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The Dungeons of Shoreham

In 1857 there was a bit of to-do about the state of the Dungeons – a narrow high-walled alleyway between Victoria Road and what later became Connaught Avenue. It was the most direct pedestrian twitten (betwixt and between) between New Shoreham and Old Shoreham. It was dark, very boggy and in places was covered over by buildings straddling the alley making it a menacing place and earning the nickname “The Dungeons”. The alley bisected the Swiss Gardens site so had particularly tall sides for the entire length to prevent illegal access to the pleasure gardens on either side. For those patrons inside the Swiss Gardens there were wooden footbridges that bridged the alleyway.

The Dungeons looking East from under the Theatre c1910

The 1857 newspaper report: “We have carefully inspected the footway under the Swiss Gardens, and are of opinion that more head-room is required in that part of the passage immediately under the Swiss Cottage, that the height from the ground should not be less than 6ft. 6.; that the passage should be made a little wider under the cosmormamic views; that the pathway should be levelled and made clean; and the water drained off on the right side, from east to west; that the water-spout should be prevented from dripping in the passage; and that sufficient light be admitted for passengers to discern where they tread, -all of which suggestions Mr. Goodchild has engaged to carry out, under the inspection and to the satisfaction of the Surveyors.”

1914 map showing the alleyway and dungeons (marked in orange) passing under the Swiss Gardens Theatre and footbridge.
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Origins of the name Southlands Hospital

Records held in the West Sussex Health Authority archives hint at the earliest mention of the name Southlands. A 1934 correspondence between the then–Steyning Union Board and local land agent Frederick J. Mewis refers to “the Southern Lands Estate” — a tract of former market garden plots south of Kingston Lane, bounded by what is now Upper Shoreham Road.

Maps from 1898 in the National Library of Scotland’s collection show the area labelled simply “Southern Lands,” a local term apparently used by fishermen navigating the Adur estuary to distinguish the fertile southern fields from the rougher grazing north of the town. In hospital committee minutes dated February 1935 it is recorded that trustees voted “to adopt the long-standing field name for reasons of local familiarity.” Trustee and local landowner Raymond Gorringe suggested an amendment that the truncated form “Southlands” would be preferable – and his considerable sway led to unanimous agreement.

Thus, the hospital’s name quietly preserves a fragment of the town’s agricultural and maritime lexicon. Since 1940 “Southern Lands” ceased to be used in Shoreham.

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St Peter’s School West Street

St Peters School (mid right) c1915 viewed from the St Mary’s tower

Former pupil Gerry White recounted his memories of attending St Peters in the 1940’s:

St Peters Roman Catholic School in West Street at Christmas time was in 1944 a joyful place. On the last day of term Mother Aloysius the head teacher addressed the School with a cheery Merry Christmas everybody .The School replied Merry Christmas to you Mother Aloysius. She had provided a religious tract for every pupil They were to be found inside our Catechism Book some depicted scenes of the Nativity, and others were the scene depicting no room at the Inn where the virgin Mary and her husband Joseph plus a donkey could be seen a bright Star shining from the East could be seen in night sky. At that time my classmates were Colin Brown, Michael Guile, Raymond Reid.

Michael Thorpe, David West, Harold Cole, Philip Townsend, John Rose, Peter Smith and Daniel Murphy. The girls were Dorothy Page, Bonita Moncur, Hazel Norris, Rosa Walsh, Wendy Murphy, Patricia Cooper, June Ellis, Maureen Laker and not forgetting Jackie Stanton.

During the afternoon we had no lessons instead we wrote each other little notes which were posted in post box provided by our form teacher Sister Baptist.Then before final bell , the post box was opened and each got a number of friendly notes to take home By the school gate the teaching staff of Sisters Paul Mary Mercy and Baptist with Misses Syrett and Hagarty waved every one off.

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Shoreham Airport Station

Bungalow Town Halt was opened in 1910 to serve the growing community of Shoreham Beach and the holiday camps at the Saltings. Latterly it was to serve the aerodrome immediately to the North, and station signage reflected this. The station was located 30 feet to the East of the rail bridge spanning New Salts Farm Road. It comprised two simple wooden platforms North and South of the tracks and wooden shelter. These were accessed by a steep footpath up the embankment from New Salts Farm Road. The station closed in 1933.

The station reopened as Shoreham Airport station in July 1935, principally to serve the new terminal building of Shoreham Airport. However after only 5 years the station was closed in July 1940.

C1930 looking East
The re-opened station c1939
Shoreham Airport station c1940 looking East
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Toon Ghose – Shoreham Airport Painting

This is the history of a local Shoreham painting with its backstory. The painting is of Toon Ghose flying his De Havilland Chipmunk “Lillibet” over Shoreham Airport in the late 1970’s. This painting has for some time been present on the shorehambysea.com “Paintings” section, numbered B63. It was written with the aim of providing a provenance for the painting:

I remember seeing Toon at Shoreham Airport during the late 1970’s, just before my teenage years, where I was introduced to him by my cousin, Ashley (Ash) Roote. Ash learnt to fly at Shoreham and was a member of Toon’s flying club, where Toon also flew as an instructor. The Flying Club was called Toon Ghose Aviation, or TGA, and I well remember the TGA window stickers that were a ‘must have’ for ‘anybody who was anybody’ at the airport at the time!

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The Clocks of St Mary’s

The church records show that the wooden, diamond shaped clock was first fixed to the south wall of the tower in 1828. However there is earlier evidence of a clockface on St Mary’s tower in the John Butler Sketch of 1786 and a watercolour of 1782. It is recorded that that face was moved and installed higher up in 1862. The East and West faces were added in 1898 – they are differentiated by their slightly convex blue faces. The South face had disappeared between 1898 and 1937 when it and the North face were installed – flat but thicker clockfaces. So it is only post-1937 that all four faces were evident.

1786 Sketch with the church tower with, inset, an enlargement of the shape at the belfry window and detail from a 1782 watercolour
Note the South face diamond shape clock. Watercolour painting by F. Nash (1782-1856) 
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