Eastbourne’s Beacon shopping centre showcases town’s history with new attractions

By India Wentworth
Published 16th Jun 2021, 16:29 BST
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An ambitious new attraction is being built at the Beacon to ‘explore the creation and heritage of the town’.

Parts of The Beacon are being transformed into four areas representing the hamlets – Bourne, Southbourne, Meads and Sea Houses – where the modern town of Eastbourne began to emerge in the late 19th century.

The hamlets will each have ‘bold custom-designed structures’ and feature a written narrative supplied by Eastbourne Borough Council’s heritage manager Jo Seaman, to tell the story of Eastbourne.

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Included in this story will be characters from Animal Farm, the classic novel by Eastbourne-educated George Orwell.

Changes at The Beacon SUS-210616-155115001Changes at The Beacon SUS-210616-155115001
Changes at The Beacon SUS-210616-155115001

According to a spokesperson from The Beacon, Legal & General, long-term investors of the centre, ‘is looking well beyond the next 24 months’ by putting this attraction together.

Denz Ibrahim, head of retail and futuring for Legal & General Investment Management, said, “Changes in consumer needs mean that the retail sector in the UK has seen a shift in recent years. Covid has exacerbated those challenges that the industry already faced.

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