Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2021)
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| copyright © J.Middleton This building, numbered 42/43 Medina Villas is surely the most beautiful and interesting piece of architecture in the Cliftonville Estate. Compare it to the boring, modern block in the background |
Development
This street formed part of what came to be known
as the Cliftonville Estate. The original developers were four men –
George Gallard, William Kirkpatrick, George Hall and Richard Webb but
the partnership did not last long because they had split up by 1852,
and then divided the various plots between them.
George Hall
George Hall used the plots of land he owned to
ease his cash-flow problem and in June 1852 he raised the sum of
£3,000 on four plots in Medina Villas, 21 plots in Albany Villas,
and two plots in Church Road. Five months later Hall used four plots
in Medina Villas, and 17 plots in Albany Villas to raise another loan
of £100. By November 1852 Hall had 38 of his plots in Medina Villas
tied up in this way, while he had also sold the odd plot to builders.
On 26 January 1855 George Hall was declared bankrupt owing some
£35,000.
George Shaft, a builder and speculator from Kent,
became the new owner of much of Hall’s plots of land by default,
but he soon re-sold them.
Gallard and Kirkpatrick
Meanwhile, other members of the erstwhile
syndicate were also buying and selling various plots of land. In July
1852 Gallard and Kirkpatrick sold a block of six plots in Medina
Villas, plus six plots in Albany Villas to H. Corney, a Brighton
builder, for £2,640.
Builders were involved in the general land
speculation as well. G. Jessop purchased two plots in Medina Villas
and three plots in Albany Villas for £1,374, and sold them to R.
Shawe of Havant for £5,200. J. Bailey purchased two plots in Medina
Villas for £480, and sold them to R. Shawe for £1,600. Gallard and
Kirkpatrick had leased these plots to builders for development. In
December 1852 Gallard and Kirkpatrick sold seven plots of land in
Medina Villas and Osborne Villas for £830 to builder J. Grindall. By
the end of 1853 most of the Medina plots had been sold, and in
December of that year Gallard and Kirkpatrick divided their
partnership
In September 1855 Gallard and Kirkpatrick sold a
jointly-owned plot in Medina Villas for £1,800 to C.A. Baines. H.
Corney had built a house on this site, and sold it back to the
partnership in 1853.
In 1855 there was the problem caused by Hall’s
bankruptcy, when his plots were off-loaded onto the market all at
once, causing prices to fall.
The last plots belonging to Gallard and
Kirkpatrick were sold in 1865. They never made a large profit, and
indeed some plots went to their creditors by default.
Completion
Medina Villas was virtually completed in the
1850s, and on the whole the Medina sites were the most valuable in
the Cliftonville Estate. On average, sites at Medina Villas sold for
£1,000 each, whereas in Albany Villas it was £500, and in Osborne
Villas it was £350. However, the valuation did vary according to the
style of house and the size of the plots. Medina Villas tended to
have a larger size of plot with an average of 80 feet and a frontage
of 40 feet.
The 1861 Census
The census of 1861 was important in local history
terms for revealing details of the inhabitants who lived in
newly-built Medina Villas. It is interesting to note that there were
four schools for young ladies.
Other residents included a number of military and
Naval personnel, including the following:
Lieutenant Colonel, retired
Widow of a Lieutenant Colonel
Wife of a Lieutenant Colonel
Major General
Colonel of the Artillery, retired
Major, on half-pay
Captain R. N.
Captain R. N. retired
Captain, on half-pay
Other occupations included the following:
Four lodging-house keepers
Two surgeons
Vicar
East India and Colonial broker
Deputy Commissary General to the Forces, retired
Proprietor of houses
Proprietor of land
Several people lived on private means, and were
listed as fund-holders.
Numbers 23, 24, 25 and 26 were listed as being
vacant ground.
A Land Claim from Australia
An
interesting claim was recorded in the venerable Manor
Books of Hova Villa and Hova Ecclesia. On
21 August 1866 Henry Cory of Adelaide, South Australia, laid claim to
some property in Hove consisting of ten plots in Albany Villas, four
plots in Medina Villas, plus some land used as access and forecourts
in front of other houses.
