Editing Brighton and Hove (section)

==Areas==
{{maplink
|frame=yes
|text=Downland and seafront areas in Brighton and Hove
|frame-align=right
|type1=shape-inverse|id1= Q1022488 |frame-width=380|frame-height=300|frame-coord={{coord|50.8445|-0.138}}|zoom=11|stroke-color1=#AA1205| stroke-opacity1=0.3| stroke-width1=4
|title15=Cockroost Hill|marker-color15=#999|marker15=triangle|type15=point|coord15={{coord|50.86339951|-0.23140989}}
|title2=Mount Zion|marker-color2=#999|marker2=triangle|type2=point|coord2={{coord|50.861667|-0.221806}}
|title3=[[Benfield Hill]]|marker-color3=#999|marker3=triangle|type3=point|coord3={{coord|50.855077|-0.209863}}
|title4=Round Hill|marker-color4=#999|marker4=triangle|type4=point|coord4={{coord|50.86240005|-0.19913776}}
|title5=Varncombe Hill|marker-color5=#999|marker5=triangle|type5=point|coord5={{coord|50.879992|-0.181029}}
|title6=Sweet Hill|marker-color6=#999|marker6=triangle|type6=point|coord6={{coord|50.871771|-0.169687}}
|title7=Scare Hill|marker-color7=#999|marker7=triangle|type7=point|coord7={{coord|50.88311|-0.15246}}
|title8=Tegdown Hill|marker-color8=#999|marker8=triangle|type8=point|coord8={{coord|50.87767|-0.128715}}
|title9=[[Stanmer Park]]|marker-color9=#B00|marker9=garden|type9=point|coord9={{coord| 50.85903|-0.09722}}
|title10=Hollingbury Castle|marker-color10=#708090|marker10=monument|type10=point|coord10={{coord|50.854615|-0.123213}}
|title11=Falmer Hill|marker-color11=#999|marker11=triangle|type11=point|coord11={{coord|50.850296|-0.090001}}
|title12=Race Hill|marker-color12=#999|marker12=triangle|type12=point|coord12={{coord|50.836072|-0.104971}}
|title13=[[Whitehawk Hill]]|marker-color13=#999|marker13=triangle|type13=point|coord13={{coord|50.824961|-0.113657}}
|title14=Sheepcote Valley|marker-color14=#B00|marker14=garden|type14=point|coord14={{coord|50.824519|-0.097442}}}
|title16=Undercliff path|marker16=pitch|type16=point|coord16={{coord|50.806174|-0.068821460}}
|title17=Palace Pier|marker17=monument|marker-color17=#708090||type17=point|coord17={{coord|50.816782|-0.13629913}}
|title18=Brighton Marina|marker18= harbor |type18=point|coord18={{coord|50.8126|-0.100490}}
|title19=Shoreham Port|marker19=harbor||type19=point|coord19={{coord|50.827626|-0.20290375}}
|title20=Kings Esplanade|marker20=swimming|type20=point|coord20={{coord|50.824288|-0.17670982}}
}}
{{Image frame|width=380|content=[[File:Brighton and Hove downland and seafront.jpg|border|380px|Brighton and Hove downland and seafront]] |caption=Brighton and Hove, the downland and coastal city in the [[South Downs National Park]]|link=South Downs National Park}}
The City of Brighton and Hove consists of many districts, a stretch of coast and some downland areas. Just to the south of Brighton and Hove in the [[English Channel]] is the [[Rampion Wind Farm]], which provides renewable energy to the country.

===Brighton===
[[File:Brighton Town Hall, Bartholomews, The Lanes, Brighton (NHLE Code 1379974) (July 2014) (1).jpg|thumb|Brighton Town Hall at Bartholomews in The Lanes]]
[[File:Brighton_beach.jpg|thumb|Brighton beach]]
{{See also|Brighton|History of Brighton}}
'''Brighton''' has been the most populous settlement in Sussex since at least the 17th century, and a town hall and evidence of citizen's control over town affairs predates 1580.<ref name="Brighton Borough">{{cite book|last= Salzman|first= L.F.|date= 1940|title=A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7, the Rape of Lewes|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/pp244-263|pages=244–263|publisher=British History Online|access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref> The original parish of Brighton covered what is today much of central Brighton. The parish border ran from Little Western Street and Boundary Passage in the west, to Whitehawk Road in the east, and roughly followed the Old Shoreham Road and Bear Road to the north.<ref>{{cite web|title=Boundaries|url=https://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/topics/historical-overview-of-brighton-and-hove/historical-overview-of-brighton-and-hove|website=My Brighton and Hove|access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref> The [[Reform Act 1832]] created the [[Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)|parliamentary constituency of Brighton]]. Brighton obtained a royal charter for incorporation in 1854 and was organised into six wards: Park, Pavilion, Pier, St Nicholas, St Peter, and West. The ward of [[Preston Village, Brighton|Preston]] was added in 1873, expanding Brighton to the north. In 1889 Brighton attained [[county borough]] status.<ref name="Brighton Borough" />

The Brighton Corporation Act 1927 added the settlements of [[Ovingdean]] and [[Rottingdean]], as well as western parts of [[Falmer]], [[Patcham]] and [[West Blatchington]].<ref name="Brighton Borough" /> These reforms expanded the Brighton the north and west dramatically. Between 1920 and 1950 housing estates were developed in [[Woodingdean]], [[Moulsecoomb]], [[Bevendean]], and [[Whitehawk]] increasing the population of the town substantially. As a result, the number of wards had by now increased to 19. The rest of Falmer, [[Coldean]] and the parish of [[Stanmer]] were added to Brighton by the Brighton Extension Act 1951, completing the northward extension of the town.<ref name="Brighton Expansion">{{cite web|title=Administration|url=http://www.brightonhistory.org.uk/administration/|website=Brighton History|access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref> A final expansion of the town's boundaries was approved in 1968, incorporating reclaimed land from the sea for the [[Brighton Marina]] project.

Brighton was split into two parliamentary constituencies in 1950. The first, [[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Pavilion]], covers the centre and north of the town. The second, [[Brighton Kemptown (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Kemptown]], covers the east of the town. The latter has since expanded further east to include the neighbouring towns of East Saltdean, [[Telscombe Cliffs]], and [[Peacehaven]], all of which are administratively within the adjacent [[Lewes District]]. Brighton became a [[municipal borough]] as a result of the [[Local Government Act 1972]], losing unitary control of town affairs to [[East Sussex County Council]].<ref name="Brighton Expansion" /> This reform was later followed by a reduction of wards to 16 in 1983. [[Brighton Borough Council]] remained under this structure until unification with Hove.

