Geography of Sussex

• Northernmost point – Junction of A23 London Road and Povey Cross Road, north of Gatwick Airport, Crawley, West Sussex at 51°10′1.11″N 0°10′42.39″W
• Southernmost point – Selsey Bill, West Sussex at 50°43′21.62″N 0°47′16.77″W
• Westernmost point – Stansted Park, Stoughton, West Sussex at 50°53′28.14″N 0°57′36.22″W
• Easternmost point – Denge Marsh, near Camber Sands, East Sussex at 50°56′3.41″N 0°52′12.55″E

Natural England has identified the following seven national character areas in Sussex:[18]

• South Coast Plain
• South Downs
• Wealden Greensand
• Low Weald
• High Weald
• Pevensey Levels
• Romney Marshes

At 280m Blackdown is the highest point in Sussex, or county top. Ditchling Beacon (248m) is the highest point in East Sussex. Sussex's second highest point and the highest point in Sussex on the South Downs is Crown Tegleaze at 255m tall. Sussex contains seven Marilyns, that is peaks that have 150m or more of relative height.:[19] Blackdown, Ditchling Beacon, Crowborough Beacon (242m), Chanctonbury Hill (240m), Firle Beacon (217m), Wilmington Hill (214m) and Cliffe Hill (164m).

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) Brighton, Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis.

The lighthouse under Beachy Head

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)[20] (the third highest summit) and many other summits exceed 212 metres (696 ft).

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 280 metres (920 ft).[21] Another high point is in the part called Forest Ridges: a height of 242 metres (794 ft) is reached at Beacon Hill[20] in the neighbourhood of Crowborough.

The Weald gets its name from the Old English weald, meaning "forest". The High Weald has the greatest amount of ancient woodland in any AONB, representing 7% of all the ancient woodland in England.[22] 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.

St Mary in the Marsh in Romney Marsh

There are several areas of low-lying marshland along the coast; from west to east these are:

• in the west of the county, south of Chichester, between Chichester Harbour and Pagham Harbour;
• beyond Beachy Head, the "Pevensey Levels";
• beyond Hastings, the "Pett Levels";
• beyond Rye, the "Walland Marsh" part of Romney Marsh.

All were originally bays; natural coastal deposition and man-made protective walls have given rise to alluvial deposition.

Sussex has two islands, both of which are located in Chichester Harbour. Thorney Island and neighbouring Pilsey Island. Thorney Island is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep, while Pilsey Island has in recent years it has become joined to Thorney by accumulating sand.

Sussex has rivers that flow into both the English Channel and the Thames Estuary of the North Sea. Flowing to the English Channel are the Arun, Adur, Ouse, Cuckmere and Rother. Flowing to the Thames Estuary and the North Sea are the Mole and Medway. At 113 kilometres (70 mi) long, the River Medway is the longest river flowing through Sussex. The longest river entirely in Sussex is the River Arun, which is 60 kilometres (37 mi) long.

The rivers wholly within the county are relatively short. All Sussex's rivers rise in the Weald, with the Arun, the western branch of the Adur, the Mole and the Ouse all rising in the area of St Leonard's Forest. Most of the county's rivers flow either southwards or northwards. Exceptions are the western River Rother and the eastern River Rother which each flow in an easterly direction. Many of the county's rivers are supplemented by winterbournes which in particular rise in the chalk of the South Downs. Some of the rivers flowing to the English Channel use gaps in the South Downs to do so. The mouths of all have been affected by longshore drift, particularly during violent storms during the Middle Ages.

Bewl Water on the Sussex-Kent border is the largest body of water in south-east England

Rivers flowing southwards towards the English Channel from west to east are:

• Ems - a small river which forms part of Sussex's western boundary with Hampshire
• Lavant - called a river but really a winterbourne, flowing from East Dean to Chichester Harbour
• Arun, and its tributary the western River Rother: source of Arun near Horsham; entering the sea at Littlehampton
• Adur: source near Cuckfield; mouth near Shoreham-by-Sea
• Ouse: source near Lower Beeding; mouth at Newhaven
• Cuckmere: rising near Heathfield; mouth Cuckmere Haven between Eastbourne and Seaford
• Eastern River Rother and its many tributaries including the Rivers Brede and Tillingham; source, Rotherfield in the High Weald and enters the sea at Rye Bay. A section known as the Kent Ditch forms part of Sussex's eastern boundary with Kent.

The Manhood peninsula, with Selsey Bill at its most southerly point.

