75 Best Sights in The Southeast, England

Move over, Dover: these are perhaps Britain's most spectacular white cliffs. Located 16 miles southeast of Lewes, off the A259 just before Eastbourne, this up-to-530-foot-high curtain of chalk has watched over the English Channel for nigh on 100 million years. You can walk the windy path along the top of Beachy Head for lovely views of the cliffs, the sea, and the red-and-white-striped lighthouse. For a longer clifftop walk, continue west along the Seven Sisters Cliffs; it's around 5½ miles (two hours) each way from the Beachy Head parking lot to the stony beach at Cuckmere Haven.

The medieval Poor Priests' Hospital is the site of this quirky local museum, where exhibits provide an overview of the city's history and architecture from Roman times to World War II. It covers everything and everyone associated with the town, including the mysterious death of the 16th-century writer Christopher Marlowe and the British children's book and TV characters Rupert the Bear and Bagpuss. Look out for the beautiful (and tiny) gold dragon pendant, an Anglo-Saxon treasure that was made in Kent around 1,200 years ago.

Brighton's most iconic landmark is its famous beach, which sweeps smoothly from one end of town to the other. In summer, sunbathers, swimmers, and ice cream–sellers pack the shore; in winter, people stroll at the water's stormy edge, walking their dogs and searching for seashells. The water is bracingly cold, and the beach is covered in a thick blanket of large, smooth pebbles (615 billion of them, according to the tourism office). Bring a pair of rubber swimming shoes if you're taking a dip—the stones are hard on bare feet. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; sunset; swimming.

This museum on the grounds of the Royal Pavilion, in a former stable block designed for the Prince Regent (1762–1830), son of George III, has particularly interesting Art Nouveau and Art Deco collections. Look out for a tiny replica of Salvador Dalí's famous sofa in the shape of Mae West's lips. The Fashion & Style Gallery has clothes from the Regency period to the present day, and the Performance gallery has a collection of masks, puppets, and other theatrical curiosities.

Below ground, at the level of the remnants of Roman Canterbury, this small but informative museum tells the story of the area's distant Roman past. Highlights of the collection include a hypocaust (the Roman version of central heating) and two colorful floor mosaics dating from around the year 270 that were unearthed in the aftermaths of the bombs that fell on Canterbury during World War II. Displays of excavated objects—some of which you can hold in the Touch the Past area—and computer-generated reconstructions of Roman buildings and the marketplace help re-create the past.

After decades—centuries, even—as the butt of jokes, the English wine industry is now being taken more seriously, with English wines winning some prestigious international awards. Drop in at Chapel Down Winery, one of Britain's leading wine producers, to see for yourself. You can visit the wine shop and explore the herb gardens for free, or pay for a two-hour-long guided tour of the rest of the grounds with tasting—advanced booking is advisable in summer. Other themed tour experiences are available, too. The winery is 6½ miles north of Rye.

A grand Victorian mansion with a pond-dotted estate offering views over the surrounding countryside, Chartwell was the beloved private home of Sir Winston Churchill from 1924 until his death in 1965. Virtually everything has been kept as it was when he lived here, with his pictures, books, photos, and maps. There's even a half-smoked cigar that the World War II prime minister never finished. Churchill was an amateur artist, and his paintings show a softer side of the stiff-upper-lipped statesman; outdoor art trails show his work displayed at the points where he likely sat to paint them. Admission to the house is by timed ticket available only the day of your visit. To get here from Hever, head north on the B2027 and follow signs. Be sure to explore the rose gardens and take a walk in the surrounding countryside.

This enormous gate, built in 1517, leads into the cathedral close. As you pass through, look up at the sculpted heads of two young figures: Prince Arthur, elder brother of Henry VIII, and the young Catherine of Aragon, to whom Arthur was married in 1501 (when he was just 15). He died shortly afterward, and Catherine married Henry. Jump forward 25 years, and Henry was king. But they had produced no male children, a fact Henry attributed to God's wrath for marrying his sister-in-law. The Pope refused to grant him a divorce, but Henry went ahead and did it anyway, creating an irrevocable breach with the Roman Catholic Church and altering the course of English history forever.

