Dr Cathryn Pearce
LightNews LightNews
banner
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Dr Cathryn Pearce
@cathrynpearce.bsky.social
5.4K followers 1.6K following 4K posts
British historian. Author: Cornish Wrecking, 1700-1860 | Researching c18th-19th shipwrecks, the Royal Navy & coastal communities. #CoastalHistory #NavalHistory #MaritimeHistory #SussexCoast
Posts Replies Media Videos
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
It's windy out! What an invigorating walk. The coast path is also just a bit muddy. #SussexCoast
Photo of clouds and waves coming from the south. Some light and blue skies peeks through, but the direction of the wind can be seen in the uplift of the clouds. They are all slanted upwards.
November 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Did some research today while alone in the museum. Gave myself a fright turning the corner on the way to the research room -- the lighting from the window was on the workhouse door while everything else was dimly lit. It made me shiver, especially that peephole. #SussexHistory
Photo of a slender green narrow door with 1A chalked on it, no window, and an oval peephole, currently closed, on the top half of the door. It stands near some info boards on Newhaven Workhouse. Photo of the closed, oval peephole in the door. What terror it must have given the poor inmates, locked in because they were poor.
November 8, 2025 at 8:17 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
The last light of the day. I'm amazed my camera picked it up. We took a very slow walk to the cliffs in our attempt to gradually gain strength after our bouts of Covid.
Photo showing a bit of red on the upper clouds, with a streak of gold below the heavier rain clouds. Lights from Shoreham and Lancing also show in the distance.
November 6, 2025 at 5:30 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
A great day discussing Cornwall, Western Ireland and #CoastalHistory research. Loved it! Afterwards, I took an invigorating walk into the blustery SW wind on the south coast path. #SussexCoast
November 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Tonight's sky was 'oh my!' My camera couldn't catch how gorgeous the blue was. #SussexCoast
Photo of the sun reflecting off clouds over the English Channel. The clouds are bright yellow and orange. The blue sky was actually the colour of Bluesky's buttons, but the camera couldn't pick that up. It was gorgeous.
October 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
A calm evening. No, that's not a bush fire on a distant hill. It's just the sun peeking through a layer of dark clouds. #SussexCoast
Photo showing a layer of dark rain clouds on the horizon of the sea. It's raining except where the clouds have parted to show the sun's reflection off of clouds on the right of the photo.
October 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
A lovely visit to Seaford's museum and Martello Tower. We hadn't been there in years. We had some great chats with the stewards, and are making plans to go back for research in their archives. Like Newhaven, it is completely volunteer run. #Museums #SussexCoast
Photo showing a cannon/gun on top of the Martello Tower, with a sign saying 'Seaford Museum'. This gun was taken from a French wreck. Photo showing Seaford Bay from the gun/cannon deck, looking west towards Newhaven Fort and breakwater. Once the breakwater was built, longshore drift started to strip Seaford's beach away. A wide pebble beach is shown at the bottom of the photo. It is replenished twice a year to save the town from flooding.
October 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
An invigorating walk this evening with a good headwind! Unfortunately, after this photo the sun decided to hide behind the cloud. #SussexCoast
Photo showing a blowy shoreline with lots of white waves. Clouds hang on the horizon while the sky is clear above. Just a bit of gold orb peeks out from the cloud, but then hid again.
October 4, 2025 at 5:51 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Had fun interpreting maps and photos from 'Walk, Talk, Look' session at Newhaven's Eastside. Noticed the stream and tree line (poplar and alder) following an old seawall route & field boundaries. The field boundaries turned out to also be a manorial boundary between Meeching and Bishopstone. Result!
Screen shot of overlay between two maps, one an OS map from the 1890s, and the other Google maps (from NLS website). The large green rectangle at the top is a park given to the town of Newhaven by Lord Sheffield. The line of trees bordering it and heading south was the old manorial boundary between the Earl of Sheffield's Manor of Meeching, and the Duke of Newcastle/Earl of Chichester's Manor of Bishopstone. This part of Bishopstone was absorbed into Newhaven. The boundary between Eastside Park (Manor of Meeching) and the allotments that are now on land that belonged to the Manor of Bishopstone. It is shown flowing peacefully, with lots of vegetation on both sides, but yesterday the stream bed was completely dry.
September 28, 2025 at 9:27 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Seaford Head has a Roman and Iron Age hillfort. We have quite a few around the SE Sussex coast. This is a screen grab of an 1870s OS Survey map from @natlibscot.bsky.social #CoastalHistory Most of the site has gone into the sea now.
Screen grab of an 1870s Ordnance Survey map, showing Seaford Bay, the southerly part of Seaford Head, with 'Roman Camp' labelled on the edge.
September 28, 2025 at 10:43 AM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Reading about the blowing up the cliff face at Seaford Head, Sept 1850, to create a barrier to stop longshore drift taking shingle from Newhaven and Seaford. Editor didn't think it would be effective. He was right. Now, the old Roman remains are being lost to the sea. #CoastalHistory
Photo showing Seaford Head in the distance, Seaford's Bay, and Newhaven's breakwater and lighthouse in mid photo. A caravan park is in the foreground.
September 27, 2025 at 9:41 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
The sky was amazing today. We watch the larger, fluffier clouds move in one direction while the mackerel clouds moved in another, just like a river in the sky. Fittingly, we were on a 'Walk, Talk, Look' walk in Newhaven!
Photo showing blue sky, fluffy clouds hiding the sun, and higher up, a mackerel sky -- clouds that look like fishbones, with parallel ribs come of a central spine. Where the sun is hidden, multiple colours of yellow and orange are peeking through.
