Family-friendly revival of the story of Beachy Head
By Rebecca Maer
The famous white cliffs of Beachy Head slowly emerge as strips of plaster of Paris are lifted out a water tray and carefully applied to a wooden frame.
A new sign is being fixed above the door and there is a huge amount of work to be done connecting the hands-on interactive exhibits.
With less than two days to go before the new Beachy Head Experience opens to visitors, there’s a clear sense of purpose.
The four-metre long model of the cliffs will be a computer-activated moving installation as a seven-minute presentation tells the story of the two famous lighthouses nearby and secret Cold War areas hidden underground.
Visitors will also be able to fly virtually above Beachy Head and Belle Tout lighthouses on a broomstick or in a hot air balloon via a green screen video studio.
And hands-on interactive exhibits will feature the coast, navigation, weather and sending messages using Morse code or semaphore flags.
“It’s very exciting – we are really looking forward to welcoming visitors,” said Paul Young, the man behind the new project.
He confessed to being apprehensive and nervous. “We have very little time to get ready,” he told the Eastbourne Reporter, after fixing the new sign above the door.
The exhibition opens on Saturday (October 24) in time for the half-term holiday: admission is £10 for adults and £6 for three to 17-year-olds, including a video of your virtual flight above Beachy Head. It’s half price if you return within six months.
The building, on the headland high above Eastbourne, was previously the Beachy Head Story, run by Eastbourne Borough Council.
It was closed as part of £2.7 million of spending cuts agreed by the council in 2024 to balance the budget. The cuts were controversial, with critics pointing out that the Beachy Head Story had been largely run by volunteers.
But the council argued that its costs in dealing with homelessness meant it had to make savings on non-statutory services to fulfil Government requirements.
Now Paul, a software engineer, is seeing his long-running dream of opening an interactive experience for families come to fruition.
He received the keys to the flint and brick building only eight days ago after a long negotiation to sign the ten-year lease with the council. The murals and wall decorations from the Beachy Head Story remain outside and also inside on the walls and ceilings.
The project is being run through Animazing, his non-profit community interest company, which he originally started to stage exhibitions of classic children’s TV programmes.
“It is all about community. I like putting things together and creating – it's about making fun, interactive experiences for families,” he told me.
Paul’s children – Isabel, 18, and Jack, 14 – are building up layers of plaster on the cliffs frame which their dad built.
They both love crafts and creating. “It has always been our fun time with our parents. This is our heaven,” said Isabel, as they meticulously pressed strips onto the framework.
“This has been my dad’s dream for many years. I am so proud of him and the fact that it’s all coming together now is amazing.”
There will be paid members of staff to run the experience and the shop but Paul is appealing for volunteers to welcome visitors. Any profit will be reinvested.
From Friday 6 November, the Beachy Head Experience will open from Friday to Sunday over the winter.
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