===Hove===
[[File:Hove Town Hall, Norton Road-Tisbury Road-Church Road, Hove (December 2016) (2).JPG|thumb|left|Hove Town Hall on Church Road]]
{{See also|Hove}}
A small parish at the end of the 18th century, '''Hove''' began to expand in the early 19th century alongside the westward development of Brighton, and in 1832 became incorporated into [[Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)|the parliamentary constituency of Brighton]].<ref name="Hove Borough">{{cite book|last= Salzman|first= L.F.|date= 1940|title=A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7, the Rape of Lewes|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/pp265-268|pages=265–268|publisher=British History Online|access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref> In 1873 commissioners from Hove, West Hove and [[Brunswick, Hove|Brunswick]] were amalgamated as means to guard against the dominance of Brighton.<ref>{{cite web|title=Records of Hove Borough Council and its predecessors|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/f2b9528c-09ad-45a6-9e98-b26a08618653|website=National Archives|access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref> The first public buildings were completed in the late 19th century, including [[Hove Town Hall|the original town hall]] in 1882. The parish of [[Aldrington]] was annexed by Hove in 1893.<ref name="Hove Borough" /> A [[municipal borough]] of Hove was formed by royal charter in 1889, granting Hove administrative autonomy. Further expansion took place in 1927, with the addition of the parishes of Preston Rural and [[Hangleton]] and westerly sections of [[West Blatchington]] and [[Patcham]].<ref name="Hove Borough" /> Hove gained [[Hove (UK Parliament constituency)|its own parliamentary constituency]] in 1950. The [[Local Government Act 1972]] abolished the remaining parishes of Hove, Aldrington and Hangleton and West Blatchington to form the unparished [[non-metropolitan district]] of Hove.<ref>{{cite web|title=HOVE REGISTRATION DISTRICT|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/hove.html|website=UK BMD|access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref> It also incorporated the nearby town of [[Portslade-by-Sea]] into the new district. The new boundaries established by the Act remained largely the same until unification with Brighton a quarter of a century later.

=== Portslade, Portslade Village, and Mile Oak ===
{{Main|Portslade|Mile Oak}}
[[File:Portslade_Station_2.jpg|thumb|left|Portslade Station]]
[[File:Cockroost_Bottom_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2584773.jpg|thumb|Cockroost Bottom]]
To the west of Brighton and Hove is '''[[Portslade]]'''. The area has three distinct centres with different histories, and includes '''Portslade-by-Sea''', '''Portslade Village''' and '''[[Mile Oak]]'''. Each is quite different in character.

Portslade-by-Sea is largely an industrial port, with a busy canal area that opens up to the [[River Adur]] and the [[English Channel]]. It has a long history of human settlement and the name came from the Roman port, Novus Portus.

Portslade Village has kept more of its antiquity and retains many elements of the downland village it once was. Many of the buildings have their original flint walls, and there are some early manor house ruins, tree-lined parks, a landmark church and a former convent.<ref>[https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/default/files/migrated/article/inline/downloads/conservation/UrbanStdy_Mile_Oak_Portslade_Village_final.pdf Mile Oak & Portslade Village: neighbourhood context]. Brighton and Hove Council. Accessed on 29 September 2021</ref>

[[Mile Oak]] is a newer development. Until the 1920s it was only a small group of farm buildings with surrounding corn fields, sheep downs and market gardens. Then, suburban housing started to be built, and there was considerable further development in the 1960s with the construction of bungalows and other private housing. In the 1990s, after the construction of the new [[A27 road]], Mile Oak's access to the Downs was largely blocked, stopping the spread of development.

==== Portslade downland ====
[[File:Trigpoint_on_the_approach_to_Mount_Zion_-_geograph.org.uk_-_669796.jpg|thumb|left|Trigpoint on the approach to Mount Zion]]
[[File:Electricity_Pylons_on_Cockroost_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_54128.jpg|thumb|Electricity Pylons on Cockroost Hill]]
To the north of Mile Oak, on the other side of the A27, are a number of downland areas that are still in the Brighton and Hove area. These include the ancient chalk grassland slopes of '''Cockroost Hill''', '''Cockroost Bottom''' and '''Mount Zion'''. They are all special areas because of the remarkable wildlife still surviving there, including rare downland flowers, orchids, butterflies and rare insects.<ref name=":2" /> There is a lot of history on the slopes, including a large 4000 year old [[Bronze Age]] settlement, a possible 'henge' (as in [[Stonehenge]]), now lost under the A27 bypass, and evidence of [[Iron Age]] and Romano-British field systems.<ref>Wilkinson, K.N., 2003. Colluvial deposits in dry valleys of southern England as proxy indicators of paleoenvironmental and land-use change. ''Geoarchaeology: An International Journal'', ''18''(7), pp.725–755.</ref> To the north of the city boundary is  [[Fulking]] parish. The final stretch of the [[Monarch's Way]] passes through Mile Oak and Porstlade. It is a {{convert|625|mi|km|0|adj=on}} long-distance [[Trail|footpath]] that runs from [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] to [[Shoreham-by-Sea|Shoreham]].

=== Aldrington, Hangleton and West Blatchington ===
{{Main|Aldrington|Hangleton|West Blatchington}}
[[File:Hangleton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1655538.jpg|thumb|left|Hangleton in the snow]]
'''[[Aldrington]]''' sits between [[Portslade|Portslade-by-Sea]] to its west and [[Hove]] to its east. For centuries Aldrington was largely countryside, with very few people living there for most of the Middle Ages, but it is now a residential area.<ref>[https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/pp275-276 A History of the County of Sussex]: Volume 7, the Rape of Lewes. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1940.</ref>

Like Aldrington, '''[[West Blatchington]]''' was once primarily down and sheep grazing area, but is now built up. West Blatchington manor had various lords over the centuries, but unlike Adrington and Hangleton, it was always associated with lords in the east such [[Lewes]], [[Falmer]], and [[Patcham]].<ref>'Parishes: West Blatchington', in ''A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7, the Rape of Lewes'', ed. L F Salzman (London, 1940), pp. 242–244. ''British History Online'' http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/pp242-244  [accessed 1 October 2021].</ref> It is now known for its [[West Blatchington Windmill|windmill]] and secondary school. To the east of West Blatchington is [[Westdene]].

'''Hangleton''' is to the north of Aldrington and sits between Portslade Village and West Blatchington. The manors of Hangleton and Aldrington formed part of the Fishersgate [[hundred (county division)|Half Hundred]], together with the neighbouring manor of Portslade.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Medieval Building Hangleton – Weald & Downland Museum|url=https://www.wealddown.co.uk/buildings/medieval-building-hangleton/|access-date=30 September 2021|website=Weald & Downland Living Museum|language=en-GB}}</ref> The lords of the Hangleton manor from 1291 to 1446 were the de Poynings, a Sussex gentry family that gave their name to the present parish of [[Poynings]].<ref>A P Baggs, C R J Currie, C R Elrington, S M Keeling and A M Rowland, 'Fishersgate Half-Hundred', in ''A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 1, Bramber Rape (Southern Part)'', ed. T P Hudson (London, 1980), pp. 130–131. ''British History Online'' http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol6/pt1/pp130-131  [accessed 30 September 2021].</ref>

Hangeton was a medieval downland village in the 13th century, and by the early 14th century it had a population of about 200. Later, the village was abandoned for around six hundred years.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Syed|first1=Yasmin|last2=Burton|first2=Martin|date=24 March 2021|title=The medieval Hove suburb once abandoned for 600 years|url=https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/history/hangleton-medieval-hove-suburb-abandoned-5217291|access-date=30 September 2021|website=sussexlive|language=en}}</ref> It started to grow again in the 1950s with other areas of Brighton and is now popular for its views of the sea and green spaces.