Geographically a ria, Chichester Harbour in the west has some of Sussex's least developed coastline. To its east lies the Manhood Peninsula, with Selsey Bill at its southern tip. The 73 km (45 mi) bay east of Selsey Bill up to Beachy Head is sometimes known as the Bay of Sussex.[23] To the east of the Manhood peninsula lies Pagham Harbour. East of Pagham the coastline becomes more open until the man-made Shoreham Harbour. At Brighton the coastal plain is replaced by chalk cliffs which culminate in the Seven Sisters and the promontory of Beachy Head. The Pevensey Levels and a small area of flat coastline west of Hastings separate the cliffs of Beachy Head from the cliffs east of Hastings. West of Hastings at Bulverhythe and periodically exposed lies the remains of a submerged submarine forest, known locally as 'Moon Shore'.[24]

Ardingly Reservoir

Sussex's largest lakes are man-made reservoirs. The largest is Bewl Water on the Kent border, while the largest wholly within Sussex is Ardingly Reservoir. Darwell Reservoir, Powdermill Reservoir and Weir Wood Reservoir are all larger than 5 hectares.

Sussex's offshore environment includes such varied features as the Shoal of the Lead 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Selsey Bill where the seabed drops steeply to 67 metres (220 ft) causing strong underwater cascades, a feature which may be unique to the British Isles.[25] There are sandstone reefs and caves. The Mixon Hole is a clay cliff which extends some 30 metres (98 ft) down[26] and contains unusual plant assemblages and a rare combination of species which only occur there,[26] while the Worthing Lumps are considered some of Europe's finest chalk reefs.[27]

Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve

Sussex contains one national park, the South Downs National Park (shared with Hampshire) and two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the High Weald AONB and the Chichester Harbour AONB. The cliffs on the coast between Seaford and Eastbourne known as the Seven Sisters have been designated as the Sussex Heritage Coast.[28]

As of 2012 Sussex had 11 internationally important Special Areas of Conservation.[29] These areas include Ebernoe Common which is considered the best site for bats in Western Europe.[30] Two further sites in Sussex are being considered as candidate SACs: The Arun Valley and the Pevensey Levels are two of four UK sites for the endangered Little Whirlpool Ram's-Horn Snail (Anisus vorticulus).[31]

Sussex is also home to six national nature reserves[32] including Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve, one of Natural England's 'spotlight' reserves. The Sussex Wildlife Trust manages over 30 nature reserves across Sussex. with an area of over 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres).[33]

Sussex has various marine Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (mSNCIs) and may be the only region of the UK to have this marine SNCIs.

In 2014 UNESCO made Brighton and Hove and the area between the rivers Adur and Ouse the world's first urban biosphere reserve.[34][35]

Oak trees were once thought to be so common in Sussex that they were nicknamed 'Sussex weed'

A range of woodland types are present in Sussex, including some nationally uncommon types.[36] Like most of southern England, Sussex generally falls into the English Lowlands beech forests ecoregion.

Lowland Beech woodlands occur mostly on the South Downs, but are also found throughout the Weald, often in association with other woodland types. Good examples of near-natural beech woodland can be found at The Mens and Ebernoe Common[37] in the Sussex Weald. A number of lowland mixed deciduous communities are represented in Sussex.[37] Oak-hornbeam woodlands are typical of the Wealden clays, with Oak-hazel and rare large-leaved lime woodlands found on the western Downs.[37] In fact, oak were once thought to be so common in Sussex that they were nicknamed as 'Sussex weed'[38] Sweet chestnut is fairly abundant, particularly in East Sussex, and is one of the few woodland types still under active coppice management.[37] The Black poplar is probably the rarest tree in Sussex, existing as scattered individuals.[37] It is possible that the woodland habitat in which it would have been a constituent is now extinct in Sussex (and possibly Britain).[37]

Sussex is also rich in gill woodlands, found in steep-sided, narrow stream valleys.[37] They have a humid micro-climate that reflects the warm, moist Atlantic period approximately 7,000 years ago.[37] Their characteristic flora includes lush growth of ferns, mosses and liverworts. These conditions are not found elsewhere in eastern or central Britain.[37]

Following the loss of millions to Dutch Elm Disease, Sussex has the majority of the UK's mature English Elms.[39]

There are several traditional Sussex varieties of apple which include Egremont Russet, Sussex Mother and Crawley Reinette[40]

Sussex is home a large proportion of the UK's Lowland calcareous grassland, one of the richest habitats of Western Europe, containing a great diversity of plants and animals, many of which are nationally or internationally threatened.[41] Sussex's county flower, the Round-headed Rampion (also known as the Pride of Sussex or Phyteuma orbiculare) is more common on the chalk grassland of the South Downs than anywhere else.[42]

