Over the years local historian Neil De Ville has assembled a huge collection of old views of his home town Southwick, nearby Shoreham and of the people that once lived there. Each new acquisition entailed research to accurately identify locations, individuals and their background that collectively have resulted in a comprehensive record of the area’s social and architectural history.
During one recent search Neil happened across three stunning Shoreham photographs he had not seen before that were taken in the 1890’s. These were from the Samuel Butler Albums held by the St. John’s College Library in Cambridge. Samuel Butler (1835 – 1902) was an accomplished writer, artist and photographer. His photograph collection is considerable, recording as it did the people and places he visited both in this country and abroad. The images make up an important social history record of those times and we are lucky enough for him to have chosen Shoreham as one of the places in which to take his photos.
A HISTORY OF CHURCH STREET, NEW SHOREHAM 1782–1920
Due to its predominance of surviving older properties Church Street is probably the best known of Shoreham’s old streets. Luckily this is also matched by the records and deeds that still exist to provide us with a more complete picture than any of the other streets. Continue reading “History of Church Street”
from the 13th century to the early 1900’s.(excluding yachts which are listed in the separate article ‘Stow & Sons Yachts 1866 – 1936 and Courtney & Birkett.’)
This index is consistently the most frequently referred to record on the Shorehambysea.com History Portal web site. This, and the printed library version, is the third update since the first publication in 2010 and now includes information on over 600 vessels. Ranging from mediaeval times to the 20th century, fishing smacks to 48-gun men of war and merchant ships that travelled the world known to have been built in Shoreham, Kingston and Southwick. Even during the 18th century Shoreham ships sailed as far as India, Australia, the Americas and the West Indies. War ships were still being built for the Royal Navy and one Shoreham built man of war (HMS Scorpion) had a particularly eventful career capturing five French ships in 1795 before subsequently joining Shoreham’s merchant fleet only to be captured itself yet still managed to return to British merchant trading shortly after.
“…… the shouts of the workers, the creak of the rope and winches, the ringing of the signal bells and the pervading smell of tar must have left a strong impression on the senses.”
Rope and sail making has been an important part of Shoreham’s shipbuilding industry for hundreds of years but it is only during the 18th and 19th centuries that we know more of the men and their families involved.
Foreword: – In the early 1920’s much of the Beach was still undeveloped and the bungalows and houses that were there were spread along the seafront with little or nothing behind except in Ferry Road. There was no electricity, gas, or mains drainage; water was brought from the mainland in a large zinc cistern and sold at 2p a bucket to supplement the rainwater collected in storage tanks. The houses were given bizarre names rather than numbers.
Shoreham Fort (aka Redoubt or Battery) and its Garrison
In the years of peace that had followed the Napoleonic Wars many felt that the country had neglected its military and coastal defences. Despite an alliance with France to defend Turkey against Russia in 1854 reports of ‘menaces towards England of certain French officers’ caused national alarm and an almost irrational fear of invasion. In response the Government reintroduced the 1804 volunteer movement of local militia and made it a permanent reserve of the country’s military force. Continue reading “Shoreham Fort”
During the 1950’s cycle rides to Bramber castle were a regular outing for us kids but mostly via the Coombes/Botolphs route. It was far more interesting that way with its winding road and steep hills, each hard climb being rewarded with an exhilarating race down the other side – this in the days when there was little traffic about, particularly on that road.
Shoreham and Southwick Bombing and Other Incidents during WW2
This work identifies the accounts of bombings and more serious incidents (as well as some less serious but nevertheless interesting) in Shoreham and Southwick during WW2. These have been identified primarily from the official West Sussex Action Officer’s Minute Books and in some instances have been embellished with first hand reminiscences of the people that witnessed them.
“A total of 37 raids were carried out on Shoreham and Southwick by enemy aircraft during the war. These involved 143 high explosive bombs, 5 oil bombs and in excess of 2,000 incendiaries causing the deaths of 17 people and injuring 108 others.” (Shoreham Herald 6th October 1944). The number of HE bombs shown in the Minute Book reports are fewer but they do not always include all the bombs in every incident, nevertheless they still amount to over 100. Continue reading “Bombing and Other Incidents during WW2”
St. Wilfrid’s Children’s Home, Ham Road, Shoreham by Sea
Preface
This was a care home administered by East Sussex County Council although paradoxically it was in West Sussex. When I was born in 1948 in Southlands Hospital, my parents were Assistant Superintendent and Matron. The home cared for children whose own natural parents were unable for various reasons to care for the children themselves. It was not an orphanage nor a “naughty boys and girls home”. Some of the children were orphaned of one or both parents; most were from homes in which the parents felt unable to cope for many reasons.
