What happened to Belle Tout lighthouse in 1999?

It was moved back from the cliff edge

Seven Sisters Cliffs Quiz: Sussex Chalk and Birling Gap

This Seven Sisters cliffs quiz walks the rolling clifftops of East Sussex on England's south coast. Play 10 interactive questions on chalk made from tiny plankton, the South Downs National Park, how fast the cliffs retreat, Birling Gap, the meanders of Cuckmere Haven, the moved Belle Tout lighthouse, Beachy Head and film scenes shot there.

Start Seven Sisters Cliffs Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

County
Which county are the Seven Sisters in?
Rock
What rock are the cliffs made of?
Origin
What formed the chalk long ago?
Park
Which national park includes the cliffs?
Erosion
Roughly how fast do the cliffs retreat on average?
Gap
Which hamlet's cottages are being lost to the sea?
River
Which river winds in meanders at Cuckmere Haven?
Lighthouse
What happened to Belle Tout lighthouse in 1999?
Head
Which nearby headland is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain?
Film
Which kind of productions often use the cliffs as a backdrop?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which county are the Seven Sisters in?
Answer: East Sussex
They lie between Seaford and Eastbourne.
Q2: What rock are the cliffs made of?
Answer: Chalk
It is bright white and soft.
Q3: What formed the chalk long ago?
Answer: Tiny sea plankton skeletons
They settled on an ancient seabed.
Q4: Which national park includes the cliffs?
Answer: South Downs
It is England's newest national park area of chalk hills.
Q5: Roughly how fast do the cliffs retreat on average?
Answer: About 30 to 40 cm a year
Big falls can happen suddenly.
Q6: Which hamlet's cottages are being lost to the sea?
Answer: Birling Gap
Several have already been demolished.
Q7: Which river winds in meanders at Cuckmere Haven?
Answer: Cuckmere
The view is a classic photo.
Q8: What happened to Belle Tout lighthouse in 1999?
Answer: It was moved back from the cliff edge
It slid on rails away from the edge.
Q9: Which nearby headland is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain?
Answer: Beachy Head
A striped lighthouse stands below it.
Q10: Which kind of productions often use the cliffs as a backdrop?
Answer: Films and TV dramas
Their white walls look dramatic on screen.

How Plankton Built England's White Cliffs

The Seven Sisters are a line of white chalk cliffs on the East Sussex coast between Seaford and Eastbourne. The chalk formed over millions of years from the tiny skeletons of sea plankton that settled on an ancient seabed, later lifted up to form the rolling South Downs.

Soft chalk erodes quickly. On average the cliffs retreat about 30 to 40 centimeters a year, though big falls can happen suddenly. At Birling Gap, cottages have been lost to the sea, and in 1999 the Belle Tout lighthouse was moved back from the crumbling edge.

At Cuckmere Haven, the river winds in looping meanders to the sea, framing a classic view of the cliffs. Nearby Beachy Head is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, with a red and white lighthouse below. Films and TV dramas often use the gleaming cliffs as a backdrop.

What This Quiz Teaches

Coastal fans will enjoy these questions.

What the cliffs are made of
How fast they erode
Which places are threatened
Which views are famous
Which landmarks stand nearby

Did You Know?

The cliffs are part of the South Downs Way.
Walkers are warned to keep back from the edge.
Chalk often contains flint nodules.
The number of peaks depends on how you count them.
Sheep grazing keeps the downland grass short.