Publications
North Brighton Through Time: Preston, Withdean & Patcham, by Anthony Beeson, published 19 September 2013 (96 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1445615401 & ISBN-13: 9781445615400) accessible at: British Library & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Preston, once a village with an independent life, is now Brighton', wrote Edward Verrall Lucas of the main subject of this volume in 1904. The same thing might also be said of Patcham and its hamlet of Withdean, which are the other protagonists within these covers. Preston and Withdean were noted for their trees in the 'barren waste' of Brighton. Their modern development followed the 1854 removal of the Preston turnpike. This volume is arranged geographically as a series of five textual peregrinations through Preston, Withdean, Surrenden and Patcham. One starts from the Preston viaduct while others commence from Preston Park Avenue, Preston Circus, Preston Drove and Preston Park's Rose Garden. The many previously unpublished illustrations come from the author's collection.
North Brighton: London Road to Coldean Through Time, by Anthony Beeson, published 15 July 2014 (96 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 144562284X & ISBN-13: 9781445622842) accessible at: British Library
Abstract:Brighton's first suburb, London Road, was for its first century almost entirely domestic in character and the haunt of the genteel middle classes, whose gardens were praised by the Loudons. The suburb's change to commercial and industrial use provides a fascinating picture of a once prosperous community in transition. The suburbs subsequently spread along the traditional northern routes out of the town, following the sale of Stanford land in the 1870s, and over countryside once belonging to the manors of Preston and Patcham. This rare series of illustrations has been carefully selected from the author's private collection, providing a wonderful historical record of the area. Arranged geographically, the images in this book allow the reader to explore the London and Dyke Roads, Lewes Road through Moulsecoomb to Coldean, and the Ditchling road to Hollingbury.
Review by Geoffrey Mead in Sussex Past & Present no. 135, April 2015:I relished the opportunity to review this slim volume as it mirrored my own history and lifetime locations. The author was a contemporary of mine at Brighton Grammar School and his boyhood forays around London Road and central Brighton, brought to life here with a series of matched images, past and present, revived many memories. The book is arranged as a series of walks around the three major routes through north Brighton-the London, Ditchling and Lewes Roads, areas that are not generally featured or indeed mentioned at all, in standard local history books.
Walk One takes us from the edge of the North Laine Conservation area through the recently revamped New England Quarter to the rapidly changing London Road; Walk Two from Preston Circus along the line of the railway up to Dyke Road, The third walk looks to the east and takes in the area north of The Level out to Coldean and Moulsecoomb. The final part is along Ditchling Road out to Hollingbury Camp.
These are a fascinating and wellchosen set of images from a variety of sources many of which are little known. Of great interest but giddying aspect are those taken from the roof of St Bartholomew's church one of the country's tallest churches.
One criticism is that considering the author is an academic there is no bibliography allowing a follow up to some very interesting factual material. This area being one that I have a personal interest in I longed to discover the origin of this wealth of factual material. I appreciate that this format does not support academic footnoting but some indication of sources should have appeared somewhere. As SpellCheck seldom picks up 'proper' names someone should have seen that it was 'readthrough'; Hollinbury[sic] has a 'g' and although Coldean was indeed Cold Dean until the 1950s, to my understanding Moulsecoomb has never been recorded as Moulse Coomb.
A valuable addition to the history of the city with excellent images and comment.
Walk One takes us from the edge of the North Laine Conservation area through the recently revamped New England Quarter to the rapidly changing London Road; Walk Two from Preston Circus along the line of the railway up to Dyke Road, The third walk looks to the east and takes in the area north of The Level out to Coldean and Moulsecoomb. The final part is along Ditchling Road out to Hollingbury Camp.
These are a fascinating and wellchosen set of images from a variety of sources many of which are little known. Of great interest but giddying aspect are those taken from the roof of St Bartholomew's church one of the country's tallest churches.
One criticism is that considering the author is an academic there is no bibliography allowing a follow up to some very interesting factual material. This area being one that I have a personal interest in I longed to discover the origin of this wealth of factual material. I appreciate that this format does not support academic footnoting but some indication of sources should have appeared somewhere. As SpellCheck seldom picks up 'proper' names someone should have seen that it was 'readthrough'; Hollinbury[sic] has a 'g' and although Coldean was indeed Cold Dean until the 1950s, to my understanding Moulsecoomb has never been recorded as Moulse Coomb.
A valuable addition to the history of the city with excellent images and comment.