==== Hangleton and West Blatchingham downland ====
{{Main|Benfield Hill}}
[[File:West_Blatchington_windmill,_Hove_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2117496.jpg|thumb|left|West Blatchington windmill]]
Between [[Hangleton]] and [[Westdene]], south of the A27, is '''Toads Hole Valley'''. Its west slope, below Downland Drive, was once an unspoilt place for wildlife and still home to threatened species such as [[Dormouse|dormice]], [[hedgehog]]s, and [[Vipera berus|adders]]. The valley has been unmanaged for many years and the area has turned to scrub. It has now been designated for development and up to three hundred homes are planned to be built on the site.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 January 2021|title=Toads Hole Valley plans remain a cause for concern|url=https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2021/01/08/toads-hole-valley-plans-remain-a-cause-for-concern/|access-date=17 October 2021|website=Brighton and Hove News|language=en-US}}</ref>

To the north of the A27 are two golf courses, the West Hove and Brighton and Hove Golf courses. The two are divided by the '''Old Dyke Railway Trail''' which follows part of the route taken by the old Dyke Railway Branch Line. The line opened in September 1887 and took people from [[Hove]] to the popular downland beauty spot of [[Devil's Dyke, Sussex|Devil's Dyke]]. When the railway closed in December 1938, the line lay unused until the Dyke Railway Trail was created in 1988. There are a number of ways through Hangleton to a bridge over the A27 bypass where the trail begins, but the original route took you from [[Aldrington railway station]] and above the Hove cemetery. Much of the trail across the Downs is on a hard surface.<ref>[https://fulking.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dyke_Railway_Trail.pdf Dyke Railway Trail.] Easy Access Trails. South Downs Join Committee. ''Accessed on 21 October 2021''</ref>

There are many archaic Down pastures in the area. To the west is '''[[Benfield Hill]]''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 261 078}}), a [[Local nature reserve|Local Nature Reserve]] which is famous for its [[glowworm]] displays on midsummer evenings. On the steep east side of the hill there is [[Large Thyme|large thyme]], [[autumn gentian]] and many butterflies. [[Bee orchid]]s can be also found in some years.<ref name=":2" /> To the north of this area is the [[Poynings]] parish and the impressive geography of [[Devil's Dyke, Sussex|Devil's Dyke]].

To the east is '''Round Hill''' where there are many signs of the past from different periods of human history. There are several old [[Tumulus|barrows]] in the area. There is an old flint barn ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 269 090}}) called the  '''Skeleton Hovel''' which is thought to commemorate a prehistoric burial site. '''Round Hill's''' eastern slope ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 269 085}}) is the richest chalk grassland site in Hangleton, though it desperately needs grazing management for its many downland flowers such as [[field fleawort]], [[chalk milkwort]], orchids, cowslips, [[hairy violet]], rockrose, [[crested hair-grass]], and [[devil's bit scabious]].  There are two rare Forester moth species, [[Fox Moth|fox moth]] and heath moth, [[purse-web spider]], moss, and pygmy snails.<ref name=":2" /> To the north of Round Hill is the [[Newtimber]] parish.

=== Westdene, Withdean, and Patcham ===
{{Main|Westdene|Patcham|Withdean}}
[[File:Northward_view_along_Warmdene_Road,_Patcham_(August_2013).JPG|thumb|left|Northward view along Warmdene Road, Patcham]]
[[Patcham]], [[Westdene]], and [[Withdean]] are divided by the London Road. Of the three, [[Patcham]] ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 301 090}}), has much the longest history of human settlement and retains much from its agricultural past. It was one of the bigger settlements in Sussex at the time of Domesday book, which recorded that it had 10 shepherds and 6 slaves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Domesday Book: In PRESTON Hundred |url=https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/domesday-book/source-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221140351/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk:80/education/resources/domesday-book/source-1/ |archive-date=21 February 2015 |access-date=17 October 2021 |website=The National Archives |language=en-GB}}</ref> Even an  [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], John Pecham, came from the village.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 June 2011 |title=The Earliest Royal Visit to the City of Brighton and Hove |url=https://www.prestonpages.com/brightonhistory/earliest-royal-visit-city-brighton-and-hove |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=Preston Pages}}</ref> The area still has many old flint cottages, big allotment sites and winding twittens. There is [[Patcham Place]] and Park. The best cluster of buildings comprise its [[All Saints Church, Patcham|Norman church]] (which has kept part of its medieval wall paintings) and the old buildings of Patcham Court Farm, with a 17th-century flint farmhouse and dovecot.

The areas of Withdean and Westdene were historically farmland but have been developed, mainly in the 1920s and 1930s, with a mix of detached, semi-detached and mid-rise flats. The Withdean manor was originally the property of the great [[Cluniac priories in Britain|Cluniac Priory]] of St. Pancras at Lewes, until 1537. This was then given to [[Anne of Cleves]] in 1541 by [[Henry VIII]]. The manor was demolished in 1936.<ref>{{Cite web|title=First record of Withdean c12th century|url=https://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/places/placestree/london-road-patcham/withdean-history|access-date=17 October 2021|website=My Brighton and Hove|language=en}}</ref> Westdene sits to the north of [[Brighton]], east of [[West Blatchington|West Blatchington and north of Withdean]].

