Compton Place is a substantial 18th-century country house set in grounds on the western edge of Eastbourne, built for the Spencer family and later acquired by the Dukes of Devonshire, who owned much of Eastbourne and were largely responsible for its development as a planned Victorian resort. The house itself is now used as a conference and education centre and is not generally open to the public, but the exterior is visible from the road and the grounds are occasionally accessible.
The connection between Compton Place and the development of Eastbourne is significant: the 7th Duke of Devonshire invested heavily in building the western part of the town in the 1850s, creating the wide streets and large hotels that give the seafront its Victorian character. Knowing this, the scale and ambition of the seafront makes more sense as a deliberate design project rather than organic growth.