Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2022)
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museum,
Brighton & Hove Goldstone House (former farmhouse) and Goldstone Barn engulfed in the urban sprawl of Hove in 1909 |
The
farmhouse at Goldstone Farm, which was later called Goldstone House,
was built in the 1870s on the brow of what later became Fonthill
Road. In the Argus (16
June 2001) an interesting photograph was published showing the
boundary wall of Goldstone House, which included a magnificent
classical balustrade along the wall. Apparently, the wall was only
visible from the back of a few houses in Goldstone Lane.
This
photograph was taken in 1955 when Goldstone House was being
demolished. It is a somewhat sad image because in its heyday it must
have been a handsome property (Brighton
Herald)
|
Modern
houses replaced historic Goldstone House (Brighton
Herald)
|
The land was part of the extensive
Stanford Estate. It may be that William Marsh Rigden ran Goldstone
Farm at the same time as he was running Long Barn Farm, also in Hove,
and belonging to the Stanford Estate too. When Rigden left Hove in
1877 he moved to a house called Ashcroft in Kingston-be-Sea.
William Marsh Rigden
W. M. Rigden was born at
Southwick, Sussex. No doubt it was his father or other close relative
who had dealings with the Shoreham Harbour Commissioners in 1816 when
the new entrance to Shoreham Harbour was being constructed. W. G.
Rigden’s tender to supply chalk was not the lowest in price, but he
had the advantage of being closer to the harbour. In 1819 he supplied
chalk for the in-filling behind the piles, and in 1820 he delivered
2,000 tons of large chalk at 4/- a ton for the sluices.
William Marsh Rigden rented Long
Barn Farm on the east side of Hove from the Stanford Estate in the
late 1830s, the land stretching from the top of the hill in Dyke Road
and down to the coast. This meant that he had hill pasture for his
flock of sheep, and arable land on the flatter ground. The old
farmhouse was situated where Wilbury Road was later built. The 1851
census recorded the family living in Long Barn Farm as follows:
William Marsh Rigden, aged 32,
farmer of 750 acres, and employing 50 labourers
Wife Ellen, aged 32, and their
children
Ellen, 9
Catherine, 8
Martha, 7
William, 6
John, 2
Louisa, two months
The household included a governess
born in Halifax, USA, and four servants.
Ten years later Rigden’s acreage
had gone down to 700 acres, and he employed 45 men and 10 boys. His
12-year old son John attended a small private school at 64 Brunswick Terrace, and there was a new addition to the family – six-year old
Charles.
It is interesting to note that in
1871 John Hunter Rigden, by then aged 22, had decided not to follow
his father into farming, but was a civil engineer who happened to be
home on census night. Ellen and Catherine were still at home and
unmarried with a young sister Edith aged five. Louisa was educated at
a school in Medina Villas, and proved very useful to her father
because she was able to converse with French dealers in their own
language when they crossed the Channel to buy pedigree Southdown
sheep. Apparently, Rigden’s annual sheep sale was legendary, and
people came from far and wide to purchase the animals. By 1873
Rigden’s flock of Southdown had been established for 30 years, and
the event attracted ‘a very large attendance of gentlemen’.
In 1877 it was announced that
Rigden would be leaving Hove after a period of 40 years. Rigden said,
‘One could not live in a place so long and leave it without
regret.’ It seems he had suffered many annoyances (unspecified)
during the last few years; the final straw came when he had prepared
land for his sheep and it was taken away from him without the
slightest notice.
Rigden was also involved in local matters, and served as churchwarden of St Andrew’s Old Church for 40 years. The ‘flock-master’ was chairman of Steyning Board of Guardians, and on 10 November 1858 he was presented by his colleagues with a ‘handsome solid silver salver richly engraved as a mark of their esteem’. There were no less than 28 subscribers to the cost of the salver, including well-known names such as Edward Blaker, William Stanford, and Alfred Hardwick. The Brighton Gazette commented that the ‘name of Rigden has been so long associated with affairs in Hove that we are sure his removal will be a source of regret to an extensive circle of the inhabitants.’