September 27, 2025 at 1:13 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
The Newhaven Museum has opened their special exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry. I admit this was one of my favourite artefacts, because I can relate to needing it!
Image of a white bowl, with description: "19th Century 'Comfort Bowl' for passengers on the Newhaven-Dieppe steamers suffering from 'Mal de Mer' (Seasickness).
September 26, 2025 at 3:01 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
I'm lucky to live in such a photogenic place. Tonight I had to run out the door, and get to the cliffs ASAP before I missed this (I did miss some of it)! #SussexCoast
Photo of a colourful sky. The tide is out, and the dark chalk shelf is visible. In the distance, the sun sets near Shoreham.
September 23, 2025 at 6:54 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
I took this photo yesterday from Newhaven's Harbour Heights Nature Preserve. I love the moodiness of it. Luckily we didn't get wet (the wind was northerly, but we had dark clouds behind us, too). #SussexCoast
Photo showing a grey sea and grey clouds, with a strip of light showing through a break in the clouds in the centre of the photo
September 22, 2025 at 9:02 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
I would love to know the background to this place-name on Seaford Head: 'Pope Rear Green'. What story does that have? #SussexCoast
Screen grab of a map from the 1890s, showing the cliff edge and 'Pope Rear Green', which is not far from Hope Gap. Hope Gap still exists.
September 22, 2025 at 7:12 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
We went on a walk to Harbour Heights Nature Preserve. What a fascinating place! There are fears of development there (I would NOT buy a house on that geology!); the biodiversity is impressive. We saw swallows, lots of rabbit signs, a tumulus (Iron or Bronze Age?), and cliff views. #SussexCoast
Photo showing the sheer cliffs between Newhaven and Peacehaven. Evidence of several rockfalls can be seen on the shore. No, I wasn't this close. That's what zooming in is for! Photo of the cliff, showing the other walkers to the right. They look tiny compared to the height of the cliff. Photo showing tumuli at the cliff edge. There are three 'lumps'; we were told the middle on was used for shooting practice during the Second World War. This site has lots of war remains, including a cement road and pillboxes (not shown in the photo).
September 21, 2025 at 7:35 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Took a photo in the direction of the sun of St. Leonard's Church in Seaford. I was just interested in the architecture and all of the changes made to it over the centuries, but got a moody photo instead! #SussexCoast
September 19, 2025 at 7:26 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Trying to search for info on the use of headstones and footstones in Sussex, and all I get are business websites trying to sell a headstone to me. Not yet, people!!! Can anyone share info with me about these, and when they became popular? Photo is from Seaford's St. Leonard's Churchyard.
Photo of three graves in a row, with large headstones and small footnotes, joined together by a vertical centre piece. The stones are too weathered to read names or dates.
September 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Home from Britain, Conflict & the Sea conference @National Maritime Museum. Thanks to @dmorganowen.bsky.social for organising! Portsmouth had a great showing, with 7 attendees, and papers by @drmelbassett.bsky.social, Jayne Friend, former MA student, Zara Money, and myself. #NavalHistory
Slide of my aims: to invert Sea Fencibles historiography from a naval-centric to a coastal-centric view, and to reconsider Sea Fencible's motives for volunteering. Part I: 'to take advantage of so able and hardy a ract of men': Duties and identities Part II: 'For the protection of merchant vessels?': Sea Fencibles and French Privateers Part III: Conclusions
September 13, 2025 at 7:31 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Here's a closer view of Newhaven's Castle Hill from Tide Mills. It noticably towers over this area. #SussexCoast
Photo from the beach at Tide Mills, showing the silhouette of a large hill with the Coast Watch station on top. It is also the site of Newhaven Fort. The sun is almost gone over the horizon.
September 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
Had a lovely walk along Vanguard Way. The hill in the distance is the site of Newhaven Fort, but before that, an Iron Age hillfort. From this view it towers over what were the salt marshes between Newhaven and Seaford. The creek is Mill Creek, one of the old routes of River Ouse. #SussexCoast
Photo taken from Vanguard Way, a public footpath going through Tide Mills. The sun is about to set behind Newhaven's Castle Hill, site of an Iron Age hillfort. The creek in the middle of the photo is Mill Creek, which brought water to Tide Mills. In the foreground is a plant I don't know!
September 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
#SussexCoast Evening light over the Channel
Photo looking east, with an almost full moon showing even though it's not yet dark. A fishing boat is in the distance.
September 5, 2025 at 6:57 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
I finally saw the gravestone for East Dean's Parson Darby. He's a legend on the #SussexCoast for saving (and burying) those lost by shipwreck at Birling Gap. The gravestone's last lines are 'He was a sailor's friend'. He died 26 Oct 1726. heritageeastbourne.home.blog/2024/03/18/p... #CoastalHistory
Photo of a lichen covered gravestone slab. The words are: "HERE LIES THE BODY OF PARSON DARBY M.A. OXON, VICAR OF EAST DEAN WHO DIED ON 26 oCTOBER 1726. HE WAS THE SAILOR'S FRIEND."
August 29, 2025 at 1:45 PM
cathrynpearce.bsky.social
We had a lovely time today showing friends from Australia around the gems of the #SussexCoast, including this iconic view of the Coastguard Cottages overlooking Cuckmere Haven.
Photo showing white cottages in mid photo, with the glorious white cliffs of the Seven Sisters in the background. The sea is blue, as is the sky. Some white fluffy clouds mixed with rain clouds are blowing by.
August 28, 2025 at 9:47 PM