Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2020)
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copyright © J.Middleton
Hove Manor
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Hove Manor House stood on the east side of what came to be
called Hove Street. For many years it was simply called Hove House and it did
not actually become Hove Manor until 1857 when John Olliver Vallance purchased
the manorial rights for the princely sum of £805-1-8d.
The date of the house’s
construction poses something of a problem and the date 1785 is often quoted.
Indeed Henry Porter gives the date building commenced as 26 May 1785. But it
seems more likely that this was the latest re-modelling in a longer history.
Evidently some repairs were badly
needed because artist James Lambert, senior, executed a drawing entitled
Ruins
of Hove House 1776. At around the same time Lambert also sketched
Hove
Church 1776 (St Andrew’s Old Church). The British Museum supposedly holds
the Hove House drawing but upon enquiry some years ago, they had no knowledge
of its whereabouts. Neither did it appear in the comprehensive record compiled
by John Farrant
Sussex Depicted 1600-1800 (2001) although the drawing of
Hove Church is included.
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copyright © Brighton & Hove Museums & Art Galleries
An early painting of Hove Manor of unknown date and artist |
The Brighton Season 1917-1918 carried
an interesting article about Hove Manor that mentioned the possibility of the
building starting off as a monastery in the distant past. The suggestion is not
so absurd as it might seem. This is because there was an old barn north of the
manor with beautiful tracery while nearby St Andrew’s Old Church has an
astonishing twelve columns decorated with fine carvings that are far too exotic
for an ordinary country church.
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copyright © J.Middleton
The carved capitals on two of the twelve pillars inside St
Andrew’s Old Church
are not what might be expected in an ordinary country
church. |
Another important article on Hove
Manor was published in
Country Life (24 July 1920). It stated that an
earlier re-modelling took place between 1730 and 1750. This work was evident on
the south-east front where black knapped flints were set in courses.
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copyright © J.Middleton
A late Victorian photograph of Hove Manor |
It is a complete contrast with
the south-west façade, including the segmental entrance, which was designed in
late Georgian style with columns and pilasters and a cornice with a balustrade.
This part of the house was faced with what was popularly called Roman cement.
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
The south-west side did not resemble the earlier part of
the house at all. (Brighton Season 1917-1918) |
Other signs of an earlier date
was an outer doorway surmounted by a canopy constructed in around 1730, which
by 1920 found itself inside the servants’ quarters. There was also a pair of
old arches situated off the half-landing. It was further stated that the house
contained work that might date back to the 17th century or earlier.
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copyright © Tony Flude
This 1910 photograph of Walter Baldock holding the reins
also provides a close-up of the front entrance to Hove Manor. |
It seems probable that the Scrase
family lived in the house because they owned the manor from 1608 to 1712; then
it passed to the Tredcrofts through the marriage of heiress Elizabeth Scrase to
Mr Tredcroft. The property was later sold to William Stanford of Preston.
The Vallance Family
By the 1780s John Vallance
(c.1732-1793) lived at Hove House. He and his wife Deborah had married at St
Nicolas Church, Brighton, and lived at Patcham where their five children were
baptised before the family moved to Hove. By the time he died John Vallance had
acquired land at Hove from Revd Henry Michell (vicar of Brighton) Aaron Winton
(a bankrupt) and Solomon Greentree. He left all his land to his widow and
thence to his oldest son John. The remaining children received £700 each.
John Vallance (1759-1833) married
Elizabeth Stevens at Lewes and there were three children of the marriage.
Although John Brooker Vallance was the youngest child it was he who inherited
the house and property. This was because the eldest child was a daughter Ann
and his brother John Stevens Vallance died tragically at the age of three on
Christmas Day 1802. The Brighton Season 1927-1918 stated that in 1795
John Vallance purchased 400 acres from the Lord of Hove Manor, which does not
match up with the 1838 record in the following paragraph.
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
A handsome portrait of John
Brooker Vallance
by an unknown artist |
John Brooker Vallance (1804-1851)
married Sarah Duke Olliver and they had two sons. In 1838 it was recorded that
J.B. Vallance owned 115 acres, 3 roods and 9 perches at Hove. In the poor Rate
Book for 1842 he was obliged to pay two pence in the £ on property he owned.