At Goldstone Farm Rigden kept up
the old tradition known as Holling-pot, which was a much-anticipated
celebration of harvest home. Rigden, who was known as a generous
employer, ensured that all his farm hands were provided with liberal
quantities of beer on this occasion, which was celebrated in the
foreman’s cottage, situated where St Agnes Church was later built.
Frank Upton, Rigden’s shepherd, had fond memories of those
celebrations.
It is a truism that hard work and
good deeds are soon forgotten, while if William Marsh Rigden is
remembered at all today, it is because he ordered two employees –
Churcher and Terry – to bury the famous Goldstone. Today we would
regard such an act as vandalism, but Rigden was trying to protect his
crops, which thoughtless people were trampling all over in order to
have a good look at the Goldstone. (For more information, please see
separate page Ancient Hove).
copyright © J.Middleton Goldstone (Druids Stone) in Hove Park |
John Jackson Clark (1845-1928)
J. J. Clark was born in Cumberland
but when he was around seven years old the family moved to London. On
leaving school, he worked at a firm of colonial brokers, and at the
young age of 24 he was taken into partnership. In 1874 he retired
from the City and turned his attention to farming, purchasing a farm
at Patcham. On 30 September 1877 he moved into Goldstone Farm,
renting it from the Stanford Estate. He did not follow his
predecessor in sheep farming, but instead ‘created one of the most
successful and productive market gardens in the country’. The 1881
census records the family living at Goldstone Farm as follows:
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove. image from the Brighton Times 1878-1882 John Jackson Clark |
John Jackson Clark, farmer of 205
acres
Wife Georgina, and their children
Kate, 8
Maud, 6
Florence, 3
Constance, 1
Their son Arthur must have been
away at school at the time, but he appears in the 1891 census when he
was aged 20 and worked as a baker, presumably in his father’s
bakery.
It was not all plain sailing in
the market gardening business. For example, in September 1898, after
a summer drought, an invasion of caterpillars (large and green with
black spots) appeared in a field belonging to Mr Clark, north of
Lansdowne Road. It was a 700-acre field full of cauliflowers, and the
caterpillars caused damage estimated at £100.
By 1920 Clark had completed 40
years of unbroken service to Hove – first as a Hove Commissioner,
and then as a Hove Councillor. It is amusing to note that when
Brighton proposed to annexe Hove, Clark was in favour of such a move
initially but later changed his mind. Indeed, he became such a
supporter of Hove’s independence that when a Charter of
Incorporation was granted, Clark was one of two names on the document
– the other being G. B. Woodruff, both being described as ‘well
beloved and trusted subjects’. Clark was so esteemed that he was
invited to stand as Mayor of Hove several times but always declined.
Clark celebrated his 40 years of service by throwing a celebratory
dinner at Hove Town Hall for fellow councillors and friends. They
presented him with a handsome silver cigar box.
J. J. Clark must have possessed
boundless energy as can be seen from the following list of his
interests:
Chairman of Brighton and
Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway (‘Daddy Longlegs’)
Chairman of Brighton, Hove &
Preston Omnibus Company, until sold to Tilling’s
Chairman of the Food Committee
during the First World War for Steyning East Rural District
Chairman of the local Market
Gardeners’ Association
Chairman of the Military Tribunal
during the First World War for Steyning East Rural District
Chairman of Steyning East Rural
Council for 33 years
Director of Brighton West Pier
Company for 20 years, elected chairman in 1919
Director of Maynard’s, the
popular confectionery firm
Director of Southdown Motor
Services
Magistrate on Hove Bench
Member of the Freemasons, Stanford
Lodge
Member of Shoreham Port Authority
President of Brighton, Hove &
District Master Bakers’ Association
At the Employment Problem of Belgian Refugees Conference at
Brighton on the 20 February 1915. Alderman J. J. Clark stated, 'he was sure
employers of labour in the district would be glad to assist Belgians
who wanted to work. Personally, he could take a few farm labourers,
but he was afraid there were not many men of that class on the list.
