Princes Park

Princes Park is a public park in Eastbourne, East Sussex. It covers 33 acres and lies one mile east of the town centre and the Victorian seafront. The park contains an 18-hole putting green, a bowling green, a boating lake called Crumbles Pond, and two children’s play areas, one with a paddling pool. A football ground named The Oval is home to Eastbourne United A.F.C. The park also has a playing field used for travelling funfairs and circuses several times each year. The park began as Gilbert’s Recreation Ground, leased by the landowner to Eastbourne Borough Council in 1907. On 30 June 1931 King Edward VIII, then Prince of Wales, visited and planted an evergreen oak. Soon after, the park was renamed Prince’s Park in his honour. In the mid-1940s plans were made to build a sports arena with an athletics track and grass cycle track. In 1946 Eastbourne Old Comrades Football Club moved to the ground after their original site was sold. Eastbourne Borough played home games here in the 1970s before relocating to Priory Lane. Visitors find wide lawns, mature trees, and the boating lake where ducks and swans glide across the water. The putting green and bowling green offer flat, open spaces for quiet games. Children splash in the paddling pool or climb on the play equipment. The Oval hosts local football matches on weekends. Travelling fairs set up rides and stalls on the playing field, bringing seasonal colour and activity. The evergreen oak planted by King Edward VIII still stands near the entrance gates.