Outside the gate is the tiny Buttermarket, an old dairy market square with a sweet name and an unsavory past. Before the 16th century, it was called "the Bullstake," because animals were tied here and tortured (a popular activity of the time known as "baiting") before they were slaughtered. Today, it's surrounded by bars and restaurants and leads onto pretty Mercery Lane, with its medieval-style cottages and massive, overhanging timber roofs.

At the top of the hill at the center of Rye, this classic English village church is more than 900 years old and encompasses a number of architectural styles. The turret clock dates to 1561 and still keeps excellent time; its huge pendulum swings inside the church nave. Climb the tower for amazing views of the surrounding area.

Erected in 1540 and intricately built to the shape of a Tudor rose, Deal Castle is the largest of the coastal defenses constructed by Henry VIII. A moat surrounds its gloomy passages and austere walls. The castle museum has exhibits about prehistoric, Roman, and Saxon Britain.

This house was originally the home of Mary Pearson Strong, on whom Dickens based the character of Betsey Trotwood, David Copperfield's aunt. Dickens lived here from 1837 to 1839 while writing The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist. Some rooms have been decorated to look as they would have in Dickens's day, and there's a reconstruction of Miss Trotwood's room as described by Dickens. The house is in Broadstairs, 16 miles up the coast from Deal.

In 1960, workers digging a water-main ditch uncovered a Roman wall, thus beginning a decade of painstaking archaeological excavation of this site, which revealed the remains of the largest, grandest Roman villa in Britain. Intricate mosaics (including Cupid riding a dolphin) and painted walls lavishly decorate what is left of many of the 100 rooms of the palace, built in the 1st century AD, possibly for local chieftain Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus. You can explore the sophisticated bathing and heating systems, along with the only example of a Roman garden in northern Europe. An extension has added many modern attributes, including a video reconstruction of how the palace might have looked. The site is 1½ miles west of Chichester town center, a 30-minute walk.

Combining a large timber-frame hall with an inventive cottage garden on a grand scale, this place will get your green thumbs twitching. The house dates to 1464 (you can tour a few rooms) and was restored in 1910 by noted architect Edwin Lutyens, who also designed the garden. From these beginnings, the horticulturist and writer Christopher Lloyd (1921–2006), whose home this was, developed a series of creative, colorful "garden rooms" and a dazzling herbaceous Long Border; Fergus Garrett continues to develop this stunning garden. The house is 7 miles northwest of Rye.

Constructed shortly after the Norman invasion of England in 1066, the sturdy keep of Guildford Castle still stands watch over the city center, surrounded by colorful gardens (look out for the statue Alice Through the Looking Glass, in honor of local resident Lewis Carroll). Step inside the keep to learn more about its fascinating history, to see a model of the castle as it appeared circa 1300, and to enjoy stunning views of the gardens and the city from the rooftop terrace. Nearby, the castle's old gatehouse houses part of the Guildford Museum (free), with exhibits on local history and archaeology, as well as memorabilia of Lewis Carroll.

On a hilltop across the River Wey, this is only the second Anglican cathedral to be built on a new site since the Reformation in the 1500s. It was consecrated in 1961. While the industrial-looking redbrick exterior may look rather dauntingly severe, even brutal (so much so that it was even chosen as a key location for the 1976 horror movie The Omen), the interior, with its stone and plaster, looks bright and cool.

Once inside, see if you can spot the brass stag on the floor, which marks the highest point of the hill. You'll also see some of the 1,468 "kneelers" which were individually designed for the cathedral with patterns appropriate to the time; look out for cushions dedicated to everything from Sputnik to the 1960 Olympics.

The cathedral has a lively program of events, including music recitals and art exhibitions, and is also used as a performance venue by the local Shakespeare society on certain dates in the summer. Call or check the website for details.