The claim arose out of the deaths of James Andrew
Durham on 1 November 1860, and William Cory on 24 May 1862, both
having been Lombard Street bankers. Henry Cory’s claim was duly
recognised, and on 7 February 1867 Cory transferred the property to a
trio of Lombard Street bankers – John William Burmester, Philip
Patton Blyth, and William Champion Jones.
An Accident
In around 1902 James Garner’s horse and cab were
injured while travelling along Medina Villas. The cause of the
trouble was a recent trench that had not been filled in adequately.
The well-known firm of Parsons & Sons were the contractors
involved in sewer works in the road, but it was Hove Council that had
to pay James Garner £8-17s in damages, awarded to him by the County
Court.
The 1940s
In the 1940s the offices of the Inland Revenue
were situated in the road.
In 1942 the Royal Canadian Dragoons were billeted
in Medina Villas
House Notes
Probably the most famous former resident of Medina Villas was Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the Indian poet and philosopher and winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Tagore came to Medina Villas where his family owned a house in 1878 at the age of 17 to complete his education in England at the Brighton Proprietary School in Ship Street, Brighton.
Rabindranath Tagore wrote of moving to England, ‘Our house at Hove is near the sea. 20/25 houses stand in rows and the name of the complex is Medina Villas. When I first heard that we would be living in Medina Villas, I imagined a lot, such as there are gardens, big big trees, flowers, fruits, open space and lakes etc. After coming to my place I found houses, roads, cars, horses and no sign of Villas’.
He left school in Hove to read law at University College London at his father’s request, but failed to complete his degree, as university life did not suit him with his background of many years of expert home tutoring at his family's Jorasanko mansion near Calcutta. He left university and followed his own path of independent study of European literature and music before returning to India in 1880.
Tagore was a highly prolific Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj philosopher, social reformer, visual artist, playwright, novelist, painter and composer. Tagore composed and wrote the national anthems for both India and Bangladesh.
In 1913 Rabindranath Tagore became the first non-European writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Rabindranath used his Nobel prize money to found the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketen (West Bengal). In 1915 Tagore was knighted by George V.
Following the British Indian Army’s massacre of unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh) in 1919, Sir Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood.
In India he is regarded as a figure of national importance whose achievements rank alongside those of Gandhi. Rabindranath Tagore was a polymath, his literary works alone place him amongst the great literary figures of the World and as the National Poet of India his birth date is celebrated each year on the 7th May.
After Rabindranath Tagore death, Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India after independence) wrote ‘More than any other Indian, Rabindranath Tagore has helped to bring into harmony the ideals of the East and West, and broadened the bases of Indian nationalism. He has been India’s internationalist par excellence, believing and working for international co-operation, taking India’s message to other countries and bringing their messages to his own people”.
Other local connections with Rabindranath Tagore:-
In October 1914, Lady Scott the widow of Captain Scott lent a bust of Rabindranath Tagore to the Brighton Municipal Art Gallery.
In November 1916 a lecture was given by the noted Indian author Mr Harendranath Maitra M.A. on Rabindranath Tagore and Traditions of Indian Poetry to the Theosophical Society of Brighton.
The Hove born poet and philosopher Edward Carpenter was a lifelong close friend of Rabindranath Tagore
The World famous contralto, Hove resident and Southwick born Dame Clara Butt made a special trip while on her 1928 Far-East concert tour to visit Rabindranath Tagore at his home in Santiniketen (West Bengal). Dame Clara later wrote 'In India I met three of the most wonderful personalities of that wonderful country, Mrs Annie Besant, Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore'
Probably the most famous former resident of Medina Villas was Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the Indian poet and philosopher and winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Tagore came to Medina Villas where his family owned a house in 1878 at the age of 17 to complete his education in England at the Brighton Proprietary School in Ship Street, Brighton.
 |
| copyright © Michael Hill
The plaque on the former Brighton Proprietary School at 7 Ship
Street, in memory of Rabindranath Tagore was unveiled by the Mayor of
the City of Brighton & Hove in front of an audience of over 200
people on 28 October 2021.
|
There is documented evidence which shows that some of the Tagore
family lived for a short period in Medina Villas, unfortunately none of
the Hove street directories for the 1870s or the UK Census list
the Tagore family name at an address in the road. It is possible that
the Tagore house in Medina Villas was in the care of their house-keeper
or a family friend retired from colonial service in India and therefore
an English surname appears in the street directories rather than Tagore
for this unknown house number.