'''Withdean Park''' is to the east of the London Road, and is home to the national collection of [[Syringa vulgaris|lilacs]] with over 250 varieties. Collections of [[berberis]], [[cotoneaster]] and [[viburnum]] can also be found here.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Withdean Park boasts a famous lilac collection|url=https://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/places/placepark/withdean-park/withdean-park|url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2021|website=My Brighton and Hove|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017162807/https://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/places/placepark/withdean-park/withdean-park |archive-date=17 October 2021 }}</ref> [[Withdean and Westdene Woods|'''Withdean Woods''']] is next to Withdean stadium and is a wooded hillside nature reserve approximately 2.47 acres (1 ha) in size. It is the home of several woodland birds including the [[great spotted woodpecker]], [[tawny owl]], [[goldcrest]], firecrest, and in winter the [[stinking hellebore]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Withdean Woods {{!}} Sussex Wildlife Trust|url=https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/visit/withdean-woods|access-date=17 October 2021|website=sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk}}</ref>

==== Waterhall downland ====
[[File:Sweet Hill, near Patcham, Brighton, The old farm house.jpg|thumb|left|Sweet Hill, near Patcham, Brighton, The old farm house]]
[[File:Varncombe_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1640421.jpg|thumb|Varncombe Hill]]
To the west of the A23 and north of Westdene and the A27 is '''Waterhall''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 284 087}}), and its lost 18th century farm is now the site of football and rugby pitches. The Waterhall Golf Course has just been given over to a version of rewilding which involves the restoration of species-rich chalk grassland<ref>{{Cite web|title='Wild cats to elephants, hippopotamus and wolves' – rewilding a golf course|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18737148.plans-rewild-waterhall-golf-course-brighton/|access-date=1 October 2021|website=The Argus|date=22 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> There is still a significant population of adders. By the bridlepath just downhill of the old clubhouse there are the damaged remains of a [[Bronze Age]] round barrow ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 283 087}}) which has long acted as a marker on the old parish boundaries. Since the cessation of golf play [[Campanula rotundifolia|harebell]], [[Succisa pratensis|scabious]], [[Caltha palustris|cowslip]], [[Rock rose|rockrose]], [[Betonica officinalis|betony]], [[Round-headed rampion|Sussex rampion]] and [[Hippocrepis comosa|horseshoe vetch]] have flowered ebulliently. There are large old anthills and [[Chalkhill blue|chalkhill]], [[Small blue|small]] and [[adonis blue]] and [[brown argus]] butterflies, and all three species of Forester moth. At the corner of the Saddlescombe Road and the turn-off to the golf clubhouse, there is a sarsen stone ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 278 090}}) marking this point in the medieval boundary between [[Patcham]] and [[West Blatchington]] parishes.<ref name=":2" />

To the north is '''Varncombe Hill''', which borders the [[Newtimber]] parish. Its south-west facing slope({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 280 099}}) is heavily scrubbed-up, though lovely old pasture glades survive. [[Rockrose]] is one of the commonest flowers here, with some of its associated fungi. The west facing slopes of Varncombe Hill ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 279 105}}) were sold by Brighton Council with the rest of Saddlescombe Farm to the [[National Trust]], but the Trust did not dedicate them as [[Access land]], though they qualified and the National Trust had the power to do so.<ref name=":2" />

To the east of Waterhall is '''Sweet Hill'''. The Hill has a flowery bank on its western slope ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 286 091}}), a bushy [[lynchet]] and an old dewpond site on its brow. The [[Sussex Border Path]] takes you north to '''Pangdean Bottom''' and the [[Pyecombe]] parish. Pangdean Bottom is the west of the A23 and is rented by a tenant farmer from [[Brighton and Hove City Council]], who have owned it since 1924. It includes ancient chalk grassland slopes where there are still chalkland flowers and butterflies. In late summer, the valley's north side has one of the largest populations of [[Autumn Ladies'-tresses|autumn ladies-tresses]] orchid has been recorded, together with a large population of the white variety of the [[Prunella vulgaris|self heal violet]]. The scrub at the head of the valley is old and diverse, with [[Viburnum lantana|wayfaring tree]], [[Clematis vitalba|old man's beard]], [[honeysuckle]], [[hazel]], and [[gorse]].<ref name=":2" />

In July 2021 the Sussex-based 'Landscapes of Freedom' group, together with [[Nick Hayes]] and [[Guy Shrubsole]] of the 'Right to Roam' network, organised a mass trespass in protest against the lack of public access to this valley and its management for game bird shooting, which has badly affected its chalk grassland wildlife.<ref name=":0">Bangs, David (2018). ''Land of the Brighton line : a field guide to the Middle Sussex and South East Surrey Weald''. [Brighton]. {{ISBN|978-0-9548638-2-1}}. {{OCLC|1247849975}}.</ref> Over 300 people walked from Waterhall, Brighton, to Pangdean Bottom in protest.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hundreds attend mass trespass for the right to roam|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/magazine/sussex_walks/east_sussex_walks/19467688.mass-trespass-attended-300-brighton-downs/|access-date=6 September 2021|website=The Argus|date=26 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> The public are actively discouraged from walking in the area and scrub has been allowed to grow on the pristine downland, whilst other parts have been ploughed out.<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 July 2021|title='Mass Trespass' tradition given new lease of life|url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/mass-trespass-tradition-given-new-lease-of-life|access-date=5 September 2021|website=Morning Star|language=en}}</ref>

To the north of the city boundary in this area is the [[Pyecombe|Pycombe]] parish.

==== Patcham downland ====
{{Main|Ladies Mile, Brighton}}
[[File:Ewe_Bottom_from_the_Sussex_Border_Path_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1748020.jpg|thumb|left|Ewe Bottom from the Sussex Border Path]]
[[File:Sheep_on_Tegdown_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_699188.jpg|thumb|Sheep on Tegdown Hill]]
[[File:Southwestward_view_along_Ladies_Mile,_Patcham_(February_2014).JPG|thumb|Southwestward view along Ladies Mile, Patcham]]
The Downland to the north of Patcham leads up to [[Ditchling Beacon]] and the western end of the [[Clayton to Offham Escarpment]]. '''Tegdown Hill''' is the next hill to the west of the downland Ditchling Road. A remarkable "ring barrow" survives ({{gbmappingsmall|TQ 313 101}}) on its brow, together with the slight mounds of two other bowl barrows. Tegdown ring barrow has been described as "probably the best of this type in the county".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Sussex Barrows |first=L.V. |last=Grinsell |journal=Sussex Archaeological Collections |volume=75 |year=1934 |page=224 |doi=10.5284/1086699 |doi-access=free}}</ref> It consists of a circular bank with a ditch and a flattish interior. It lies just south of a big dried up dew pond. From Tegdown you can see the three [[Iron Age]] camps of [[Hollingbury Castle]], [[Ditchling Beacon]], and the [[Devil's Dyke, Sussex|Devil's Dyke]]'''.''' To the north of the city boundary is the long [[Ditchling]] parish.

The Mid Sussex track of the Sussex Border Path starts at the A27 roundabout and the eastern track takes you up '''Ewebottom Hiil''' leaving '''Scare Hill''' to its west, passing the [[Chattri, Brighton|'''Chattri''']] to the east and on to '''Holt Hill''' and the [[Pyecombe]] parish. The western track takes you to Waterhall across the A23.