Take a thrilling ride up the West Hill Cliff Railway from George Street precinct to the atmospheric ruins of the thousand-year-old fortress now known as Hastings Castle. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1066, before he had even won the Battle of Hastings and conquered England—that's confidence for you. Today all that remains of the country's first Norman castle are mere fragments of the fortifications, some ancient walls, and a number of gloomy dungeons. Nevertheless, you get an excellent view of the chalky cliffs, the rocky coast, and the town below. 

A symbol of Hastings's gradual regeneration after decades of neglect, this spruced-up exhibition space in the Old Town has become one of the most talked-about contemporary art museums outside London. Formerly known as the Jerwood Gallery, Hastings Contemporary focuses on innovative global modern and contemporary art exhibitions that change every couple of months. The glazed-tile building on the seafront was designed to reflect the row of distinctive old, blackened fishing sheds it sits alongside.

There's something about Lamb House, an early-18th-century dwelling in the heart of Rye, that attracts writers. The novelist Henry James lived here from 1898 to 1916, while E. F. Benson, onetime mayor of Rye and author of the witty Mapp and Lucia novels (written in the 1920s and 1930s), was a later resident. The ground-floor rooms contain some of James's furniture and personal belongings.

This maze of tiny alleys and passageways was once the home of fishermen and their families. Bordered by (clockwise) North, Market, Prince Albert, and Ship Streets, the area is closed to vehicular traffic, with its narrow cobbled streets filled with interesting restaurants, boutiques, and antiques shops. Fish and seafood restaurants line the heart of the Lanes, at Market Street and Market Square.

High above the valley of the River Ouse stand the majestic ruins of Lewes Castle, begun in 1100 by one of the country's Norman conquerors and completed 300 years later. Start your visit at the Barbican House for an introduction to the castle's history through audiovisual displays, town models, tapestries, and archaeology collections before heading up the hill to see the castle itself. It's a bit of a climb to the keep, plus several more steps to the very top of the West and South Towers, but it's worth it for the panoramic views of the town and countryside. The Barbican also has a dress-up room for kids.

Ten miles southeast of Lewes on A27, Wilmington has a famous landmark that people drive for miles to see. High on the downs to the south of the village (signposted off the main road), a 226-foot-tall white figure with a staff in each hand, known as the Long Man of Wilmington, is carved into the chalk. His age is a subject of great debate: some researchers think he might have been created as far back as Roman or Neolithic times, but soil analysis places the figure closer to the 16th century. It's one of England's two most significant human hill figures, along with the Cerne Abbas Giant near Dorchester in Dorset. To get here, park in the public parking lot south of Wilmington Priory and walk.

For an essential Canterbury experience, follow the circuit of the 13th- and 14th-century walls, built on the line of the Roman walls. Roughly half survive; those to the east are intact, towering some 20 feet high and offering a sweeping view of the town. You can access these from a number of places, including Castle Street and Broad Street, but perhaps the most photo-worthy section is by Canterbury East Station Bridge.

This is one of the town's original cobbled streets, and perhaps its most quintessential view, which heads steeply from the top of the hill to the former harbor. Its name supposedly came from the night a drunken sailor swore he heard a mermaid call him down to the sea (back when Rye was still a seaside town). The houses here date from between the medieval and Georgian periods; a much-photographed pair have the delightfully fanciful names "The House with Two Front Doors" and "The House Opposite." Be careful on your feet—the cobbles are very uneven.

Of particular interest to Bloomsbury Group fans, this property 3½ miles south of Lewes was the home of novelist Virginia Woolf and her husband, writer Leonard Woolf, who bought it in 1919. Leonard lived here until his death in 1969. Rooms in the small cottage include Virginia's study and her bedroom. Artists Vanessa Bell (Virginia's sister) and Duncan Grant helped decorate the house. Prebooking online is essential. 