Kelly’s Street Directory for 1878 lists two
houses at numbers 9 and 37 Medina Villas as ‘furnished houses’
but with no surname of the owners.
Coincidentally at number 18 lived Dr John Bowron,
formerly of the Bengal Army and Surgeon-Major in charge of the
medical station in Jessore (now a part of Bangladesh). Jessore is
where the Tagore Family held one of their country estates. There was
also another Bengal connection at number 41 where Lieutenant Colonel
Cuthbert A Baines, formerly of the Bengal Native Infantry lived. |
| copyright © National Library of Australia
The Sun (Sydney NSW) Sunday 22 April 1933
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
|
Rabindranath Tagore wrote of moving to England, ‘Our house at Hove is near the sea. 20/25 houses stand in rows and the name of the complex is Medina Villas. When I first heard that we would be living in Medina Villas, I imagined a lot, such as there are gardens, big big trees, flowers, fruits, open space and lakes etc. After coming to my place I found houses, roads, cars, horses and no sign of Villas’.
He left school in Hove to read law at University College London at his father’s request, but failed to complete his degree, as university life did not suit him with his background of many years of expert home tutoring at his family's Jorasanko mansion near Calcutta. He left university and followed his own path of independent study of European literature and music before returning to India in 1880.
Tagore was a highly prolific Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj philosopher, social reformer, visual artist, playwright, novelist, painter and composer. Tagore composed and wrote the national anthems for both India and Bangladesh.
In 1913 Rabindranath Tagore became the first non-European writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Rabindranath used his Nobel prize money to found the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketen (West Bengal). In 1915 Tagore was knighted by George V.
Following the British Indian Army’s massacre of unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh) in 1919, Sir Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood.
In India he is regarded as a figure of national importance whose achievements rank alongside those of Gandhi. Rabindranath Tagore was a polymath, his literary works alone place him amongst the great literary figures of the World and as the National Poet of India his birth date is celebrated each year on the 7th May.
After Rabindranath Tagore death, Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India after independence) wrote ‘More than any other Indian, Rabindranath Tagore has helped to bring into harmony the ideals of the East and West, and broadened the bases of Indian nationalism. He has been India’s internationalist par excellence, believing and working for international co-operation, taking India’s message to other countries and bringing their messages to his own people”.
Other local connections with Rabindranath Tagore:-
In October 1914, Lady Scott the widow of Captain Scott lent a bust of Rabindranath Tagore to the Brighton Municipal Art Gallery.
In November 1916 a lecture was given by the noted Indian author Mr Harendranath Maitra M.A. on Rabindranath Tagore and Traditions of Indian Poetry to the Theosophical Society of Brighton.
The Hove born poet and philosopher Edward Carpenter was a lifelong close friend of Rabindranath Tagore
The World famous contralto, Hove resident and Southwick born Dame Clara Butt made a special trip while on her 1928 Far-East concert tour to visit Rabindranath Tagore at his home in Santiniketen (West Bengal). Dame Clara later wrote 'In India I met three of the most wonderful personalities of that wonderful country, Mrs Annie Besant, Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore'
Number
2
Beryl, sister of the celebrated Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (1863-1948), lived in this house. Their childhood home was at 19 Albany Villas, Hove, and they both became enthusiastic members of the Green Room Players and gave performances at Hove Town Hall. Beryl became a professional actress. She married Charles Hamilton, but died at the early age of 40. She was buried in the graveyard at St Leonard’s Church, Aldrington, and when Sir Aubrey died in Hollywood, his ashes were transported to rest in the same churchyard. Their memorial gravestone has recently been beautifully restored with the assistance of the Sussex County Cricket Club.
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| copyright © D. Sharp The Smith grave in St Leonard’s Churchyard |
Beryl, sister of the celebrated Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (1863-1948), lived in this house. Their childhood home was at 19 Albany Villas, Hove, and they both became enthusiastic members of the Green Room Players and gave performances at Hove Town Hall. Beryl became a professional actress. She married Charles Hamilton, but died at the early age of 40. She was buried in the graveyard at St Leonard’s Church, Aldrington, and when Sir Aubrey died in Hollywood, his ashes were transported to rest in the same churchyard. Their memorial gravestone has recently been beautifully restored with the assistance of the Sussex County Cricket Club.
