Hove in the Past: Third Avenue, Hove.

Judy Middleton 2003 (revised 2023)

copyright © J.Middleton
This view of the west side of Third Avenue was taken on 26 June 2018. In the distance Langford’s Hotel is obscured with scaffolding

Third Avenue was part of the development known as the West Brighton Estate that also included First, Second and Fourth Avenue plus Grand Avenue. (For further information, please see under First Avenue).

The avenues were laid out in grid fashion, running north to south. The West Brighton Estate developed some of the land in Third Avenue, while plots were also sold to individual builders. This caused Third Avenue to be quite diverse in the style of architecture, and presenting nothing like the uniformity to be found in First and Second Avenues. By contrast, Third Avenue displayed red brick mansions, white brick houses, houses in the Arts and Crafts style with red brick, mock beams, tile-hanging, gables and wooden balconies, plus infilling with typical Thirties semis plus a modern block of flats.

A Nun in Residence

Third Avenue made its first appearance in the Directories in 1878 when the solitary inhabitant was Madame Vercruysse. This good lady was in fact a nun and Belgian-born Mother Fébroine Vercruysse (1832-1895) had come from France with some nuns. She supervised the construction of the Convent of the Sacred Heart in the Upper Drive, Hove. By 1882 she had moved the scene of her activities to Australia where she founded another Convent of the Sacred Heart.

Pavements

In August 1895 the Hove Commissioners were informed that the West Brighton Estate, because of complaints about unpaved footpaths, intended to lay 3-ft wide Victoria concrete slabs along the whole central part of the footpath on the west side, providing the company was not charged for re-paving when houses were built.

Whether or not this work was carried out is uncertain, but in 1898 the Borough Surveyor stated the time had come to complete the paving on both sides of Third Avenue. The West Brighton Estate Company was to be asked to carry out the work as provided for in the resolutions passed by Hove Commissioners on 12 December 1889 and 14 June 1892. The Borough Surveyor commented that Third Avenue was 1,140 in length, of which 405 feet on the east side, and 186 feet on the west side were still unpaved.

It seems the making-up of the road was a long-drawn out affair because the road was not officially declared a public highway until 1927.

Funeral Cortéges

In times past there was a row of wooden posts north of St John the Baptist’s Church, which prevented vehicles from passing from the Brunswick area into Church Road, Hove. Therefore, funeral processions heading for St Andrew’s Old Church would have to progress along the seafront road and turn up Third Avenue, This happened in 1884 with the funeral of baron de Teissier.

House Notes

Number 1 – Lady Palin lived at flat 2 in this house in 1940.

Number 2 – Sir Jack Hobbs (1882-1963) one of England’s greatest batsmen, lived in a flat in this house for a while. Hobbs settled in Hove after the Second World War and lived in a succession of flats – in Third Avenue, Wilbury Road, Furze Croft, before finally coming to rest at 13 Palmeira Avenue, where there is a plaque to his memory.

The house was built in 1876, and in 1896 it was sold for £5,500. The house is just one of five detached villas in Third Avenue built using Gault bricks. Consequently, on 2 November 1992 it was awarded Grade II listed building status. For some years it was known as the Pembroke Hotel, and from 1986 to 2014 it served as a 25-bedroom home for retired people or a care home until it closed down due to financial constraints. In May 2016 there came the surprising news that the owner, John Papenichola, had plans to return it to its original state as a single residence, albeit one with the advantage of eight bedrooms. Apparently, this is a growing trend for those who can afford such a project. But it makes sense if the building retains much of its decorative features, and especially now that the appreciation of Victorian buildings has come back into its own. In this case, there are still delightful stained-glass roundels depicting wild birds.