The most expensive item was Hove House on which he paid £3-0-9d. It is
surprising that in the 1851 census there were only three live-in servants at
his home. J.B. Vallance’s great interest was hare coursing and he founded the
Brighton Harriers that in the 1830s met three times weekly. The Harriers all
wore dark green jackets. In view of his love of sport it is a surprise to find
he died at the early age of 47 and by coincidence it was on Christmas Day, the
same day on which his young brother died. His widow left an eloquent memorial
to him inside
St Andrew’s Old Church with the following inscription:
This
monument was erected by his widow as a tribute of affectionate regard to one
who was a kind husband, a tender father and a sincere friend. She remained
a widow for 39 years.
The 1881 census recorded Sarah
Duke Vallance living at Hove Manor. She was then a 70-year old widow and a
friend, Catherine Sadler, also aged 70 was visiting her at the time. The rest
of the household was as follows:
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Sarah Duke Vallance obviously
took some
care in the choice of clothes for her portrait.
Her strong face shows
she is a lady not
to be trifled with. |
Ann Studley, aged 24, housemaid
Kate Bridle, aged 20, cook
Elizabeth Starr, aged 16,
housemaid
George Lemon, aged 25, coachman
Mrs Vallance continued to live at
Hove Manor until she died in 1890 in her 90th year.
John Olliver Vallance (1847-1893)
was only four years old when his father died and his brother William Henry
Vallance was a three-year old. The latter died at the age of twelve, which left
J.O. Vallance as the sole object of his mother’s affections. It seems the young
man found the atmosphere somewhat stifling but at least he got away for some of
the time by attending Brighton College, founded in 1845 as a school for young
gentlemen.
The occupants of another school
closer to home also captured his attention. This was a small private school in
Hove Street called Seafield House. Erasmus G. Livesay ran the establishment and
J.O. Vallance fell in love with Livesay’s second daughter Emma Kate. Reading
between the lines Mrs Vallance probably did not approve of the match because
when the couple married at St Andrew’s Old Church on 16 September 1867 it was a
very low-key affair with the briefest mention in the local newspaper.
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copyright © J.Middleton
St Andrew’s Old Church, Hove,
where John Brooker Vallance and Emma Kate Livesay married in 1867 |
It is telling that the newly-weds
(the bridegroom being a mere 20 years old) decided to set up home in nearby Ivy
Lodge rather than move into Hove Manor where there must have been plenty of
room. But perhaps Emma felt her mother-in-law was rather too close at hand
because she did not become produce any children during the first ten years of
her marriage.
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copyright © J.Middleton
This sketch based on the 1899
Ordnance Survey Map shows the location of Ivy Lodge and Hove Manor. |
But when she was established in a
brand new home at Brooker Hall (now
Hove Museum) built in 1877, the situation
changed. Their first son was born the following year and two sons and two
daughters followed.
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copyright © J.Middleton
John Olliver Vallance
commissioned the building of Brooker Hall. |
J.O. Vallance had many interests;
he was a keen sportsman and took an interest in the Brighton Harriers; later he
became enthusiastic about yachting and had his own yacht
Day Dream, built
at Shoreham. In 1874 he served as a Hove Commissioner. Military life also
appealed to him and he became a major in the Royal Sussex Artillery Militia.
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Left:- John Olliver Vallance was
photographed wearing the uniform of the Royal Sussex Artillery Militia.
Right:- A photograph of Captain (later Major) John Olliver
Vallance and his wife Emma Kate Livesay
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Other Occupants of Hove Manor
In the 1890s Hove Manor still had its full complement of barns,
cow-sheds, a buttery, and the stables where hunters pawed at the
stalls, and foxes’ feet were nailed to the doors. But after Sarah
Duke Vallance died in 1890, the problem arose about what to do with
the property. John Olliver Vallance was happily ensconced in his own
residence with his family and had no intention of moving into Hove
Manor. Perhaps selling the old house was a step too far, and instead
it was decided to rent it out.
The first tenant
was an eminently respectable gentleman by the name of Thomas B.
Sandwith who moved in with his family in 1891. He started out on his
career as a gentleman cadet at Sandhurst, and in 1847 it was recorded
that he had passed his examination in ‘plain and solid geometry,
trigonometry, and mensuration of planes and solids’. By 1881 he had
become a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 10th
Regiment of Foot. (London
Gazette 17
May 1881). But today he is chiefly remembered for his consular career
and indeed some of his correspondence in 1872 is stored at Kew under
the general heading ‘Ottoman Empire’.
In 1890 the Sandwiths returned to England for some
well-earned leave, which in those days meant years rather than
months. In 1890 the family were to be found in Brighton, before
moving to Hove Manor the following year. It is interesting to note
that when T. B. Sandwith wrote letters he chose the name ‘West
Brighton’ as his place of residence rather than ‘Hove’. But he
was not alone in this because
Winston Churchill, when a schoolboy in
Brunswick Road, Hove, did the same, although he left out the ‘West’.