He had one working for him, and would be glad of a dozen more like
him'. (see Belgian Refugees in Portslade page).
Although Clark was approaching 70 years of age when the First World War broke out, he was determined to play his part, and besides the committee work, he became a Special Police Constable at Hove.
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove Brighton Herald 11 March 1916 |
Although Clark was approaching 70 years of age when the First World War broke out, he was determined to play his part, and besides the committee work, he became a Special Police Constable at Hove.
J. J. Clark was responsible for
laying out two estates at Hove – one situated south of New Church
Road comprising of Carlisle Road, Langdale Road and Langdale Gardens,
no doubt choosing the names as a reminder of his childhood in
Cumberland. The other estate was situated north of Hove Railway
Station, which the local Press dubbed ‘Clarkville’. Clark also
laid out Goldstone Football Ground – originally for Hove Football
Club, and later leased to Brighton & Hove Albion. Clark made
fifteen tennis courts for six clubs, and laid out West Hove Golf
Course in Benfield Valley. He was one of the pioneers in the
development of the coal industry in east Kent.
During the war the Clarks
celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, having been married at
the fashionable church of St Margaret’s, Westminster. The following
day their 320 employees – at both farm and bakery – were invited
to a high tea and concert at Hove Town Hall. In return, the workers
gave them a silver tea service.
Mrs Clark died on 6 April 1923 and
the chief mourners at her funeral, beside the widower, were:
Mr & Mrs A. J. Clark (son and
daughter-in-law)
Miss K. F. Clark (daughter)
Mr & Mrs T. H. Drakeford
(son-in-law and daughter)
Mr & Mrs Habben (son-in-law
and daughter)
Mr & Mrs S. Herbert
(son-in-law and daughter)
Mr S. R. Walker and Miss Walker
(grand-daughter)
E. J. Herbert and G. Herbert
(grandsons)
Mr J. C. J. Clark (grandson) and
his wife
John
Jackson Clark died on 30 September 1928 in his 83rd
year, and the funeral took place on Friday 5 October. The Clarks’
family grave is at Hove Cemetery and the inscription concerning J. J.
Clark reads for 48
years a member of Hove Council, first deputy mayor and senior
alderman of the borough for 30 years.
Also buried there were their
daughters:
Maud Georgina Clark, died 18
February 1916 (second daughter)
Kate Frances Clark, died 4
February 1947 aged 74 (eldest daughter)
Clark’s Bread Company
It is said that when John Jackson Clark arrived in the area he was unable to find any bread to his taste, and so he decided to establish his own model bakery. He started this business on 13 September 1887 on land belonging to Goldstone Farm – this site eventually became 12 Fonthill Road. From this modest start, a flourishing company grew.
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove |
By
1890 advertisements described the business as Clark’s Bread and
Cake Factory. This was because Clark’s became the first bread
company in the south to install a fully automatic plant, and the
resulting products won many prizes.
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove Brighton Herald 9 August 1890 |
For example, Clark’s won a gold medal at the Brighton & Hove International Exhibition in 1889, and a prize medal for excellence in 1890 at the Brighton Health Exposition. Local historian Henry Porter was obviously a keen fan of Clark’s because in his History of Hove (1897) he penned the following glowing endorsement:
‘The merits of the articles not
only appeal to the eye and the palette, but are so pre-eminently
healthy that all the eminent medical specialists recommend Clark’s
famous cakes and bread in cases of diabetes, dyspepsia, dropsy,
debility, obesity and where dietetic nourishment needs to be
delicately diffused.’