Number 3 – Edward Elias Sassoon had a fashionable address in Grosvenor Place, London, but from 1891 to 1893 he kept this house as his seaside villa. Hw was the nephew of Sir Albert Sassoon. The Sassoon family had a liking for Hove because Aaron David Sassoon lived at 35 First Avenue, Arthur Sassoon lived firstly at 6 Queen’s Gardens and subsequently at 8 King’s Gardens, Reuben Sassoon lived at 7 Queen’s Gardens and Flora Sassoon lived at 17 Adelaide Crescent. The Sassoons were known as the ‘Rothschilds of the East’ and Edward Elias Sassoon was born in Bombay – when his elder brother died in 1916, he became Sir Edward Elias Sassoon, 2^nd Baronet of Bombay.

Mrs Rene Simmonds lived in a flat in this house; she died at the Royal County Hospital in 1988. Her daughter, Jenny Diski, was born in 1947, and later became a well-known writer. But she had a difficult childhood not helped by the fact that her parents were Jewish immigrants trying to work out their new life in London, and not succeeding very well. Her father left them and her mother promptly had a nervous breakdown, and although he did come back for a while, he left for good when Jenny was only eleven years old. Perhaps it was not surprising that Jenny took an overdose of her mother’s tablets and found herself in a psychiatric hospital in Hove – presumably, the Lady Chichester Hospital. She stayed there for four and a half months during the winter, and spent endless hours sitting on the pebbly beach watching the waves roll in. By that time her father lived in Banbury and her mother lived at Hove, but her psychiatrist would not allow her to live with either parent, and she soon lost contact with her mother. Instead, the writer Doris Lessing took her under her wing. In May 1992 Jenny Diski gave a talk about her experiences in the Walnut Suite of the Oak Hotel, Brighton. She and her first husband came up with the unusual surname. Jenny Diski was a prolific writer with eleven works of fiction and nine works of non-fiction to her name. In 2003 it must have been gratifying for her when she won two awards for Stranger on a Train – they were the J. R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography, and the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. She died of cancer at Cambridge on 28 April 2016; it was the same year that her book In Gratitude: A Memoir was came out, and a book of essays was published posthumously.

Number 4

This house called King’s Cliff is undoubtedly the most spectacular house in Third Avenue. The house stands on the west side of the road and was built in around 1880 – it first appeared in the Directories under the name Kingsworthy House.

The residence is a large double-fronted house of three storeys plus a basement and an attic. It is built in yellow, stock brick with terracotta dressings and moulded bricks. The most startling decorations are the arched heads over the windows that are filled with an enormous sunflower and foliage motif.

A path and flight of steps in black and white geometric tiles, and carried on a flying arch over the basement area, leads to the front door The ornate recessed porch carries a sgraffito panel on either side, featuring figures in mediaeval costume. The south panel carries the words ‘Come unto these yellow sands’ (Ariel’s song from Shakespeare’s The Tempest Act 1 scene 2 – the words have been set to music by Purcell and Roger Quilter), while the north panel has ‘Hand in hand with fairy grace will we sing and bless this place’(from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 5 scene 2).

copyright © J.Middleton
Left:- This scene is located on the south side of the doorway, Right:- This scene is on the north side of the doorway.

On the south side of the building there is a picturesque Juliet balcony with decorated arches resting on red columns. Viewed on a day of deep, blue skies, the balcony assumes the air of a little piece of Italy.

Apparently, the house started off as a school for young ladies run by a Miss Scott, but like so many small, private schools in Hove, it did not last long. The house was too big for the use of one family and the idea grew that the only option was to divide it up into flats. This horrified the neighbours and a petition was swiftly compiled and signed by seventeen owners and occupiers of the West Brighton Estate objecting strongly to the proposed conversion of the house into five maisonettes.

The petitioners thought such an idea would be in contravention of deeds and covenants. Hove Council’s response was that if the plans conformed to the bye-laws, they had no alternative but to recommend approval.

The house received Grade II listed building status on 2^nd November 1992.

Number 6

This is another house built in the grand style of yellow brick with a cast iron balcony. This house was the property of Sir Cavendish and Lady Boyle at the time of the First World War. Louise Judith was a member of the Sassoon family, and she married Sir Cavendish Boyle in a quiet ceremony on 9 July 1914 with the reception being held in the family home at 7 Queen’s Gardens, Hove.