Those walking from [[Patcham]] towards Standean farm descend the hill into '''Ewe Bottom''' and have the pleasure of the intact, old Tegdown pastures to their right, where the steepest slope and the lynchets have fine chalk downland flowers. Opposite the slope is the mouth of '''Deep Bottom''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 303 105}}), the southerly slope of which is a colourful old pasture site with abundant rockrose and which rises up to the [[Chattri, Brighton|'''Chattri''']]. In autumn there are [[bolete]]s and several old meadow [[waxcaps]] and a [[Clavaria fragilis|fairy club]] fungus.<ref name=":2" />

To the south of the A27 and on the western edge of Patcham is [[Ladies Mile, Brighton|Ladies Mile]] Down ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 318 093}}), which has designated as a [[Local nature reserve]]. The area is a remarkable survival of plateau chalk grassland on Downland, where almost all such flattish sites have been destroyed by modern farming. The ancient turf has preserved lots of odd linear banks, which are surviving fragments of an [[Iron Age]] and Romano-British [[Lynchet|lynchetted field]] system. The banks once stretched across the line of the A27 bypass, beyond which one or two more fragments also survive. At the eastern end of the Down, is a [[Bronze Age]] [[burial mound]] recognisable as a low, grassy tump. The area is rich with summer flowers. [[Harebell]], [[Round-headed rampion|Sussex rampion]] flower, rockrose, and [[Yellow Rattle|yellow rattle]] are enjoyed by locals here and at midsummer there are still good numbers of [[glowworm]]s. Later in the summer months, the violet-blue of [[Devil's bit scabious|devil's-bit scabious]] and the powder-blue lesser scabious radiate.

==== The Chattri ====
{{Main|Chattri, Brighton}}
[[File:Chattri_Brighton_from_the_West.jpg|thumb|left|Chattri Brighton from the West]]
The Chattri ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 304 110}}) is a place of memorial and a destination for walks. It can be accessed from the Sussex Border Path to its west or by scrambling through the thickets of Deep Bottom. It is a solemn place where the bodies of [[World War I|First World War]] Indian [[Sikhs|Sikh]] and [[Hindus|Hindu]] soldiers who died from wounds whilst being nursed at the [[Royal Pavilion|Brighton Pavilion]] "passed through the fire", for this was their "ghat", or place of cremation. Its white Sicilian marble dome is in good condition, but the surrounding memorial garden is often unkept.<ref name=":2" />

=== Hollingbury and Hollingdean ===
{{Main|Hollingbury|Hollingdean}}
[[File:Northeastward_view_along_Hollingbury_Crescent,_Hollingdean,_Brighton_(October_2011)_(2).JPG|left|thumb|Northeastward view along Hollingbury Crescent, Hollingdean]]
What is now considered to be '''[[Hollingbury]]''' is the slope facing west, east of [[Patcham]] and north of [[Fiveways, Brighton|Fiveways]]. However, old Hollingbury was the crest of the hill by the [[Hollingbury Castle|hillfort]], Hollingbury Park and even the east-facing slope. Until the 1930s the area was open downland with farms, small-holdings and piggeries. After World War Two, Hollingbury was used for a factory estate with the housing for the workforce.

'''Hollingdean''' is in the combe east of Ditchling Road and rising up to the north-facing slope to Roedale allotments, the golf course and [[Hollingbury Castle|hillfort]]. It is now mainly a residential area, with many [[council house]]s to the east and low-rise flats in the central part, with late 19th- and early 20th-century terraced houses towards [[Fiveways, Brighton|Fiveways]].

==== Hollingbury Castle, Hollingbury Woods, and Wild Park ====
{{Main|Hollingbury Castle}}
[[File:View_from_Hollingbury_Hill,_Brighton_(July_2015)_(10).JPG|thumb|left|View from Hollingbury Hill, Brighton]]
There is an oasis of undeveloped green space at the peak of the Down between [[Hollingbury]], [[Hollingdean]], and [[Coldean]]. At its centre is '''[[Hollingbury Castle]]''' or Hillfort ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 322 078}}).This [[Iron Age hill fort|Iron Age hillfort]] is a [[Scheduled monument|scheduled ancient monument]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hillfort, the possible remains of a Romano-Celtic temple and a group of three bowl barrows at Hollingbury, Non Civil Parish – 1014526 {{!}} Historic England|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1014526|access-date=4 October 2021|website=historicengland.org.uk|language=en}}</ref> of [[Iron Age]] date, whilst the four mounded [[round barrow]]s within its ramparts are made by [[Bronze Age]] people, who held this place sacred.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hillfort, the possible remains of a Romano-Celtic temple and a group of three bowl barrows at Hollingbury, Non Civil Parish – 1014526 {{!}} Historic England|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1014526|url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2021|website=Historic England|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222173255/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1014526 |archive-date=22 December 2018 }}</ref> There are thickets of gorse which shine yellow in spring and are home to [[Common linnet|linnets]] and goldfinch. [[European stonechat]] is a familiar bird, too, and the rarer [[whinchat]] and [[redstart]] are seen regularly on passage to and from their breeding grounds. The soil within and around the camp has a layer of superficial acidity, with [[sorrel]], [[Bent grass|bent-grass]], and [[tormentil]] growing there.<ref name=":2" />

To the south is Hollingbury Golf Course, the '''Roedale allotments''' and '''Hollingbury Park''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 314 075}}). The park was originally part of the golf course. Its Edwardian pavilion was the original (circa 1908) clubhouse. East of the Park is the two-century-old '''Hollingbury Woods''', now full of the rotting carcasses of [[beech]] giants toppled in the [[Great storm of 1987|1987 gale]]. It is a popular walk, with Fittleworth Stone walks, glades, and benches. It has received the loving care of a local "Friends" group for many years now.<ref name=":2" />[[File:Footpath_towards_Moulsecoomb_Wild_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1832847.jpg|thumb|Footpath towards Moulsecoomb Wild Park]]
To the west of Moulsecoombe is '''Wild Park''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 327 080}}). The park is a valley/coombe which runs down from Hollingbury Castle and was opened in 1925. In the 1850s the valley, then known as Hollingbury Coombe, was one of the most famous of Sussex sites for lepidopterists (butterfly and moth experts), but [[Dark green fritillary|dark green]] and [[silver-washed fritillary]] and [[Hesperia comma|silver-spotted skipper]], once present in numbers, are rarely seen there now. Despite this, there are parts which are still rich in diversity and it is still good for butterflies. In spring one may still see the [[green hairstreak]] or [[Orange-Tip Butterfly|orange-tip]] or find the wacky small [[bloody-nosed beetle]] and there are still [[Adonis blue|adonis]], [[Chalkhill blue|chalkhill]] and [[common blue]]s and [[brown argus]] and [[glowworm]]s in midsummer. There are also orchids, [[harebells]], sheets of [[Cistaceae|rockrose]], [[Round-headed rampion|Sussex rampion]], [[Devil's bit scabious|devil's-bit]], and [[Carline Thistle|carline thistle]]. In autumn there are fungi too, including [[Boletus edulis|penny-bun bolete]], [[collared earthstar]], [[Phallaceae|stinkhorn]], and [[Coprinus comatus|shaggy inkcap]] in the circling woods.<ref name=":2" />

=== Coldean, Moulsecoomb, and Bevendean ===
{{Main|Coldean|Moulsecoomb|Bevendean}}
'''Coldean''', '''Moulsecoomb''', and '''Bevendean''' are suburbs developed by Brighton Corporation in the 1950s necessitated by the acute housing shortage in the area after [[World War II]]. The districts are all in beautiful downland areas.

