thumb|Geology of the South East, Chalk is light green (6)
thumb|The Wealden Anticline.
The South Downs is one of the four areas of chalk downland in southern England. They extend from the eastern side of Hampshire through Sussex, culminating in the cliffs at Beachy Head. Two areas of the Downs have been designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); there are many Sites of Special Scientific Interest; and much of the Downs will be included in the future South Downs National Parkhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7973417.stm.

The area is relatively unpopulated, although along its southern periphery there is an almost uninterrupted ribbon of seaside towns: it is extremely popular with walkers, having one principal long distance footpath, the South Downs Way, and many interconnecting ones. There are three principal gaps in the upland through which rivers flow; and there are also many dry valleys along its length.

The South Downs have a long history; there are archaeological remains from Neolithic times. Until the middle of the 20th century, sheep-rearing was the main occupation of those living on the Downs.

Etymology

Downs is from Old English dun meaning hill or hill fort.

Geology

The South Downs are the southern remnant of the Wealden dome which itself was laid down sixty million years ago as a shallow sea: the rock is composed of the microscopic skeletons of plankton which lived in the sea, hence its colour. The rock has many fossils, and bands of flint occur throughout the formation. Erosion has removed the central part of the dome, leaving the South Downs as the outer southern uplands, the North Downs being its counterpart, as shown on the diagram. The harder rock, and the highest remaining part of the dome, is the Weald.

The chalk, being porous, allows water to soak through; as a result there are many winterbournes along the northern edge.

Geography

The South Downs extend about 70 miles (112 km) from west to east, and seven miles (11.2 km) wide, north to south. Both the North and South Downs come together at the Wessex Downs, just inside the Hampshire border at the River Meon valley. The eastern end, where it reaches the coast between Seaford and Beachy Head, produces the spectacular scenery of the Seven Sisters, the undulating cliffs which are the remnants of dry valleys being eroded by the sea.

There are four river valleys which cut through the Downs: from west to east they are the Rivers Arun, Adur, Ouse and Cuckmere. Chalk acquifers and winterbourne streams supply much of the water required by the surrounding settlements. Dew ponds are a characteristic feature on the hillside: artificial ponds for watering livestock.

The highest point on the South Downs is Butser Hill, just south of Petersfield, Hampshire. At 270 m (886 ft) high, it qualifies as one of England's Marilyns. A list of those points on the South Downs above 700ft (213m) follows, in a west to east direction:

History

Archaeological evidence has revealed that the Downs have been inhabited and utilised for thousands of years. Neolithic flint mines and settlements; Bronze Age burial mounds; and Iron Age forts are all in evidence..

It has been estimated that the tree cover of the downs was cleared some 2500 years ago, and the present closely-grazed turf is the result of continual grazing by sheep.

Special areas

Two areas of the Downs are designated AONB: East Hampshire and Sussex Downs AONBs.

The proposal to set up the South Downs National Park first received governmental support in 1999. After a public enquiry between 2003-2005, and various legal objections, the enquiry re-opened in February 2008. On the 31st March 2009, it was announced that the South Downs would become a national park, after 60 years on the shortlist.
Among the National Nature Reserves (NNR) is Kingley Vale NNR, near Chichester.

Tourism, leisure and sport

In 1923 the Society of Sussex Downsmen (now the South Downs Society) was formed with the aim of protecting the area's unique landscape.

The South Downs is a popular area for ramblers with a network of over of well-managed, well-signed and easily accessible trails. The principal bridleway, and longest of them, is the South Downs Way. . The Monarch's Way, having originated at Worcester, crosses the South Downs and ends at Shoreham-by-Sea.

Sports undertaken on the Downs include paragliding, mountain-biking, horse riding and walking.

Landmarks

Two of the landmarks on the Downs are the Long Man of Wilmington, a chalk carved figure, and Clayton Windmills. There is also a war memorial, The Chattri, dedicated to Indian soldiers who died in the Brighton area, having been brought there for treatment after being injured fighting on the Western Front in the First World War.

South Downs in literature

Rudyard Kipling who lived at Rottingdean described the South Downs as "Our blunt, bow-headed whale-backed Downs". Writing in 1920 in his poem The South Country, poet Hilaire Belloc describes the South Downs as "the great hills of the South Country". In On The South Coast, poet Algernon Swinburne describes the South Downs as "the green smooth-swelling unending downs".

The naturalist-writer William Henry Hudson wrote that "during the whole 53-three mile length from Beachy Head to Harting the ground never rises above a height of 850 feet, but we feel on top of the world".

Poet Francis William Bourdillon also wrote a poem "On the South Downs". The South Downs have been home to several writers including Jane Austen who lived at Chawton on the edge of the Downs in Hampshire. The Bloomsbury Group often visited Monk's House in Rodmell, the home of Virginia Woolf. Alfred, Lord Tennyson had a second home at Aldworth on the edge of the Downs at Blackdown. Geologically part of the Weald, Blackdown lies close to the chalk downland and is part of the South Downs National Park.

Suggested reading

Roundabout to Canterbury Charles S. Brooks 1926 copyright

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