The Boyles lent the house to the Red Cross for use as a Red Cross Hospital and from September 1914 to December 1918 the number of patients treated there from Britain, the Empire, and the USA came to 1,431. The hospital had a happy atmosphere and soldiers described it as ‘the nest shop in the place’. Lady Boyle was later awarded an OBE for her war work with the Red Cross.

From around 1921 the Sussex Branch of the Royal Colonial Institute occupied the house, with Percy Martindale being the secretary. It later became known as the Royal Empire Society and by 1960 it was the Commonwealth Society, and it was still there in 1971. However, by 1960 the rest of the premises had been converted into flats.

copyright © J.Middleton
Men who were wounded at Hill 60 and Neuve Chapelle in the garden of Third Avenue's Red Cross Hospital in 1915

On 2^nd September 1992 the house attained Grade II listed building status.

For some years the house was home to the English Language Centre but by April 2003 it was enveloped in scaffolding as the whole building was converted into nine flats.

Number 10 - In 1897 Hove Council approved plans by Mr M. Coxted presented on behalf of the West Brighton Estate Co to build two semi-detached houses, numbers 10 and 12. The West Brighton Estate Co was also responsible for the building of numbers 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24, and M. Coxted was certainly the architect for numbers 18 to 24.

Numbers 8-16 – Langford’s Hotel – the first mention of Langford’s Hotel appears in the Directory for 1947 – the publication of Directories was suspended during the war years – but an advertisement for Langford’s had already appeared in 1946.

In 1934 Mr M. Hirst ran a private hotel at number 8, Mrs H. Langford occupied numbers 10 to 12, while at number 14 there was a convalescent home run by the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, a fraternal organisation launched in 1822. Under its jurisdiction the house was known as Rose Vale.

Now forming part of Langford’s Hotel,

this house was once a convalescent home

called Rose Vale

By 1936 number 8 was called Third Avenue Court Hotel Mr M. Hirst, proprietor, providing residential chambers and self-contained service suites, with a bathroom and a telephone in each suite. Meanwhile Mrs Langford had acquired number 14, to add to the two she already owned. It seems likely that she built up her hotel during the war years.

The 1946 advertisement stated that the hotel was fully licensed and centrally heated, and there were 100 bedrooms. All modern amenities were provided, including a telephone in each room (three lines, number 8222) and there was hot and cold water and gas fires. There was a ballroom, a night porter was in attendance, and the hotel was open to non-residents. Fresh produce was provided daily ‘from our farms and nursery at Ditchling’. The hotel management also ran furnished flats and suites at 8 Second Avenue and 2 Fourth Avenue. In addition there was a Langford’s Restaurant at 22 Western Road, Brighton. By 1949 the Tudor Bar was being advertised.

In April 1965 an art exhibition was held at Langford’s. Such art exhibitions used to be held at Hove Library until it was decided there was no longer the space for such an activity. Art exhibitions continued to be held at the hotel for some years.

By 1980 Harry Bloom’s hotel consortium owned Langford’s Hotel and in May of the same year purchased the Imperial Hotel in First Avenue. Harry Bloom was vice-chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion FC. In 1987 both hotels were sold for £3.3 million.

In 1991 Langford’s Hotel had 40 members of staff, and there were 69 bedrooms and six function rooms. Tina Paul was the general manager, and she thought the hotel was unusual in employing so many women in key positions – Sue Ferry was in charge of the restaurant, Zena Austin was head receptionist, Kelly Sands was head housekeeper,, Winnie Agnew was breakfast supervisor, and Christine Robert-Shaw was conference and banqueting co-ordinator. But the chefs were still male – they were Stephen Smith and Steven Watkin. The hotel specialised in wedding receptions and conferences.