Number
3
– Revd Walter Kelly (1803-1888) occupied this house where the 1861
census recorded him living with his wife and children, Edward 14,
Charles 11, Persis 9, and 7-year old Catherine. There were three
servants.
He took his degree at Gaius College, Cambridge,
and was ordained priest in 1829. He was appointed as vicar of Preston
cum Hove, (the parishes being united at that time) and never moved
away, serving for a remarkable period of 44 years. Before his
appointment, a vestry meeting had decided that St Andrew’s Old Church should be restored because it was in such a deplorable
condition. George Basevi was the architect chosen for the task and
the church re-opened on 18 June 1836.
On 2 March 1840 Revd Kelly married Mary, daughter
of Lieutenant Colonel R. Buckner of Rumboldswhyke, Sussex. Revd Kelly
was described as an earnest Christian gentleman and a parish priest
of the old type. He was a plain, matter-of-fact preacher and ‘even
went so far in his admiration for bygone plainness of ritual as to
retain the melancholy looking black gown for preaching purposes’.
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| copyright © J.Middleton St Andrew’s Old Church, Hove |
Revd Kelly presided at two weddings of local
importance within less than three weeks. The first wedding took place
at St Andrew’s Old Church on 16 September 1867 between John Olliver
Vallance and Emma Kate Livesay. Despite the Vallances being prominent
landowners, this wedding was a very low-key affair, and perhaps the
austere occasion was the result of family opposition.
The
second wedding took place at St Peter’s Church, Preston on 1
October 1867 between heiress Ellen Stanford and Vere Fane Benett. By
contrast to the previous wedding, this was a lavish affair with the
village bedecked with bunting and a reporter from the Brighton
Guardian in
attendance
to describe the scene. Thus ‘there was the hale and venerable
Vicar, whose goodly presence in the church porch was in admirable
accord with the spirit of the occasion’ and ‘the marriage service
was impressively read by the Revd Walter Kelly MA’.
Revd Kelly was noted as a good friend to the poor,
and he took an active interest in local church schools. In 1878 he
began to feel the weight of his years and wanted to resign on the
grounds of ill-health. At first the Bishop of Chichester was
reluctant to lose such a pillar of the church and refused to accept
his resignation, but later relented.
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| copyright © J.Middleton Revd Walter Kelly’s memorial plaque is in the chancel. |
Revd Kelly died in 1888 and was buried in the
churchyard of St Andrew’s Old Church in a favoured site on the east
side near the chancel, where it remains undisturbed to this day. A
plaque inside the church on the south wall of the chancel reads:
To
the Glory of God and in loving memory of the Revd Walter Kelly this
sanctuary was adorned by many parishioners and friends. He was vicar
of Hove and Preston from 1834 to 1878 and fell asleep in Christ 22
January 1888 in the 85th
year of his age.
One cannot help but wonder what this plain
clergyman of the old school would have made of the riot of Victorian
colour created in the chancel to his memory.
Revd Kelly was still resident at 3 Medina Villas
when he wrote his will in 1887, only weeks after the death of his
wife. The executors were his son Revd Walter Kelly and his nephew
Revd Henry Plimley Kelly. Apart from £10 to his nephew and £5 each
to his nieces Ann Eliza Kelly and Mary Kelly, the executors were
instructed to divide up everything equally between his children who
set up the Kelly Gift (dated 6 September 1888) by which they gave the
Charity Commissioners £140 in shares with the dividends to be used
to pay the school fees of poor children in Hove and Preston.
Number 5
Commander Charles Codrington Forsyth was born in1810. In 1826, he entered the Navy, serving on anti-slavery operations on the African coast before transferring to HMS Beagle as a senior mate under the command of Captain Fitzroy on the South Atlantic Station. By 1843 he had rose to the rank of lieutenant in the anti-slavery fleet on the South African coast.
In 1849, now Commander Forsyth on the schooner Prince Albert for the British Franklin Search Expedition, sponsored by Lady Franklin and public subscription to search for the missing northwest passage expedition. Commander Forsyth later served in Crimean War between 1854 and 1855 and the China War from 1856 to 1857. Retiring in 1870, he died in 1873.
