility of Beachy Head from the sea makes it a landmark for ships in the English Channel. At the same time the rocks presented a danger to shipping dar. 1831 therefore began a first lighthouse, called the Belle Tout Lighthouse to build on a cliff about 2 km to the west. The beacon was taken into operation in 1834. Since it was difficult to see in fog and low clouds, a new 43 m high lighthouse in the sea was built in front of Beachy Head, which was completed in October 1902. Its light is visible up to a distance of 26 nautical miles ( 42 km). The Belle Tout Lighthouse was decommissioned and is used privately since then. It had to be about 17 m inland postponed because of the erosion of the rock in 1999.

Miscellaneous

• The rock is notorious because it is often used to commit suicide. A chaplaincy team ( chaplain team ) stops during the day and evening throughout here to restrain potential suicide and provide support.
• The Battle of Beachy Head in 1690 was a naval battle in the War of the Grand Alliance against France.
• The ash Friedrich Engels were scattered into the sea in front of Beachy Head at his request in the fall of 1895.