Coldean occupies a deep valley on the historic boundary of [[Falmer]] and [[Stanmer]] parishes and is only separated from [[Hollingbury Hillfort]] by Wild Park.  It has recently been approved to build over two hundred new homes in green land adjoining the South Downs and Stanmer Estate that ten years ago had been proposed to be a [[Local nature reserve|Local Nature Reserve]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Doherty-Cove|first=Jody|title='Final stand' to save green land from development|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18755185.residents-final-stand-save-green-land-development/|url-status=live|access-date=19 October 2021|website=The Argus|date=29 September 2020 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028171909/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18755185.residents-final-stand-save-green-land-development/ |archive-date=28 October 2020 }}</ref>

Bevendean is in a valley nestled between [[Bevendean Down]] and Heath Hill.

Moulsecoomb is on the other side of the [[Lewes Road, Brighton|Lewes Road]] and backs on to Falmer Hill, and is home to the [[University of Brighton|University of Brighton's]] Moulsecoomb campus and [[Moulsecoomb Place]]. North of Moulsecoomb is the [[Falmer railway station|Falmer train station]], [[University of Brighton|University of Brighton's]] Falmer campus, and [[Falmer Stadium]].

==== Stanmer village and Stanmer park ====
{{Main|Stanmer|Stanmer Park|University of Sussex}}
[[File:Early_Spring_Growth_in_Stanmer_Park_2.jpg|thumb|left|Stanmer Park]]
[[File:13–16 Stanmer Park, Stanmer (NHLE Code 1380967) (April 2013).JPG|thumb|Stanmer Village]]
In this area to the north east of Coldean are two further valleys. The first is occupied by '''Stanmer village''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 33 09}}), a village with much historical value. The upper village street has eighteen flint cottages, with colourful gardens. The church was reconstructed in 1838, but the date of the original church can be guessed from the two huge and knotty [[yew]]s in the churchyard. Next to the church is a pond, which although often unkempt, is probably the reason why Stanmer is so called, as "stan mere" is likely to derive from the Saxon "stony pool".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Mawer|first=Allen|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/495468780|title=The place-names of Sussex|date=2001|publisher=English place-name Society|others=Frank Merry Stenton, John Eric Bruce Gover|isbn=0-904889-64-5|location=Nottingham|oclc=495468780}}</ref><sup>:312</sup> Between the church and the barn is a Tudor well 252 feet deep and a wooden donkey wheel, like that at Saddlescombe, contained within a flint well-house. The well was in use until mains water was installed in 1900.<ref name=":3">[https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/default/files/migrated/article/inline/Conservation_Area_Stanmer_Dec_2015.pdf Stanmer Conservation Area: Appraisal] (2015) Brighton And Hove Council. ''Accessed on 13 October 2021''</ref>

'''Stanmer Woods''' were transformed in the 18th century after the Pelhams, later Earls of Chichester, had bought them. They planted a circle of woods along the hill-tops surrounding the dry valley in which the village lay and more shaws and clumps were scattered within. In 2007 the City Council took the initiative after the recent retirement of the Park's farming tenant and opened up all the closed woods and pasture fields to public access.<ref name=":3" /> The paths, gates and benches the council made are all popular with Brighton residents and beyond.

The largest plantation is called the '''Great Wood''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 335 090}}) and has acquired many of the plants of ancient woodland, some by planting and some have made their own way there. Under the council's control there has been much imaginative new planting too: "The trees are laid out alphabetically, with Acer and [[Birch|Betula]] at the lower east end and [[Elm|Ulmus]] and [[Zelkova]] high up to the west".,<ref>Johnson, Owen (1998). ''The Sussex Tree Book''. Pomegranate Press, page 91.</ref> and on the lawns behind the House is a gigantic [[Blue Atlas Cedar]] with several slighter companions.

The next valley is occupied by the '''[[University of Sussex]]''', which opened in 1961. In 2021, it is the place of study of over 16,000 students.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Facts and figures : Rankings and figures|url=https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/facts/facts-figures#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Sussex%20has,and%2024%25%20are%20overseas%20students.|url-status=live|access-date=18 October 2021|website=University of Sussex|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215231403/http://www.sussex.ac.uk:80/about/facts/facts-figures |archive-date=15 February 2017 }}</ref> The Brighton and Hove City border is surrounded by the large [[Falmer]] parish in this area.

==== Bevendean Down and Falmer Hill ====
{{Main|Bevendean Down}}
[[File:Bevendean_Down_(Local_Nature_Reserve),_Bevendean_(May_2020)_(6).JPG|thumb|left|Bevendean Down (Local Nature Reserve)]]
[[File:Bridleway,_Falmer_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_62988.jpg|thumb|Bridleway, Falmer Hill]]
'''[[Bevendean Down]]''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 33 06}}) is a local nature reserve (LNR). Its hot, south-facing slopes and as a result is home to lizards and many butterflies. The area is well looked after by local people in cooperation with the tenant farmer and the Council rangers. There is a dew pond where [[swallow]]s and [[House Martin|house martins]] skim the water. [[Chalkhill blue|Chalkhill]] and [[adonis blue]] and [[brown argus]] butterflies are found in numbers in the area.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Pawsey|first1=Tessa|last2=Stevens|first2=Geoff|title=Bevendean LNR|url=https://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sites/bevendean.php|url-status=live|access-date=15 October 2021|website=Butterfly Conservation – Sussex Branch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810053204/https://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sites/bevendean.php |archive-date=10 August 2020 }}</ref> '''Hogtrough Bottom''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 340 070}}) has a mixture of taller grassland, short [[Sheep's-fescue|sheep's fescue]] turf, and scrub. On the shorter ground some years are large swarms of [[Autumn Ladies'-tresses|autumn ladies tresses]]. There are lots of scarce species such as [[Bastard Toadflax|bastard toadflax]], [[waxcap]], and [[webcap]] fungi, [[four-spot orb-weaver]] and [[purseweb spider]]s, but the tapestry of summer colours is the main delight which come from the purple [[knapweed]] and [[felwort]], blue [[Scabiosa|scabious]], yellow [[hawkbit]], and [[Rockrose family|rockrose]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Bangs|first=Dave|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/701098669|title=A freedom to roam Guide to the Brighton Downs : from Shoreham to Newhaven and Beeding to Lewes|date=2008|publisher=David Bangs|isbn=978-0-9548638-1-4|location=Brighton|oclc=701098669}}</ref>