It is sad to record that while living in Hove
Manor, Sandwith’s daughter died there on 23 August 1891. It must
have been rather a sad leave for the family. (Stephen Boys Smith
kindly supplied information concerning T. B. Sandwith)
By
1896 a Mr Dudley Wells was living at Hove Manor, but his stay was of
short duration and when he left, the house remain unoccupied. A
poignant report was printed in the Hove
Gazette (12
February 1898) ‘The windows of the old Hove Manor in Hove Street
have evidently been lately attracting the attention of youthful
marksmen whose efforts have resulted in the smashing of a good many
panes fronting the street.’
Presumably the house was put in
order and by 1899 Mr Du Cros was in residence. He did not stay long and it
became empty again until Arthur Vallance, one of old Mrs Vallance’s nephews,
moved there in 1904. He stayed two years.
Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
(1880-1963)
The Brighton Season 1917-1918 identifies
a most interesting occupant of Hove Manor. He was ‘Lieutenant Colonel Carton de
Wiart, a famous fighting man, who has no less than nine gold stripes on his
sleeve. This gallant officer is a VC and DSO man, and has lost an eye in the
war but is a fine soldier and keen leader still. When in Hove, his regiment the
4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, was quartered at Preston Barracks,
and was the last cavalry regiment to visit Brighton.’
The citation concerning his
Victoria Cross was published in the London Gazette (9 September 1916)
and ran as follows:
‘For most conspicuous bravery,
coolness and determination during severe operations of a prolonged nature. It
was owing in a great measure to his dauntless courage and inspiring example
that a serious reverse was averted. He displayed the utmost energy and courage
in forcing our attack home. After three other battalion Commanders had become
casualties, he controlled their commands, and ensured that the ground won was
maintained at all costs. He frequently exposed himself in the organisation of
positions and of supplies, passing unflinchingly through the barrage of the
most intense nature. His gallantry was inspiring to all.’ (The battle referred
to took place on 2/3 July 1916 at La Boiselle).
With characteristic modesty when
de Wiart came to write his autobiography Happy Odyssey he failed to mention
his Victoria Cross. His publishers were obliged to insert a special
notice informing his readers about this most conspicuous medal. But he also did
not mention his wife, who happened to be the daughter of an Austrian prince and
princess, and their two daughters.
He really was the most
extraordinary man and his exploits would seem too improbable in a work of
fiction. Although it is thought he may have inspired Evelyn Waugh when he wrote
Sword of Honour and perhaps the character Ben Ritchie Hook was based on
de Wiart.
He was born in Brussels to
parents of Belgian and Irish descent.
The youthful soldier was injured
during the Boer War and that made him passionate about keeping fit and healthy.
Later photographs of him in his uniform show a spare figure with not an ounce
of fat on him. Although metaphorically, the number of ribbon bars on his chest
could have weighed him down because no less than 24 medals were awarded to him.
He also cut a striking and unforgettable figure with his black eye patch and
the empty sleeve because he also lost an arm.
But this was not the whole extent
of injuries he suffered on various battlefields over the years. He must indeed
have led a charmed life since he also survived two plane crashes. When a doctor
refused to amputate two damaged fingers, he tore them off himself. He received
wounds to his hip, ankle, leg, stomach, head and ear. Pieces of shrapnel
remained lodged in his body. It was not until years later after he tripped and
fell downstairs in Rangoon and needed medical attention that doctors removed a
quantity of shrapnel as well.
He did not retire after the Great
War and served in the Second World War too. During the latter conflict he found
himself a prisoner of war and was taken with other senior officers to Castello
di Vincigliata. His fellow prisoners found him tremendously good company,
superbly outspoken and his strong language was legendary. Of course de Wiart
was not content to moulder away behind castle walls and managed
to escape through a prisoner-dug tunnel, remaining at large for eight
days.
For such an action man it is not
surprise to learn he left no papers when he died in 1963.
Sir Sydney Greville
(1866-1927)
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copyright © J.Middleton
Edward VII and Queen
Alexandra. |
In 1915 Sir Sydney Greville took
up residence at Hove Manor and at last there was someone who cared about the
old house and he breathed new life into it. During his time Hove Manor became
once more an elegant and interesting residence where royalty was entertained.