Number 5
Commander Charles Codrington Forsyth was born in1810. In 1826, he entered the Navy, serving on anti-slavery operations on the African coast before transferring to HMS Beagle as a senior mate under the command of Captain Fitzroy on the South Atlantic Station. By 1843 he had rose to the rank of lieutenant in the anti-slavery fleet on the South African coast.
In 1849, now Commander Forsyth on the schooner Prince Albert for the British Franklin Search Expedition, sponsored by Lady Franklin and public subscription to search for the missing northwest passage expedition. Commander Forsyth later served in Crimean War between 1854 and 1855 and the China War from 1856 to 1857. Retiring in 1870, he died in 1873.
Number
12
– Mr A Loader submitted plans for a bathroom and a porch, which the
Hove Commissioners passed in October 1889.
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| copyright © J.Middleton Lieutenant Marcus Bloom once lived in 13 Medina Villas |
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| copyright © J.Middleton This interesting view was once sent as a Christmas card. It shows the original elegance of the façade with its canopy and lovely ironwork balcony. In the modern photograph, the absence of these features leaves the windows of the first floor looking somewhat out of proportion |
Number 13 – This house was called St Pancras, which was the name of the famous and wealthy Priory at Lewes. St Pancras was a popular saint in mediaeval times with his feast day being on 12 May.
The Bloom family moved from London to Hove during the First World War
and lived in this house until 1929. Harry Bloom had a number of
business interests, including a restaurant at Hove, and the family
fortunes had certainly prospered from humble beginnings: Harry
Bloom’s father had been an impoverished immigrant from Poland while
the antecedents of his wife Anna lived in Russia. The Blooms had four
sons – Alex, Marcus, Bernard and Jenice – and all four boys
attended the privately-run Hove High School at 49 Clarendon Villas,
Hove.
It was their second son Lieutenant Marcus Bloom
(1907-1944) who became known as a Jewish Hero of the SOE for his
service during the Second World War. His activities in France were
cruelly curtailed by betrayal and capture by the Germans. On 6
September 1944 he was shot at Mauthausen concentration camp in
Austria: he has no known grave.
Number
17
– The sisters of General Wolseley lived in this house from 1905.
They were Matilda Wolseley, who was listed in Directories as
occupying the house until 1905, and her sister, widow Caroline Evans,
lived there until around 1932.
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| copyright © J.Middleton The Wolseley sisters once occupied the premises |
General Wolseley was so famous in Victorian times
that there was a popular phrase ‘All Sir Garnet’, which meant
everything was running smoothly. Garnet Joseph, Viscount Wolseley
(1833-1912) was a remarkable man who is virtually unknown today,
whereas his contemporaries such Gordon, Buller, and Kitchener live on
in public awareness.
 |
| copyright © Brighton & Hove Museums & Art Galleries Garnet Joseph, Viscount Wolseley (1833-1912) |
Wolseley saw action in the Indian Mutiny and was
present at the Siege of Lucknow. Indeed, he was the first man from
the relieving forces to greet members of the beleaguered garrison.
Instead of winning praise for his bold action, he made his
commander-in-chief furious. This was because Sir Colin Campbell
planned to have his favourite regiment, the 93rd Highland Regiment,
take the final steps accompanied by swirling music from the bagpipes,
although the advance had in fact been carried out by Wolseley’s
men.
After India, Wolseley took part in the China
Campaign of 1860 when a British force marched to Peking and sacked
the Summer Palace.
Wolseley was sent to Canada at a time of tension,
and trouble was brewing in the Red River Colony. Wolseley led the
last British expedition to be mounted in North America. In this
campaign he showed his remarkable skills of organisation. He marched
a force of men through 600 miles of wilderness carrying their own
supplies. The rebel Riel was so surprised at the sound of a
bugle-call from the advancing army that he abandoned his breakfast
and rushed out of the back of the fort. Thus ended the Red River
rebellion without a single man being killed. Wolseley’s success may
have had something to do with his insistence on always banning
alcohol on expeditions, and one of his nicknames was the tea-pot
general.
