Newhaven
Linking Dieppe in France by cross Channel Ferry, Newhaven is a harbour town with a long and proud maritime history.
The town was once a Saxon settlement by the name of Meeching until after a huge storm in 1579 re-routed the River Ouse, creating a new natural harbour and New Haven was established. As well as the cross Channel Ferry service, Newhaven has a small fishing fleet and a marina for pleasure boats and it is a town with a strong maritime heritage.
The town became one of a string of coastal defences during the Napoleonic era, when Newhaven Fort was built and continued to be in use throughout WWII. It was during this time that Newhaven was the staging post for the ill fated Dieppe raid in 1942, when 5,000 Canadian troops left the port for the Normandy beaches; sadly less than half returned.
Today Newhaven Fort is a visitor centre reliving life in wartime Britain and commemorating those brave soldiers who set sail from the town, and the West Quay at the harbour is a great place to explore the character of this maritime port with fresh fish landed and sold daily.