On the southern side of Bevendean is '''Heath Hill''' which runs up to Warren Road and two horse pasture smallholdings, Southdown Riding Stables ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 335 058}}) and Inglesíde Stables to the east. Neither receive any agro-chemicals and consequently have gathered rich wildlife in the past half century. [[Swallow]]s and [[Swift (bird)|swifts]], [[bat]]s and [[dung beetle]]s, [[Rook (bird)|rooks]] and [[Green woodpecker|woodpecker]] and the [[hornet robberfly]] all survive on the rich supply of insects attracted by the pony dung.<ref name=":2" /> Both the farmsteads of Southdown's and Ingleside Stables are targeted for housing development within [[Brighton and Hove City Council]]'s draft City Plan Part 2. The loss of these two farmsteads, which organise the grazing of these nature-rich pastures, would put them at risk.<ref name=":0" /> To the east of Heath Hill is Race Hill which is part of the Bevendean Down LNR. The Brighton Permaculture Trust has created a community orchard on Race Hill.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Race Hill Community Orchard |url=https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/orchards-and-fruit/racehill-community-orchard/about-racehill/ |access-date=2 January 2024 |website=Brighton Permaculture Trust}}</ref>

'''Falmer Hill''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 365 076}}) gives great views across to [[Hollingbury Castle]] and [[Stanmer Park]] and the higher Downs beyond. The Hill's top remained unploughed till the last World War. It had a cluster of about ten probably Saxon [[Tumulus|barrows]] and a couple of [[round barrow]]s. Nothing remains now except white smears of chalk and flint on the ploughed earth, where the barrows were.<ref name=":2" /> To the west of the Hill is City boundary which borders the [[Kingston near Lewes]] parish.

=== Kemptown, Whitehawk and Roedean ===
{{Main|Kemptown, Brighton|Whitehawk|Roedean, East Sussex}}
[[File:1–14 Chichester Terrace, Kemp Town, Brighton (NHLE Code 1380256) (September 2018) (2).jpg|left|thumb|1–14 Chichester Terrace, Kemp Town]]
'''Kemp Town''' is a district to east of Brighton. It was designed by [[Thomas Read Kemp]] (1782–1844). It includes the elegant Grade I listed buildings such as those of [[Sussex Square, Brighton|Sussex Square]], Lewes Crescent, Arundel, and Chichester Terraces, and the less prestigious areas such as Rock Gardens to the east. The area includes the [[Royal Sussex Hospital]]. The beach south of Kemp Town is known as [[Black Rock (Brighton and Hove)|Black Rock]]. To the east of Kemp Town is [[Roedean, East Sussex|Roedean gap]]. There is some housing and [[Roedean School|Roedean school]], a public girls school that faces the sea.

To the north of Kemp Town is Whitehawk, a district of Brighton that has been built since 1931. On the saddle between [[Whitehawk Hill]] and Race Hill is [[Whitehawk Camp]] which is a [[Neolithic]] [[causewayed camp]], one of eight causewayed camps known to have existed in the [[South Downs|Sussex Downs]]. The camp is a [[Scheduled Ancient Monument|scheduled ancient monument]]. To the northwest of Whitehawk is [[Brighton Race Course]]. Horse racing started on the Hill in the late 18th century next to the causewayed camp.

==== Whitehawk Hill, Sheepcote Valley, and East Brighton Golf Course ====
{{Main|Whitehawk Hill|}}
[[File:Sheepcote_Valley_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2585297.jpg|thumb|left|Sheepcote Valley]]
[[File:Westward_view_across_Brighton_from_Whitehawk_Hill_(November_2020)_(1).JPG|thumb|Westward view across Brighton from Whitehawk Hill]]
'''Whitehawk Hill'''<nowiki/>'s lower slopes have large allotment sites, and there is [[Whitehawk Hill transmitting station|a transmitting station]] on its top. To the north of the hilltop is the [[Neolithic]] [[Whitehawk Camp]].

To the east of Whitehawk is '''Sheepcote Valley''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 341 045}}). Here over {{Convert|90|ha}} are open to the public. In the 1870s there was a rifle range for volunteer soldiers sited here. The park was acquired in 1913 and laid out with plants and sports pitches in 1925. The northern part of the Valley served for many years as a municipal rubbish dump. When that purpose was completed, however, a kilometre and more of the upper Valley was terraced with six giant steps, which have now softened further with the cover of grass and low scrub. Now many birds breed in the area and many more pass through and stop extended periods on migration. Uncommon bird species are often seen there, such as rare [[warbler]]s, [[wryneck]], and [[redstart]]s. Sheepcote's lower valley has a caravan park where the first municipal site in the country was opened in 1938. There are playing fields embraced by the valley slopes and a café in East Brighton Park.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A special place for birds|url=http://www.sheepcote.org.uk/html/birds.html|url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2021|website=Friends of Sheepcote Valley|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050407190231/http://www.sheepcote.org.uk:80/html/birds.html |archive-date=7 April 2005 }}</ref>

To its east is '''East Brighton Golf Course''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 346 042}}) with extensive roughs, scrub thickets, and woodland. In winter, [[short-eared owl]]s often reside in the area. Below the course is Roedean Bottom ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 349 033}}). It sits between Roedean School and a pitch and putt golf course. On the east slope of the Bottom there is a little piece of aboriginal Downland turf, where in late summer [[Autumn Ladies'-tresses|autumn ladies tresses]] orchid grow, with [[Carline Thistle|carline thistle]] and [[hairy violet]]. Tiny moss snail in the turf demonstrates the site's antiquity. East again from the Golf Course (and southwest of Woodingdean) is '''Wick Bottom''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 35 04}}). This peaceful dean takes its name from the medieval farm on the Falmer Road, now long-gone. The name 'wick' may denote a far more ancient, perhaps Roman, farmstead. In modern times it has been a place of arable stubbles, but there be a good array of chalk loving plants such as [[night flowering catchfly]], [[henbit deadnettle]], [[Field Madder|field madder]], [[round-leaved fluellen]], and [[common fumitory]].<ref name=":2" />

=== Woodingdean, Ovingdean, and Rottingdean ===
{{Main|Woodingdean|Ovingdean|Rottingdean}}{{Main|Beacon Hill, East Sussex}}
[[File:St_Wulfran,_Ovingdean_02.jpg|thumb|upright|left|St Wulfran, Ovingdean]]
'''[[Ovingdean]]''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 355 035}}) is east of Brighton and slightly set back from the sea. It is a historic settlement that has existed since at least the Iron Age

about 600 BC. In ancient documents, the area is described as "Ofamn-inge-denu" or "the valley of the enclosure of Ofa's people".<ref name=":1" /> The Domesday book of 1086 records that the manor of 'hovingedene'. At that time the population of Ovingdean was about 90 people who included the lord of the manor and his family.