Wolseley’s next campaign was to command the
Ashanti expedition. After recovering from such a bad attack of fever
that he was not expected to survive, Wolseley led his troops on to
capture the Ashanti capital of Kumasi. On his return to England, he
found he had become a popular hero and Queen Victoria decorated him.
Next he was appointed Governor General in South
Africa after the disaster at Isandhlwana. With Wolseley in command
there was a victory over the Zulus at Ulandi. But Cetwayo, the Zulu
chief, escaped, and Wolseley organised a chase after him. Cetawayo
was captured, and Wolseley kept his necklace of lion’s claws as a
souvenir.
Wolseley’s final campaign was to travel to Egypt
in a desperate attempt to relieve General Gordon in Khartoum. It was
not Wolseley’s fault that there had been a delay of months before
Gladstone decided to send a relief expedition. Wolseley’s troops
arrived at Khartoum just 48 hours too late and Gordon had already
been hacked to death. Wolseley first met Gordon in the Crimea, and
the two men Wolseley admired the most were General Gordon and General
Lee. Gordon’s death cast a blight over his final years. On
Wolseley’s mantelpiece there was a statue of Gladstone, with the
face turned to the wall.
Gilbert
& Sullivan parodied Wolseley in the Pirates
of Penzance as
‘the very model of a modern Major-General’. Wolseley took it as a
compliment, and it became a party piece he performed within the
family circle.
Wolseley died on 26 March 1913 and was awarded the
supreme accolade of being buried next to Wellington in St Paul’s
Cathedral. His equestrian statue stands in Horseguards’ Parade. The
charger represented in the statue was Greenfield, and his daughter
Frances purchased the horse for him from Captain Hamilton.
It was his daughter Viscountess Frances Garnet
Wolseley who dedicated her later years into establishing the Wolseley
Room at Hove Library where the impressive Wolseley Collection, a
recognised national archive, is stored to this day. Surely, the
decision to choose Hove must rest on the happy memories Frances had
of visiting her aunts in Medina Villas.
Number
20
– This was the first house in Medina Villas to be converted into
flats, and planning permission was granted in 1920.
Number 21 – Frances Dorothy Cartwright (1780-1863) Like so many of her contemporaries, she opted to spend her twilight years at Hove. She had been born in Leicestershire, and Hove was not her first taste of Sussex since in 1824 she moved to Worthing to live with her widowed aunt. Frances obviously thought the world of her uncle, and diligently set to work to pen a biography of his life. One can imagine her ploughing through piles of his letters because the book was entitled The Life and Correspondence of Major Cartwright, which was published in 1826. It is amusing to note that The Times did not approve of a lady writing about military matters, describing it as an ‘ungracious task’. But then Frances was no ordinary female, being fluent enough in Spanish to be able to translate and publish Spanish poetry. It may be that she lived in Spain at one time because she was certainly not living in Sussex for a while. (Wojtczak, H. Notable Sussex Women 2008)
Number
22
– On 19 January 1859 Robert Goodyear Visick committed suicide in
this property by swallowing strychnine tablets. He suffered from
depression. When his son returned home in the afternoon, he found him
in bed and his father told him he had taken poison, Robert’s wife,
who had just entered the room to remove her bonnet, heard the
conversation too. A doctor was summoned, and an antidote
administered, but it was too late. The inquest was held at the nearby
Cliftonville Inn, Hove
Place. The jury was told that if they wished to hear evidence from
the widow, they would have to adjourn to her house because she was
too ill to leave. But the jury decided that they had heard enough
evidence to reach a verdict of suicide. He was buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Old Church.
Number
36
– Miss Herring and Miss Bagley ran a ladies’ college called
Heidelberg House in the premises from 1889 to 1917. The school was
originally located at 46 Ventnor Villas, and that is where the two
ladies took over the running of the establishment from a Miss Atkins.
A full-page advertisement in the 1889 Directory stated:
The Commodious Detached House, with lofty
well-ventilated rooms and perfectly sanitary arrangements, is
situated in one of the most healthy positions in West Brighton, close
to the sea.
There were resident English and foreign
governesses, visiting professors and university lecturers. The usual
subjects were taught, and in addition the young ladies could be
instructed in German, French, drawing, violin, guitar, mandolin and
solo singing. The dining room boasted starched, white tablecloths
with table napkins folded into peaks. There was special provision for
delicate, and backward girls. Students with parents away in the
colonies could also be looked after during school holidays.
