Britain was notionally voting on its place in the world but the EU referendum also held up a mirror to a country that has seldom looked more divided or ill at ease with itself.
As the votes were counted, the piles of ballot papers told their own story about those parts of Britain that felt comfortable in a modern, connected world, and those which felt cut off from the fruits of globalisation.
Most areas in Sussex voted to leave the European Union, although some rural areas and Brighton bucked the trend.
It was a narrow victory overall for the Leave camp with 50.23% of people in the county voting for an exit and 49.77% wanting to remain.
In Brighton & Hove, 68.6% of voters cast a vote for Remain, while 31.4% sided with Leave.
With the historic result still sinking in, tell us what you think by taking part in this exclusive Sussex Newspaper poll.
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