Sussex cattle are descended from oxen used in the Weald

The UK's largest population of feral wild boar are in the Weald with around 200-300 individuals living close near the East Sussex-Kent border.[43] Otter have returned to Sussex since 2008, after having been extinct in Sussex since the 1970s.[44] Once nicknamed 'the eagle of the South Country',[45] peregrine falcons, were extinct in Sussex between 1945 and 1990[46][47] and have now returned to live in rural locations as well as urban sites including Chichester Cathedral and Sussex Heights, a residential tower block in Brighton.[46] The Sussex emerald moth is now extinct from Sussex[44] as is the Sussex wainscot moth.[44] The sea anemone known as Ivell's sea anemone (Edwardsia ivelli) was known globally only from Widewater Lagoon in Lancing; last seen in 1983 it is thought to be extinct.[44]

Since 2001 Knepp Wildland in the Low Weald near Horsham has been part of a major rewilding project, as of 2015 the largest rewilding project in lowland Europe.[48] Since its inception the project has seen a spontaneous revival of many rare species.[49][50] It is now a breeding hotspot for purple emperor butterflies, turtle doves and 2 per cent of the UK's population of nightingales.[51]

Sightings continue to be reported of British big cats or phantom cat wild in Sussex.[52]

Domesticated animals with strong Sussex links include the Southdown sheep, which was bred on the South Downs near Lewes, Sussex cattle which originate from the Weald and the Sussex chicken. The Sussex Spaniel was first developed as a breed of dog in Hastings in 1795.

The chalk reefs of the Sussex coast are home to a significant number of harpacticoid crustaceans of which some are new to science.[53] The area off the coast of Littlehampton has been identified as a nursery and breeding ground for the black seabream.[54][55]

Ashdown Forest in the High Weald contains the largest area of heathland remaining in South East England.

Sussex is one of the most wooded parts of lowland Britain with the Weald having the greatest woodland cover in Britain.[36] Sussex has over 3000 hectares of heathland, which occurs mainly on the Wealden Greensand in West Sussex and in the High Weald of East Sussex. Ashdown Forest contains the largest area of heathland remaining in South East England.

Land use in Sussex is as follows:

• Farmland - 60%[58]
• Woodland - 17.5%[59]
• Urban areas - 12%[60]

Sussex has land borders with the counties of Hampshire, Surrey and Kent. The town of Boulogne-sur-Mer in Pas de Calais, France, lies approximately 38 miles (61 km) to the east of Camber Sands.

Gatwick Airport provides significant jobs and trade to the Sussex economy.

GDP per capita in Sussex and Surrey in 2009 was 16.2 per cent higher than the EU average with a total GDP of €69,349 million.[61] Economic sub-regions within Sussex include:

• the Gatwick Diamond, an area centring on Gatwick Airport and Crawley that stretches southwards to Brighton and northwards to Croydon in south London.[62]
• Brighton and Hove - with a high density of businesses involved in media, particularly digital or "new media", since the 1990s Brighton has been referred to as "Silicon Beach".[63]
• Coastal West Sussex, an area extending from Chichester to Shoreham and including the urban areas of Worthing and Bognor Regis[64]

Formerly a Saxon kingdom, Sussex was absorbed into Wessex, becoming a county in the later kingdom of England. From at least as long ago as the Norman Conquest, and possibly originating in the Romano-British period,[65] or perhaps representing the shires of the kingdom of Sussex,[66] Sussex was sub-divided into territories known as 'rapes', a sub-division unique to the county. From at least the 16th century, the three eastern rapes and three western rapes were informally grouped together as Sussex's eastern and western divisions. County councils were created for East and West Sussex in 1889. In 1974 the present-day district of Mid Sussex, (a large part of the rape of Lewes) was transferred from East Sussex to West Sussex and East and West Sussex were made into separate ceremonial counties. In 1997, Brighton and Hove became a self-administered unitary authority; it was granted city status in 2000, whilst remaining part of the ceremonial county of East Sussex.

By convention Chichester is Sussex's capital city[67][68] and Lewes is Sussex's county town.[69] Chichester has been seen as the capital of Sussex since it became the political centre of the kingdom of Sussex by the 8th century.[70] Due in part to its more central location within the county, Lewes has been the county town of Sussex since the 15th century.[3][4] Both titles are honorary and there currently little administration organised on a Sussex-wide basis, since the creation of county councils for East and West Sussex in 1889. One exception is Sussex Police, and the elected position of Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner which has been based at Lewes to serve all of Sussex since its creation. Lewes is also home to Lewes Crown Court, the main crown court for Sussex and HM Prison Lewes, the local men's prison for Sussex.

Along with Kent and Surrey, Sussex is one of the most ancient surviving territories in Europe.[71] The Sussex-Surrey border follows ridges and a trackway whereas the Sussex-Kent border follows a series of streams and rivers, including Kent Water, the River Teise, the River Bewl, Kent Ditch and the eastern River Rother.[71] According to Mark Gardiner, the different nature of Sussex's borders with Kent and with Surrey indicate two separate and larger-scale agreements and may represent boundaries of Roman civitates or Iron Age kingdoms.[71]