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The
physical geography of Sussex relies heavily on its lying on
the southern part of the Wealden anticline. The major
features of that are the high lands which cross the county
in a west to east direction: the Weald itself, and the South
Downs. The former consists of clays and sands; the latter
chalk. Between those two ridges, mainly in West Sussex, lies
the "Vale of Sussex"; at the eastern end of the county is
the valley of the River Rother, which flows into what was a
long sea inlet to reach the sea at Rye Bay.
The Weald
The Weald
is what remains of the vast forest that existed between the
North and South Downs. It can be split into three parts, the
High Weald, the Low Weald and the Greensand Ridge. The High
Weald runs in an easterly direction from St Leonard's
Forest, south-west of Crawley, and continues to Ashdown
Forest. Its eastern extremity is in two sections, divided by
the River Rother valley. The northern arm reaches the sea at
Folkestone (in Kent); the southern at Fairlight Down east of
Hastings.
Within the Weald lies Sussex's highest point, the pine-clad
Black Down, close to the Surrey border at 305 metres (1,001
ft) [4]. Another high point is in the part called Forest
Ridges: a height of 242 metres (794 ft) is reached at Beacon
Hill [5] in the neighbourhood of Crowborough.
The
Weald gets its name from the Old English weald, meaning
"forest", and it retains the highest proportion of ancient
woodlands in the country[citation needed]. Around 1660 the
total area under forest was estimated to exceed 200,000
acres (81,000 ha), and charcoal from the woodlands supplied
the furnaces and forges of the ironworks which formed an
important industry in the county until the 17th century, and
which survived even until the early years of the 19th
century.
The
South Downs start from a point near Petersfield in
Hampshire. On entering Sussex, their summit is about 10
miles (16 km) from the sea. They run east for some 50 miles
(80 km), gradually approaching the coast, and terminating in
the bold promontory of Beachy Head near Eastbourne. Their
average height is about 152 metres (499 ft) though Ditchling
Beacon is 248 metres (814 ft) [6] (the third highest summit)
and many other summits exceed 212 metres (696 ft).
Vale of Sussex
The
Vale of Sussex is the lower undulating land which came into
being when the softer clays between the Weald and the Downs
were worn away. Crossing the Vale are most of the rivers in
Sussex: those rising on the slopes of the Weald and cutting
through the Downs to reach the sea (see Drainage).
Coastal plain
This
is a fertile narrow belt from Chichester to Brighton. Once
noted for market gardening, it is now heavily built up into
a sprawling coastal conurbation. The beaches along the coast
vary from sandy to shingle: that factor, together with the
mild climate of the coast, sheltered by the hills from north
and east winds, has resulted in the growth of numerous
resort towns, of which the most popular are (east to west)
Hastings, Bexhill, Eastbourne, Seaford, Brighton,
Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis.
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