By 2020 there were nearer 1,200 inhabitants and many new buildings, but the old core of Ovingdean still exists and many flint walls, old cottages, barns (converted) and gentry houses have been retained. The Norman church of [[St Wulfran's Church, Ovingdean|St Wulfran's]] is the oldest surviving building in the village and has lots of surviving early details. North of the church the stonewalled paddock is full of humps and hollows that mark where a Saxon thane had his manor house. To the south of the village in front of the sea is one of [[Blind Veterans UK]]'s rehabilitation centres. On the beach is a cafe and beach for rock pooling at low tide.

'''[[Rottingdean]]''' is east of [[Ovingdean]] and has more history still. The first settled inhabitants of Rottingdean were the [[Neolithic]] people, arriving around 2500 BC. It later became famed for sea faring activities and primarily a centre for smuggling. Rottingdean is its own parish despite being with the Brighton and Hove boundary. [[Beacon Hill, East Sussex|Beacon Hill]] is a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) set up because of its pristine [[chalk grassland]] and  archaeological features. A historic windmill is at the centre of the nature reserve.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beacon Hill |url=https://www.rottingdean-pc.gov.uk/beacon-hill |access-date=31 August 2023 |website=Rottingdean Parish Council}}</ref> 

'''[[Woodingdean]]''' is north of Ovingdean and east of the [[Brighton Racecourse]]. It was extensively developed during the 1950s and 1960s when most of the roads in the north-eastern and southern ends of the village were built. The name Woodingdean came from Woodendean (i.e. wooded valley) Farm which was situated in the south end of what is now Ovingdean.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Woodingdean|url=https://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/places/placehouse/woodingdean-house/introduction-to-woodingdean-2|url-status=live|access-date=21 October 2021|website=My Brighton and Hove|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807182642/https://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/places/placehouse/woodingdean-house/introduction-to-woodingdean-2 |archive-date=7 August 2020 }}</ref> This farm existed from before 1714 until 1979. Perhaps the earliest farming settlement to be identified in the area was situated in Wick Bottom. It was here that the Wick Farm, later Warren Farm was situated.

==== East Brighton downland and undercliff path ====
[[File:Undercliff_path_East_of_Brighton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_234393.jpg|thumb|left|Undercliff path East of Brighton]]
[[File:Happy_Valley_^_Woodingdean_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1930380.jpg|thumb|Happy Valley, Woodingdean]]
[[File:Track_at_The_Bostle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2126615.jpg|thumb|Track at The Bostle]]
Between the [[Brighton Marina]] and [[Saltdean]] is the '''undercliff path'''. It passes cafes at Ovingdean and Rottingdean. Many people use the path to walk, run or cycle either for amusement or to reach their destinations avoiding the up and down of the busy road above. The entire stretch of beach provides excellent home to rock pool loving species and sea and wading birds take advantage. [[Northern fulmar|Fulmar]]s, [[peregrine falcon]]s, [[northern raven|raven]]s and [[rock pipits]] are just some of the bird life that nest in the chalk cliffs. This area is the only place on these southern cliffs that [[sea stock]] is native. [[Sea-lavender|Sea lavender]] also clings to the cliff ledges. Occasionally one can find [[Crithmum|samphire]], too.<ref name=":2" />

To the west of the Falmer Road from Woodingdean is '''Happy Valley''' ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 357 047}}), a bushy, cattle-grazed slope with old Down pasture herbs, bits of gorse, and thorn. Further south is Mount Pleasant ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 354 045}}). The west slope looks over '''Wick Bottom''' and is a small triangle of rich chalk grassland. It's rough and derelict, but special wildlife clings on. There's big swarms of [[Round-headed rampion|Pride of Sussex rampion]], [[dropwort]], [[Horseshoe Vetch|horseshoe vetch]], and [[hairy violet]]. [[European stonechat]] frequent its thorn and bramble.<ref name=":2" />

Just east of Woodingdean, is '''the Bostle''' barrow field ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 371 054}}). There is a cluster of at least twenty-seven small low grassy mounds, which are probably Saxon, and three larger, probably [[Bronze Age]] barrows on the top of the hill just south of the bridleway fence line. The barrow field is a 'precious fragment' of antiquity surrounded by agricultural fields. The Bostle combe slope ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 371 048}}) is an ancient Down pasture slope with the softest [[Sheep's-fescue|sheep's fescue]] turf, just south of the barrow field.<ref name=":2" />

East a little further there is one of the most special natural sites in the Brighton area, [[Castle Hill, Brighton|Castle Hill]] ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 376 065}}). The area is known for its [[Early spider-orchid|early spider orchids]], [[Roesel's bush-cricket]], [[wart-biter]] grasshopper, and dramatic butterfly displays that include [[dark green fritillary]], [[adonis blue]], and thousands of [[chalkhill blue]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=East Sussex's National Nature Reserves|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/east-sussexs-national-nature-reserves/east-sussexs-national-nature-reserves|url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2021|website=Corporate report: East Sussex's National Nature Reserves|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101063213/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/east-sussexs-national-nature-reserves/east-sussexs-national-nature-reserves |archive-date=1 January 2015 }}</ref>

===The Brighton and Hove boundary===
[[File:Patcham Pylons, A23 (London Road), Patcham (from SW).jpg|thumb|left|The Patcham Pylons mark the border of Brighton and Hove on the A23]]
From west to east the administrative boundary of Brighton and Hove begins on the coast at Gate 4 of Shoreham Port. It crosses the [[Southwick Ship Canal]] and the [[A259]] between Brambledean Road and St Richard's Road in [[Portslade]]. From here, the border joins Eastbrook Road, and runs north up St Aubrey's Crescent. It then runs along the [[Sussex Border Path]], through [[Fishersgate railway station|Fishersgate Station]], separating Portslade from the neighbouring town of [[Southwick, West Sussex|Southwick]]. Running west of [[Mile Oak]], the border crosses the [[A27 road|A27]] skirting Mile Oak Farm and continues towards [[Devil's Dyke, Sussex|Devil's Dyke]], before turning east over the [[South Downs|Downs]]. The border then extends north from Tydell Farm to the outskirts of [[Pyecombe]] – its most northerly point. It crosses the [[A23 road|A23]] at the [[Patcham Pylon]]s, which signifies the border for incoming traffic.

Continuing east, the border runs north of the [[Chattri, Brighton|Chattri]] and Standean Farm, before crossing Ditchling Road at the Upper Lodges and running along the northerly limits of [[Stanmer Park]] and [[Stanmer|Stanmer Village]]. At this point, the border turns south and runs to the eastern edge of the [[University of Sussex]] campus, re-crossing the A27 along The Drove and passing east of [[Falmer Stadium]]. It continues along The Drove and Falmer Road to [[Woodingdean]]. Running north of Woodingdean, the border then heads southeast through [[Balsdean]] before adjoining to a footpath which enters [[Saltdean]] at the top of Longridge Avenue. The border runs down Longridge Avenue to the junction with Lynwood Road, where it turns south over houses and back across the A259 before returning the coastline at the eastern end of Saltdean Beach.