He was a younger son of the 4th Earl of Warwick and he had a long
history of service to the royal family beginning with his appointment as
equerry to the Prince of Wales until 1901. He served as groom-in-waiting to
both Edward VII and George V. He was also private secretary to Queen Alexandra.
In 1915 he was appointed Comptroller of the Household and Treasurer to the
Prince of Wales. In 1919 he was described as a ‘valued friend and adviser to
the Royal Family’.
It is interesting to note that Greville became great friends with the
famous society hostess Margaret Greville (1863-1942) who in 1891 had
married his cousin Captain Ronald Greville (1864-1908) and their
friendship flourished after Ronald’s death. In 1908 Sydney
Greville’s signature first appeared in the Visitor’s Book at
Polesden Lacey, which property Margaret Greville had purchased with
her own money in 1907. Greville made frequent return visits every
year except for 1910, and the peak years for visiting Polesden Lacey
was during the First World War with seven visits in 1914, nine visits
in 1915 and eight in 1918; Greville last went there in August 1926.
Margaret Greville’s life is the
stuff of fiction because her mother, Helen Anderson, was from a
farming background, and was illiterate, while William McEwen became a
multi-millionaire courtesy of his brewery business plus judicious
investments in mining and railway developments. Helen was the only
woman for him and it must have been a great love affair because she
was his life-time partner. It is deduced that they were unable to
marry because his family did not approve. When they did marry, it was
in London, far away from Edinburgh, and after the older folks had
died; moreover Margaret was a witness. Since young Margaret was
McEwen’s only heir, it stands to reason that he must have been
involved in her education, and it is known that he paid for dancing
lessons.
Margaret Greville rose to become a
noted hostess with royal friends to boot. Indeed, it has been said
that she was a little star-struck by royalty, and perhaps they were
equally struck with her because of her witty, acerbic tongue plus her
fabulous wealth. She became such great friends with Queen Mary that
the Queen used to visit her without the presence of a
lady-in-waiting, a rare occurrence. Margaret Greville offered
Polesden Lacey as a honeymoon retreat to the Duke and Duchess of York
(later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) and left £20,000 to
Princess Margaret in her will. There was also a most valuable
collection of jewellery, including some magnificent pearls, left to
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, the full contents of which have
never been disclosed. But there were two beautiful tiaras – one
known as the Greville Tiara with a honey-comb pattern, which has
become the favourite tiara worn by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and
the other called the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara that Princess
Eugenie chose for her wedding in 2018.
[Information
about Polesden Lacey kindly supplied by Janet Durbin, Volunteer Guide
and Research Team / Menkes, S. The
Royal Jewels (1985)]
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
The dining room in Hove Manor
was photographed in 1918. (Brighton Season 1917-1918) |
It was during his tenure that the
articles already referred to were written and they give us an idea of how the
interior looked. The Brighton Season 1917-1918 mentioned a suite of
reception rooms that in former days opened into one another but were now closed
off. The only two rooms that remained connected were the drawing room and Sir
Sydney’s sanctum.
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
In this photograph of the
drawing room in Hove Manor you can see on the right the woodcarving mentioned
in both articles. |
Sir Sydney was responsible for
introducing panelling in oak and walnut into some rooms and the reporter
thought the effect was very handsome. Presumably, this did not include the
drawing room, which was already panelled. In the drawing room there was an
antique painting of the Greville coat-of-arms surrounded by some beautiful
wood-carving.
The rooms were furnished with exquisite
pieces of furniture. There was also a conservatory and a billiard room had been
recently constructed.
Country Life (24 July
1920) gives us some more architectural details. It describes the panelling of
the drawing room as being of early 19th century pine. There was a
deep coved frieze of plaster. Above the fireplace there were carved decorations
featuring swags of flowers and fruit while the fireback bore the date 1635 and
carried the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and France.
The study was built on the site
of an old conservatory and there was a bowed front facing towards the sea. The
walls were stuccoed in large panels bordered with egg and dart moulding,
grained to imitate marble. (see Portslade examples of
egg and dart moulding)
Sir Sydney’s bedroom contained a
bedstead dating back to around 1630 with an acorn decoration on top of the
bedposts.
The staircase was an unusual
Chinese Chippendale design of open latticework while the inner hall contained
cabinets of Chinese lacquer. (Perhaps the Royal Pavilion was the
inspiration).
In the grounds there were formal
flowerbeds and many trees. There were also some small stone pillars that once
supported hayricks. This was the traditional Sussex way of preserving wheat
that Arthur Young admired in his survey published in 1813.
