Page 20 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

18  INTRODUCING ENGLAND ’ S SOUTH C O AST

anywhere in the country apart from
London, while the South West is the
region where the most second houses
are owned in the country.
The big cities in the South, such as Bristol,
are thriving centres of multiculturalism,
but prejudice still exists and racial tensions
can arise, especially in poorer areas. Of the
region’s 19.5 million population, 6 per cent
are from non-white ethnic groups, though
the number is greater in cities and less in
rural areas. Regional accents have almost
disappeared from the South East, but can
still be heard in the South West, where the
West Country “burr” is still much in evidence.

Art and Culture
Much of the regional character of the
Customers outside Mol’s Coffee House in Exeter, Devon stunning South Coast has been captured
in the works of its many writers and artists.
Politics and Society Jane Austen’s novels vividly reflect her life
England was divided into administrative among the gentry of Regency Hampshire
counties in the 11th century, and despite and Bath. A hundred years later, Thomas
some boundary alterations those in the Hardy created an unforgettable picture
South have remained roughly unchanged of rural Dorset in novels such as Tess of
since that time. Big cities are run by unitary the D’Urbervilles. The beauty of particular
authorities, and counties by a county areas has been a magnet for many painters.
council supported by a district council, The great landscape artist Joseph Mallord
with elections taking place every four years. William Turner regularly visited the popular
When it comes to party politics, the South seaside town of Margate in Kent and had
Coast is overwhelmingly Conservative, a studio at Petworth House in Sussex, the
with especially strong support in rural areas. home of his patron Lord Egremont. Since
In the 2016 referendum, while most of the 19th century, St Ives has been home
London wished to remain in the European to a colony of like-minded artists, attracted
Union, there was more variation along by the light and Cornwall’s primal
the South Coast: relatively affluent cities,
such as Brighton and Bristol, were keen
to remain, while those in poorer rural
districts, such as North Devon and North
Kent, tended to favour leaving.
The region is as divided by class as
the rest of Britain, and social mobility is
extremely static. Wealth and background
are contributory factors, as is the education
system: only 7 per cent of Britons are
privately educated, but they account
for over 50 per cent of the country’s elite
professionals. Affordable housing is a
problem for many residents: South East
property is more expensive than Performance of the opera Eugene Onegin at Glyndebourne, Sussex

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