For much of its history, Bexhill was a small rural town on a hill in East Sussex, a mile or two from the sea. Remains of its manor house can still be seen. The town grew during the Napoleonic wars as thousands of troops were stationed at barracks in Bexhill and defensive Martello towers were built, while smuggling continued using local inns. There was a further major change at the end of the nineteenth century when the De La Warr family developed a stylish resort, which continued into the ...