Revealing the little-known early history of Peacehaven

A new book by the University of Brighton's Julia Winckler reveals the little-known early history of Peacehaven as a planned post-WWI seaside idyll.
Julia Winckler - image courtesy Isaac WrightJulia Winckler - image courtesy Isaac Wright
Julia Winckler - image courtesy Isaac Wright

Despite its noble intent, the town's creation sparked protests from people including Virginia Woolf and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.

Entitled Fabricating Lureland, Julia’s book draws in part on her own experiences as a resident and regular visitor to Peacehaven since childhood in the 1970s and 80s, as well as interviews with some of the first generation of people to grow up there, constructing a history of the imagination and memory of the town.

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The book's exploration of Peacehaven's surprising history is accompanied by more than 200 illustrations, alongside previously little seen material including blueprints, photographs, postcards, promotional material, oral history and guidebooks.

Drawing on ideals and imagery from the Garden City Movement, developers conceived of Peacehaven as a sunshine resort atop the Sussex coast's white chalk cliffs, aimed at providing a place for people from all walks of life to own their own homes in an environment that provided good health and an idyllic lifestyle, in response to the negative impact of crowded, industrialised cities and the horrors of WWI.

From the off, however, there were tensions between a social vision of Homes for Heroes and economic concerns. The new Garden City by the sea also drew hostile reactions from illustrious nearby Sussex residents such as Virginia and Leonard Woolf, who branded the new settlement a blot on the rolling, pastoral down land.

Other critics included writer Clough Williams-Ellis and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.

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Julia’s exploration of Peacehaven's changing image draws on her PhD research as well as her personal biographical relationship to the town. The book provides the first in-depth study to delve into a substantial but under-explored archive of diverse material relating to Peacehaven's roots.

“I am really thrilled that there is already so much interest in the book.”

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