In 1991 Langford’s Hotel went into receivership but in April the same year, the receivers took the unusual step of deciding to spend money on re-furbishing some bedrooms, the function rooms, stairways and corridors in the hope of attracting a potential buyer. By July 1992 the refurbishments were complete – having cost £1 million instead of the £200,000 originally estimated, and Refal 354 Ltd were running the hotel. By 1995 the company operating the hotel was called Palmstock, although a local businessman owned the freehold. The new manager, David Mitchell, said more money was budgeted to be spent on improvements for the hotel spread over two years to provide two new function rooms, besides a general upgrading with a new heating and hot water system.

In 2014 Langford’s remained in business as a three-star hotel. In July 2018 the entire frontage of Langford’s was festooned in scaffolding and plastic sheeting.

Restaurant – The hotel’s restaurant was located at 8 Third Avenue, and there is direct access from the street. The Grill Room opened there on 20 January 1964. By the 1980s the restaurant was called The Caprice, which in 1988 could accommodate 70 people. The Caprice continued to be the name until 29 June 1988 when it became Leone’s Oyster Bar and Restaurant. Andrew Emmanuel created the new restaurant, and he had more than 40 years of experience in the catering industry. The décor was definitely opulent, and it was designed in the Romanesque style. Local artist Mathew Brett was commissioned to create the ceiling paintings. A company called Exclusive Effects executed the marbling on the pillars leading to the Oyster Bar, while the draped curtains and chandeliers added to the sumptuous effect. Dominic Baghan from Chez Maxim, Paris, was the executive chef with Ercole Timanti being the restaurant manager.

Number 11A – Known as the Cottage Hotel this establishment was situated opposite to Langford’s Hotel and was run by Miss Gladys Everard; it was in operation from the 1940s to the 1960s and was a residential hotel. It’s actual place in Third Avenue was number 13 but a superstitious landlord altered it to 11A. The Victorians were obviously not bothered by this aversion because there are several number 13s at Hove, although you will rarely find that number prominently displayed. From at least the 1930s, house builders have avoided landing a house with such a number. However, Miss Everard was not allergic to it and her nephew, Tony Elliot, lived comfortably in room 13 while working for estate agents Fox & Son in Western Road, Brighton.

Miss Everard was the proud owner of a television set – not very common in those days – but she was generous and allowed staff into her room to watch programmes on a Saturday evening. A memorable occasion was of course the coronation of Queen Elizabeth on 2 June 1953 when the room was packed with people anxiously craning their necks to see every detail taking place on the tiny black-and-white screen.

Number 15 – The Avenue Bridge Club has been located in this house since the 1950s. In 1995 the club had 360 members. In June 1994 John Forro purchased the building and set about restoring it. He was astonished when he opened the boarded-up fireplaces to find the original fireplaces still in place complete with tiles, firedogs and cradles with brass-work. However, the chief glory was the magnificent stained-glass window lighting the staircase. A.W. Loomes, bronze medallist and stained-glass artist, of 7 Blatchington Road, was the man responsible. The style is pre-Raphaelite with rich colours, and features a young lady playing a musical instrument, while underneath is the legend ‘Music’. The window probably dates from around 1906 when the house was built – the first occupants being Mr and Mrs M. Joseph.

Number 22 – In 1898 Hove Council approved of M. Coxed’s plans presented on behalf of the West Brighton Estate Co. to build two semi-detached houses (numbers 22 and 24) on the west side.

It may seem surprising but this building was once home to Hove Library for five years. The library moved into the house on 28 June 1903, having previously been located in cramped quarters at the top of Grand Avenue. It was while the library was at Third Avenue that delicate negotiations went on with wealthy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who was famous for endowing the construction of libraries all over the world. Carnegie agreed to donate £10,000 towards the building of a brand new Hove Library in Church Road, which opened with a flourish in 1908, and fortunately remains to this day.