However, the name Heidelberg House proved to be an
unfortunate choice during the First World War due to virulent
anti-German feeling. The establishment was re-named Medina College
and by 1918 had moved to 44 The Drive.
After 1925 there is no mention of Miss Bagley in
the Directories, but Miss Herring soldiered on until 1936, thus
giving her a career span of over 50 years.
Number
28/29
– In 1861 Susan Smith, a 45-year old spinster and governess, born
in Bromsgrove, ran a school in the premises with the help of her
sister as a teacher, plus two assistants. The aged parents of the
Smith sisters also lived in the house. On census night there were
three teachers, eleven female pupils and four servants.
Number
34
– In 1861 Marian Oakes, a 52-year old London-born spinster, ran the
school in partnership with her sister Emma. On census night there
were three teachers, twelve female pupils and three servants.
Number
37
– In 1861 Mary Jones, aged 63, was the head and she ran the school
with the assistance of her daughters Mary and Emily – there was
also a French teacher. On census night there were nine female pupils
and three servants.
During the First World War, Mr & Mrs R. F. Richardson lived at number 37, Mrs Richardson was Honorary Treasurer for the Belgian Local Relief & Refugee Fund.
During the First World War, Mr & Mrs R. F. Richardson lived at number 37, Mrs Richardson was Honorary Treasurer for the Belgian Local Relief & Refugee Fund.
Mrs Richardson also ran a depot for clothing the
refugees at 4 Adelaide Crescent, with a Flemish tailor in attendance
to assist with alterations, and a shoemaker.
Number
39
– In 1861 Susannah Fox, aged 34, ran a school with her sister Emma.
On census night there were nine female pupils of whom two were born
in Honduras and one in India. There were two servants.
When Church Road was widened in the 1890s, some of
the old gravestones in the south part of the churchyard belonging to
St Andrew’s Old Church were removed. Apparently, the steps and
paving at this residence consisted of old gravestones. In 1963 when
workmen demolished the lower staircase, they found a stockpile of old
gravestones, and utilised one as a temporary repair job in the
pavement.
Planning permission for this house to be converted
into flats was given in 1921.
Number
40
– Mrs Fagge ran a boys’ school here in the 1880s called Wadham
House. It is an unusual name and so it is interesting to note that
another boys’ school, also called Wadham House, was located at 9
Albany Villas from 1907 to 1911, although its origins appear not to
have been in Hove.
 |
| copyright © J.Middleton Wadham House School once occupied these premises |
Number 43
 |
| copyright © National Portrait Gallery, London Edward Lloyd ('Men of the Day. No. 541.') published in Vanity Fair 25 June 1892 |
 |
| copyright
© Royal Pavilion & Museum, Brighton & Hove Brighton Herald 8 October 1898 |
Sources
Brighton Herald
Brighton & Hove Museums & Art Galleries
Census returns
Census returns
Directories
Evening Argus
Hove Council Minute Books
Jawaharlal Nehru , The Discovery of India
Jawaharlal Nehru , The Discovery of India
Lehmann,
J. All
Sir Garnet (1964)
Lowerson,
J. editor Cliftonville,
Hove, A Victorian Suburb (1999)
Middleton J, Encyclopaedia of Hove and PortsladeNational Portrait Gallery, London
National Library of Australia
Porter, Henry The History of Hove (1897)
Rabindranath Tagore, Delphi Collected Works of Rabindranath Tagore
Middleton J, Encyclopaedia of Hove and PortsladeNational Portrait Gallery, London
National Library of Australia
Porter, Henry The History of Hove (1897)
Rabindranath Tagore, Delphi Collected Works of Rabindranath Tagore
Royal Pavilion & Museum, Brighton & Hove
The Sun (Sydney, New South Wales) Sunday 22 April 1933
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| copyright © J.Middleton These modern houses are something of an architectural shock standing in a road with such graceful Victorian houses |
The Keep
HOW 66/2 – Re property in Albany Villas, Medina
Villas, and Ventnor Terrace
PAR 387/9/14/1-2 – Kelly Gift 1888
Copyright © J.Middleton 2018
page layout and additional research by D. Sharp
page layout and additional research by D. Sharp