End of an Era
Although Sir Sydney Greville did
not die until 1927, he gave up the house before then. The Misses Annand lived
at Hove Manor from 1922 to 1927 and their family had lived at Hove since the 19
th
century; they were at 1
Brunswick Square in the 1860s and at 59
Brunswick Place
from the 1870s until the 1890s. Adam Smith Annand had pursued a career in the
Bengal Civil Service and there were four daughters in the family.
The last people to occupy Hove
Manor were the Fraser Hornes who moved in around 1928 and after her husband
died Mrs Horne continued to live there. Mrs Marie L.M. Horne was a gifted
musician and she had great success when she and Howard Talbot wrote the music
for Belle of Brittany, a two-act musical that ran at Daly’s Theatre,
Broadway 1909-1910; the song from the show entitled Daffodil Time in
Brittany was one of the hits of the season. Marie Horne entertained many
young and promising musicians at Hove Manor.
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Brighton Season (1907-1908)
Mrs Marie L.M. Horne |
It is interesting to note that the Brighton Season (1907-1908) ran an article about her achievements. It stated that Mrs Marie Horne studied extensively on the Continent during her youth but her reputation as a composer had only been made during the last four or five years and she had published twenty songs during the previous eighteen months alone. The songs were characterised by an ‘intrinsic grace of melody, allied for the most part to their originality of unconventional form, (which) has won the gratitude of those singers who chafe at the limitations of the ordinary and ever-multiplying ballad.’
As well as these songs and her musical comedy output she also composed many beautiful little songs of the German lieder type. One composition was Song of the Wind – a ‘cycle of five exquisite vocal miniatures’. This work was produced with full orchestral accompaniment at Queen’s Hall, London and created quite a furore. Today she is a forgotten female composer perhaps waiting to be re-discovered.
According to the late historian,
Antony Dale,
Mrs Horne offered Hove Manor and its grounds to Hove Corporation
for less than she was prepared to sell them to a development company.
Unfortunately, Hove councillors declined the offer. As ever, it was a question
of money, and it was feared that such an acquisition might put a shilling on the
rates.
In 1936 Hove Manor was
demolished. Ironically, the only remnant to survive was a humble boundary wall
that is still visible in Hove Street to this day.
Royal Visits
The Prince Regent (1762-1830)
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Prince Regent
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John Vallance (1759-1833) and his
brother Philip were keen cricketers and it may be through this sport that they
became acquainted with the Prince Regent when he was Prince of Wales. In August
1790 John and Philip were part of a Brighton team of cricketers playing a match
at The Level. Unfortunately, the team lost to Wadhurst but amongst the
spectators was the Prince of Wales. The Vallances also took part in the match
of the season in September 1792 between Brighton and Middlesex but their
sporting prowess was absent with John run out for a duck and Philip scoring
precisely one run. Mrs Fitzherbert was among the spectators.
Family legend has it that the
Prince Regent once stayed at Hove Manor when it was still known as Hove House.
The Prince Regent must have been satisfied with his visit because he later presented
John Vallnace with an engraved silver punch bowl that became a family heirloom.
In 1961 Mrs A.L.B. Lander (née
Vallance) wrote a letter stating there was another royal gift that used to hang
inside the house. It was a full-length portrait of Sir John Cowell, supposedly
by Beechey but not signed. Sir William Beechey (1753-1839) specialised in
portraits and during the course of a career spanning some 64 years, he sent 362
portraits to be exhibited at the Royal Academy. According to Mrs Lander this painting
was presented after George IV’s staff had stayed at Hove House, presumably
because building work was going on at the Royal Pavilion.
Prince Henry and Prince George
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copyright © J.Middleton
This postcard is a useful
guide to the children of King George and Queen Mary and Princess Mary was the
only daughter. Tragic Prince John died in 1919 at the age of 13, having
suffered from epilepsy. |
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1900-1974) and Prince
George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942) were two of the five sons born to George V and
Queen Mary. In 1915 they came to spend Easter at Hove Manor with Sir Sydney
Greville.
Although Prince Henry lived to a
good age, as a youngster his health was considered too delicate for him to
attend the Royal Naval College where three of his brothers were sent.
The Duke of Kent went on to marry
the popular Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. He died in 1942 in a wartime
air-crash.
Prince Edward and Prince Albert
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copyright © J.Middleton
This marvellous photograph
shows Prince Edward and Prince Albert
in their naval cadet uniforms standing
dutifully by a stern-looking mother. |
The Prince of Wales (1894-1972, later Edward VIII) and
Prince Albert (1895-1952, later George VI) were the two eldest sons of George V
and Queen Mary. The royal nanny favoured Prince Edward at the expense of Prince
Albert who suffered appalling neglect as a young child that had a lasting
effect. Apparently, his parents were quite unaware of the circumstances.