Number 37 – William Benjamin Chamberlain was born in Hastings, but he lived at this address for many years. He was an authority on Italian art, and in Assisi he discovered the earliest authentic Italian painting then known – it was a painting of the Virgin and Child dating from the second half of the 13^th century, probably executed by a Pisan artist working under Guinta Pisano. Chamberlain purchased this painting and donated it to the National Gallery. After Chamberlain’s death in 1937, some of his own art collection was sold.

Chamberlain’s collection included a Rembrandt. One hundred years ago this Rembrandt belonged to the Prebendary of Ely Cathedral. But Chamberlain managed to acquire it in around 1877 for £100 at a sale in Palmeira Square. It was sold as being the head of William Tell. It was painted in around 1630 and was a mere 25 ½-in by 19¾-in. However, Christie’s took a closer look, and identified the man as being Rembrandt’s father, dressed as a warrior. In 1938 the painting was sold for £7,350 to Sir Edward Mountain, despite the presence of an army of Dutch dealers.

Other gems from Chamberlain’s collection were as follows:

A painting by Corot of a man fishing, sold in 1938 for 600 guineas

A painting by J. van Goyen of a river scene, sold in 1938 for 500 guineas

Chamberlain was associated with Hove Museum from its inception; he was a member of Fine Arts sub-committee, and the Hove Arts Collection Fund. The newspaper reported that ‘He has been instrumental in selecting several of the association’s rarest purchases, and has given a number of valuable paintings, including a Ruisdale and a Marco Ricci, to the town.’

Chamberlain was also a painter himself, working in oils, pastel and watercolour. In 1936 he had a one-man exhibition of his work at Hove Museum, and his subjects covered Florence, Venice, Rome, Perugia, the Tyrol, Germany, West Indies, Egypt, Ceylon, and India.

Miscellaneous

Peter ‘Fats’ Baxter – He is a trombonist and band-leader who used to live in Third Avenue, but moved away from Hove. In 1986 he played the Sailor’s Hornpipe on the popular TV show What’s my Line? Unhappily, his playing time of 10.67 seconds could not be included in the Guinness Book of Records because it was not officially recognised. He was determined to beat his own record, and in December 1998 he was invited to the Member’s Bar of the House of Commons by Alan Meale, the jazz-loving Minister for the Environment, to perform this feat. He played the Sailor’s Hornpipe in 8.5 seconds cheered on by MPs many of whom signed the certificate that would ensure his place in the Guinness Book of Records. He just managed to play John Prescott’s request of Winter Wonderland before being hustled out by security guards – live music not being permitted in the Commons. Baxter said it was a bitter-sweet moment because it had taken so long to prove his record, and so many friends had tried to help him along the way, and now were gone.

Sydney Lovegrove – He and his wife Doreen moved to Hove in 1946 and lived in Third Avenue; they had a son and a daughter. Lovegrove was an accountant and he joined Hove Council in 1968. After only four years of service he was elected Mayor of Hove for a two-year period from 1972 to 1974. He was chairman of Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue, and the inaugural civic service was held at the Palmeira Avenue Synagogue, while Rabbi Rosenblum filled the role of mayor’s chaplain. Only three years later, Lovegrove’s funeral was held at the same synagogue when he died aged 66 in March 1977.

Albert Mews – It is situated on the north east side of Third Avenue. It leads to the back of Albert Mansions, and also provides back access to business premises in Church Road. It appears that Albert Mews still has its original wooden name board in situ. Along the north side runs a wall, and in front of it are two enormous tree stumps, not together, but separate. From the circumference of the trees, it is possible that the trees pre-date the buildings – indeed it may the reason why they have been left alone because to dig them out might lead to the collapse of the wall.

In September 1925 Hove Council granted a licence to Messrs Ray & Sons of 66/68 Church Road to store 500 gallons of petrol in the private approach to their garage in the mews. The firm also proposed to erect a pump with a swinging arm to operate over the pavement in Third Avenue, which could be folded back when not in use.

