The Old Medieval Manor House, Eastbourne

The manor house is one of the oldest buildings in Eastbourne, yet little is known about this ancient dwelling. Now a private residence, the earliest date for its existence is 1463. There is new evidence of a much earlier medieval hall built in a Wealden Hall style, possibly on lands belonging to a famous knight of King John called Bartholomew de Badelsmere, who in 1308 was granted the Manor of Bourne jointly with his wife Margaret of the influential de Clare family. Known at various times as Eastbourne Manor, Bourne Manor and Gildredge House, it was the home of the Gildredges - the most famous being James Gildredge, Bailiff of Battle (16thC). Through the maternal line it passed to the Gilberts, then the Davies Gilberts, who in the 18th century moved to what is now Gildredge Manor in modern-day Gildredge Park. During the Regency era Mary Ann Gilbert, an agronomist in her own right, established local schools and developed ways of feeding the rural poor on Beachy Head. She married the Parliamentarian and President of the Royal Society Davies Giddy, who, at the age of fifty, changed his name to Davies Gilbert in order to inherit his wife's family's estate. Highlights of the tour include a reconstruction of the old medieval hall, a bedchamber with Elizabethan wall paintings discovered in the 1950s after a fire, some recusant Catholic graffiti on the Drawing Room fireplace, a 'jakes' or internal toilet and an unusual cellar containing the remains of two medieval fireplaces.

Timings

Saturday 12 September:

1100 | Fully booked

Saturday 19 September:

1100 | Fully booked

Location & directions

1, The Old Manor House, 33 The Goffs, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 1HF

Directions:

The Old Manor House is situated in The Goffs in Old Town Eastbourne, next to 'Cupcake Coffee' cafe and the entrance to Gildredge Park.

Contact on day:

Harriet Tait

Telephone number:

+447572601334

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking required

Booking conditions:

Maximum of 8 people per tour / talk. Please email with the subject 'HOD Booking' stating how many places are needed or ring Harriet on 07572 601334. *UPDATE* as of 23rd July, 2026: The Manor tours have now been fully booked for the above dates but I will open up some new dates. Please email me on [email protected] or ring on 07572 601334 to register your interest / go on the waiting list for the 12th and the 19th.

Booking contact name:

Harriet Tait

Booking telephone number:

+447572601334

Booking email:

[email protected]

Booking opens:

12 Jul 2026 12:00 AM

Booking closes:

11 Sep 2026 12:00 AM

Accessibility details

PARKING: No specific disabled parking available. On-street parking is available on The Goffs, or there is a small free car park next-door-but-one in front of the Gildredge Park / Manor Gardens gateway. There is also a 2-hour stay car park at Waitrose opposite / Moatcroft Road. ACCESS: Two steps up from the pavement to enter the front garden and one step to the front door, then a step over the door lintel to enter the property. Please be careful on the stone path leading to the front door as this is uneven. WHEELCHAIRS: Access to ground floor only. FACILITIES: Two downstairs toilets.

Additional information

Please be aware that this is an old building with uneven floors, staircases and low ceilings in places.

Max number of people:

8

Estimated duration:

1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

Back to results