In 1919 the young princes stayed
at Hove Manor as guests of Sir Sidney Greville. The Brighton Gazette reported
that ‘Their Royal Highnesses spent the morning in the charming gardens of the
Old Manor’. Later on they motored to the Brighton and Hove Golf course where
they had lunch and enjoyed a game on the links.
King George V and Queen Mary
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copyright © J.Middleton
It is astonishing just how
closely George V resembled his cousin the
Russian Tsar Nicholas II. |
The Brighton & Hove & South Sussex Graphic (9 January 1915) stated that the royal couple dined at Hove Manor on the occasion of their visit
to Hove when they came to inspect the 2nd Eastern General Hospital.
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
The Royal cars parked outside Hove Manor on the 9 January 1915 |
This hospital had been swiftly
established at the start of the Great War in the newly erected buildings of the
Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School situated on the corner of old Shoreham
Road and Dyke Road, Hove. In fact it was the first military hospital in the
entire country to be mobilized. Today, the building is better known as BHASVIC.
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copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
King George and Queen Mary
visited the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Dyke Road. |
Princess Mary, the only daughter of George V and
Queen Mary, also accompanied her parents on this visit to Hove and the
military hospital. The princess took a great interest in the welfare of
the soldiers and sailors serving in the Great War. Perhaps her best
remembered contribution was the setting up in 1914 of Princess Mary’s
Christmas Gift Fund that raised the incredible sum of £100,000. This
ensured that every soldier and sailor received a Christmas gift.
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copyright © J.Middleton
Princess Mary (1897-1965) married Viscount Lascelles
on 28 February 1922.
She also became Princess Royal and many people will
detect a
familial resemblance between her and our present Princess
Royal. |
Princess Patricia of Connaught
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copyright © J.Middleton
Princess Patricia of
Connaught was a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria. |
Princess Patricia of Connaught
(1886-1974) was a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, her father being Prince
Arthur. The Brighton Season dubbed her ‘our most popular princess’.
She also visited Hove Manor while
on official duties at Hove. The princess had been invited to support the great
work being undertaken by the Hove War Hospital Depot, which had been operating
since 1915. Fund-raising was a constant concern and royal patronage was a great
help in this respect. Princess Patricia’s presence must have had the desired
effect because after she opened the Bazaar at
Hove Town Hall, the amazing sum
of £2,500 was raised within two days.
The Hove War Depot fulfilled an
important role in the Great War and by 1919 had been responsible for making
2,106,676 items. This magnificent sum included 780,974 roller bandages, 154,780
sewn bandages, 13,164 splints (in wood or metal) and other essential items such
as crutches, dressings and ward linen. During its time of operation the Hove
Depot was staffed by 3,000 volunteer women who moreover paid sixpence a week
for the privilege of working there.
The Prince of Wales
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copyright © J.Middleton
Prince Edward, by now the
Prince of Wales, was photographed at York House. |
In July 1921 the Prince of Wales
(later Edward VIII) had been confined to Buckingham Palace for several days
with an indisposition. King George and Queen Mary remembered the beneficial air
of Hove and suggested that he might go and recuperate at Hove Manor, Sir Sidney
Greville’s home. The prince arrived on 15 July 1921 to stay for a few days but
this was a strictly private visit.
Hove Council Minutes for July
1921 record that a letter was sent from the Prince of Wales’s private secretary
thanking the Chief Constable of Hove for his efforts in maintaining the
prince’s privacy.
The Brighton Gazette (16
July 1921) stated that the prince had been in Hove about eighteen months ago
and the same newspaper (2 February 1921) mentioned several such private visits
to Hove.
Hove resident Maurie Elliott
remembered the prince walking down Hove Street (in those days quite rural in
aspect) in beach robe and sandals prior to a dip in the sea.
Another resident Charlie Caperon
remembered being in the line-up of the 8th Hove Scouts Group for
inspection outside Hove Station when the prince passed by.
Sources
Brighton & Hove & South Sussex Graphic (9 January 1915)
Brighton Season 1917-1918
Country Life (24 July 1920)
Census returns
Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade
Internet searches
Kidd, C. & Montague-Smith, P
Royal Children (1982)
Porter, H. The History of Hove (1897)
Copyright © J.Middleton 2016
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