Friends

of the

Hampden

Park

The Beginning of the Park

Prior to 1901 the land now called Hampden Park was part of the Ratton Estate owned by Lord Willingdon.  The estate goes back to Saxon times, and the woodland and lake had been a decoy attracting wild fowl for the estate kitchens.

By the end of the 19th century, however, the lake had probably fallen into disuse.  Lord Willingdon agreed to sell 78 acres to Eastbourne Corporation on condition that a new main road, Kings Drive, was built from Eastbourne to Willingdon.  

Hampden Park, named after Lord Willingdon’s grandfather, Viscount Hampden, was opened by Lord Rosebery on the 12th August 1902 and was the first Corporation-owned park in Eastbourne.