The history portal for Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England
Recent posts and articles listed in published chronological order.
An excellent photograph has arrived from Colin Wadey who has kindly permitted us to re-publish it here. This is Middle Road Secondary Boys School in 1946, around 10 years after the school was built. Colin has listed his classmates – with quite a few familiar Shoreham names in the roll.
The Shoreham Cine and Miniature Camera Club was started in the late 1950’s by local retailer Paul Plumb. He gathered a group of friends & advertised in the local press to form the cine club. Paul had a shop in Shoreham & was very well known for his enthusiasm about life in general. The response he got was quite amazing, in the region of 60 people were interested in becoming members.
Continue reading “Shoreham Cine and Miniature Camera Club”
Built as a Custom House in 1830 by George Henry Hooper at the expense of the ancient Poole family mansion that had stood on the same site for centuries before. Hooper was himself a descendant of the Poole family and the new building was, initially at least, an attractive one designed by Sydney Smirke R.A, but its appearance was somewhat compromised during the subsequent enlargements of 1920.
Continue reading “The Old Town Hall”Published in 1921 this is a copy of the definitive history of Shoreham-by-Sea written by local historian Henry Cheal, Hon. Curator and Librarian to the Sussex Archaeological Society. This PDF version is as provided by shoreham.adur.org.uk.
There is a curiosity hidden deep in the plans and maps of Shoreham Airport… the previous existence of three WWII Pickett-Hamilton Defensive Forts. Are they still hidden under the grass and tarmac? Are they lost?
– a collection of images from the galleries and collections of shorehambysea.com illustrating the changes to the area since the 18th century.
What a wonderfully eccentric place it was! Besides a fascinating ropemaking and shipbuilding past there were, in Victorian times, ancient buildings still standing, quaint cottages, wharf houses, a gas works and, spookily, a mortuary alongside an incinerator! In the Little High Street there were peculiarly shaped houses and strange, shop-like windows.
It was never a fashionable area, being part industrial and part residential where the poorer, labouring families largely dwelt. In 1817 William Butler’s poor grammar described it as being “the lower ‘hend’ of town” and goes on to mention a ‘pour new’ shop where he had ‘connections’ with Sarah Fillaps. Something of a mystery and perhaps a pawn shop (a corruption of the French ‘for us’) or as William’s escapades suggest one of the numerous brothels in Shoreham port then?
During the early part of the 19th century Ropetackle included wharf houses, sheds, a brickyard, coal yard, a bonding pond, Thomas Clayton’s deal yard, his cement factory, stables, a mixture of 17th to 19th century houses and even a mill pond. By the Victorian era there was also a sewage plant and of course the gasworks, flint-built ware houses, incinerator and mortuary. It all added to a certain air of eeriness and mystery to the area.
Continue reading “Ropetackle – the last 300 years”
Southlands Hospital’s origin can be traced to the Steyning Union Workhouse that was built in a different location, at Ham Road, in central Shoreham in 1836. Later additions included infirmaries built in 1870, vagrant’s wards and a chapel. The union included parishes in East and West Sussex and the growth of population in its coastal areas meant that, despite much additional building, an enlarged site was required by the 1890s.
Continue reading “Southlands – Workhouse and Hospital”
This is the full story of Shoreham’s Radar Station: RAF Truleigh Hill as researched and written by Roy Taylor. This 110 page book was written in 2007 and then updated in 2008. It offers a fascinating insight into the technology and operation of the RAF Truleigh Hill ROTOR Radar station. Likewise it opens the doors on the life at RAF Truleigh Hill Camp in Stoney Lane, built to support the Radar operations. The book comprehensively covers the sites and the personnel posted there. Click the book cover to open. Hard copies are available from the author.
Continue reading “RAF Truleigh Hill”In preparing photos to load on the website we made an interesting discovery when sorting through the Marlipins Museum photos which has led to an article for the Shoreham Herald appearing.
During the First World War, the British Admiralty designed eight towers codenamed M-N that were to be built and positioned in the Straits of Dover to protect allied merchant shipping from German U-boats. Designed by civilian Guy Maunsell, the towers were to be linked together with steel nets and armed with two 4-inch guns with the idea of closing the English Channel to enemy ships.