By 1927 Thomas Morch, motor engineer, had taken over Ray & Sons. Hove Council granted him a licence to store 500 gallons of petrol in the underground tank, plus 100 gallons in two-gallon cans.

In the 1940s an energetic young man known as Bill Heathcote worked at Lawton’s Garage in Albert Mews. There were two Rolls Royces in the garage but they were in no way destined for up-market use – one was being converted to a breakdown truck, while the other saw service as a delivery van. Bill Heathcote went on to establish his very own company, W. G. Heathcote Ltd. It is pleasant to record that this company is still in operation to this day, and is to be found at 3 King’s Mews; it is a MOT testing centre.

King’s Mews – J.T. Chappell’s plans for the mews were approved in 1881; the mews are at the top east side of Third Avenue with the entrance under a two-storey, scroll-headed archway. The southern block remains closer to its original state.

In December 1898 Mr E. Winter wrote to Hove Council concerning better lighting being provided in the mews. The council replied that if the owners of the mews were to provide a lamp, and keep it in good repair, then the council would undertake to pay for the gas to light it.

In 1916 Hove Council approved A.H. Lainson’s plans on behalf of Howard Parsons to convert the first floor of number 8 into small flats. It seems probable that nothing was done because the following year, Mr Parsons offered Hove Council number 8 rent-free for the duration of the war, and his offer was accepted.

In 1921 there were plans to convert the stables at number 5 into a garage for Colonel Sty Leger.

On 26 October 1995 Virginia Burstow, aged 63, and her cat, died in a fire that broke out in the early hours in her flat in the mews above Heathcote’s Garage. It was thought the fire originated in her armchair, which was filled with polyurethane foam.

It was a sad end to a lady who was not a lonely old spinster, but she was a widow. She was born on 9 October 1932 in Burnley, Lancashire, and her name then was Virginia Ellen Pickles. In fact she changed her surname a few times because she was thrice married. Her final husband was Dennis William Burstow, and the marriage took place in 1983. Unhappily, he died just three years after the marriage. (Information kindly supplied by M. Austin)

Some people believe that number 5 is haunted. One evening in 1996 one of the occupants happened to glance in the bathroom on her way downstairs, and noticed the figure of man, seemingly dressed in black, standing at the washbasin. At the time she was quite unperturbed because she thought it was her son but when she reached downstairs, she found her son seated with the rest of the family, in the lounge. On entering the room she must have looked as white as a sheet because her husband asked her what was the matter. When she told him, he said, Oh, you’ve seen him as well, then.’ The couple were the only ones to see the ghost, but others have heard strange noises, while articles have been moved around. A young friend, who was left alone for a short time, was so unnerved by the sound of footsteps plus the peculiar behaviour of the cats, that he left in a hurry, leaving a note pinned to the door.

It is fascinating to note that the awareness of a haunting at 5 King’s Mews goes back much further into the past than just the 1990s. In 2020 Richard White stated that he was told about the haunting in the 1940s. He and his mother lived at 2 King’s Mews from 1948-9. After the Lawtons had moved out of number 5, he happened to be inside the property together with the children of the new owners. One of the children informed him solemnly that the house was haunted. It seems the ghost was seen again in the bathroom, and that adds authenticity too.

It is also interesting to learn that there was still a horse stabled in the mews at this time, right opposite to number 2, and it was used to pull an open carriage. The horse was looked after by a young woman called Daphne, and this was not the extent of her duties because in addition she had the care of the horse-owner’s Rolls Royce. The fortunate owner thus had the best of both worlds since no doubt the horse had proved useful during a time of petrol rationing. Daphne would cross the mews to number 2 on a Tuesday afternoon to enjoy a cup of tea and a good chat with Mrs White. But it seems that Daphne was keen to try out pastures new, and she left Hove to look after horses in the USA. (Information kindly supplied by R. White).

Sources

Argus

Directories

Middleton J, Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade

Hove Council Minute Books

page layout by D.Sharp

Hove in the Past

Pages

24 July 2018

Third Avenue, Hove.