Set over three floors, this fascinating museum tells the story of Chichester and the surrounding area over the last 500,000 years. It's built around the remains of a Roman bathhouse, so an entire floor is given over to life in Roman Chichester (or Noviomagus Reginorum, as it was known then). Explore further, and you'll delve both back and forward in time, with exhibits ranging from Bronze Age remains to 17th-century memorials. There are also excellent, regularly changing exhibitions on local history.

At this lovely spot, exotic plants collected by the gardener Ludwig Messel beginning in 1885 mingle with more homey varieties. Spring is the time to appreciate the rhododendrons and the rare Himalayan magnolias in the romantic walled garden; in summer the roses are lovely. The surrounding estate has wildflowers, woodland walks, and the remains of a 19th-century Gothic mansion. The house was largely destroyed by fire in the 1940s, although you can look around the surviving rooms, which are decorated with antiques from the 17th to the mid-20th centuries. Otherwise, it's a charmingly picturesque ruin. Nymans is near Haywards Heath, 10 miles southwest of East Grinstead.

A good place to begin a visit to Tunbridge Wells is at the Pantiles, a famous promenade with colonnaded shops near the spring on one side of town. Most of the notable buildings are from the 17th century, and the odd name derives from the Dutch "pan tiles" that originally paved the area. Now sandwiched between two busy main roads, the Pantiles remains an elegant, tranquil oasis. It's also home to the restored Chalybeate (pronounced ka-lee-bee-at) Spring. The name means "iron-rich," which becomes obvious when you taste the water, either via a "dipper" (a costumed local who serves water directly from the spring) or through a bottle of branded Royal TW Spring Water. It's available in natural, sparkling, and botanically-infused varieties from a vending machine beside the spring.

At the center of the adorable hamlet of Penshurst stands this fine medieval manor house, hidden behind tall trees and walls. Although it has a 14th-century hall, Penshurst is mainly Elizabethan and has been the family home of the Sidneys since 1552. The most famous Sidney is the Elizabethan poet Sir Philip, author of Arcadia. The Baron's Hall, topped with a chestnut roof, is the oldest and one of the grandest halls to survive from the early Middle Ages. Family portraits, furniture, tapestries, and armor help tell the story of the house, which was first inhabited in 1341 by Sir John de Pulteney, the very wealthy four-time London mayor. There's also a Victorian kitchen exhibit. On the grounds are a toy museum, a gift shop, and the enchanting 11-acre walled Italian Garden, which displays tulips and daffodils in spring and roses in summer. Take time to study the village's late-15th-century half-timber structures adorned with soaring brick chimneys. To get here from Hever, take the B2027 east and follow signs to Penshurst.

Located 13 miles northeast of Chichester (en route to Guildford), Petworth is one of the National Trust's greatest treasures. The imposing 17th-century home of Lord and Lady Egremont, it holds an outstanding collection of English paintings by Gainsborough, Reynolds, and van Dyck. There are also 19 oil paintings by J. M. W. Turner, the great proponent of romanticism who often visited Petworth and immortalized it in luminous drawings.

A 13th-century chapel is all that remains of the original manor house. Other highlights include Greek and Roman sculpture and Grinling Gibbons wood carvings, such as those in the spectacular Carved Room. Six rooms in the servants' quarters, among them the old kitchen, are also open to the public. The celebrated landscape architect Capability Brown (1716–83) added a pleasure garden and a 700-acre deer park; today, it has the largest herd of fallow deer in England.

This gorgeous, cream-yellow Regency mansion, built in 1824, contains impressive collections of fine French furniture, Chinese porcelain, and Dutch and Italian paintings from the early part of the 20th century. Edwardian society hostess Margaret Greville was responsible for the lavish interiors—including the extraordinary, slightly over-the-top gold saloon—which have been enjoyed by everyone from British royalty to Indian maharajas; the future King George VI stayed here for part of his honeymoon in 1923. On summer days you can wander its vast landscaped lawns (you can even rent croquet equipment from the house) and walled garden. The house is in Great Bookham, 10 miles east of Guildford.