Clark’s was extended in 1905,
1914, and 1919, and there was a special wing devoted to cakes and
confectionery. In 1890 the first Clark’s shop was opened in North
Street, Brighton, and by 1929 there were eight shops in Brighton.
Clark’s shops at Hove were as follows:
28 Church Road
197 Church Road
56A George Street
70 Portland Road
4 Stoneham Road
110 Western Road
The two photographs seen here were published by the Brighton Herald, which began life in 1806, becoming the first newspaper in the Brighton area, changing its name to the Brighton Herald and Hove Chronicle in 1902, and to the Brighton and Hove Herald 1922; it ceased to be a separate title in 1971 and became part of the Brighton and Hove Gazette. In the earlier photograph dating from the 1900s, it is interesting to note the lettering on the roof does not face the north frontage. In the second photograph, probably dating from the 1950s, the factory has extended so far that it could not all fit into the frame, while the road looks remarkably smooth.
Shortly before J. J. Clark died in 1928, the business was converted from a private company (founded in 1893) into a public company with Sir James Hawkey as chairman. Clark’s continued to expand – in 1926 the old established firm of Napper’s was acquired, and in 1931 Clark’s took over Gigin’s.The company was now running around 50 shops in Sussex. In June 1936 the trading profit was £21,283-2-2d.
In
June 1945 the 52nd
ordinary general meeting of the company was held at 161 North Street,
Brighton. The chairman was Sir James Hawkey, and the directors were
Councillor A. J. Clark and Mr J. C. J. Clark. Up to the 31 March 1945
the net profits for the year were £16,669-13-8d
as compared with the profits of the previous year of £16,682-7-3d.
This was after making allowances for tax and excess profits that were
taxed at 100 per cent. Production was up by 25 per cent when compared
to 1939-1940. During the Second World War Clark’s were large
suppliers of cakes and pastries to the Army, Navy and NAAFI Canteens
in Sussex and Surrey, but this had practically ceased by 1945. After
the war there was growing national concern at labour problems in
bread making departments. At Clark’s many of the workers were
elderly men who had worked long hours under difficult conditions
during the war. But the strain was getting too much and would soon be
critical, while at the same time demand for bread was increasing. The
confectionery side had fallen considerately because of the difficulty
of obtaining supplies. Many of the company’s properties had been
war-damaged and repaired, and there were no claims outstanding
against the War Damage Commission. On the other hand, the replacement
of such items as plant, linen, glass, china, cutlery, and plate had
fallen into arrears, and £2,500 had been put into a special fund to
replace them when conditions improved. General Manager J. C. Smith
was stated to have rendered conspicuous service during a very
difficult and trying period.
Clark’s
best-known bread was called ‘Cream o’ the South’ and by the
1950s Clark’s Vienna bread and wedding cakes were their speciality.
In 1957 the firm celebrated its 70th
anniversary with a grand dinner and dance at Hove Town Hall. It was
recorded that Alderman A. J. Clark, son of the founder, had, as a
young man, studied the latest improvements in flour milling in France
and Germany.
In May 1976 Clark’s sold off its
bread interest to Rank, Hovis, McDougall. Most of the delivery vans
were also set to go because it was planned to reduce the number of
its Sussex shops to around twenty. There were some redundancies, but
it was said the firm would still be baking bread for its own shops,
and would continue with its frozen food interests. The chairman was
Leon Keene. However, in October 1976 Clark’s went bankrupt with the
loss of 368 jobs.
Farming Matters at Goldstone Farm
In August 1881 J. J. Clark wrote
to the chairman of the Police Committee pointing out the
unsatisfactory state of the water supply in the event of a fire
breaking out at Goldstone Farm. As well as his house, there were
seven cottages nearby, stabling and cow-stalls containing over 30
horses and around 40 cows. Besides these, there were other buildings
and valuable equipment too. The Chief Superintendent replied that the
nearest water-main in Hove – except for a 2-inch pipe – was in
Conway Street, and there was a hydrant in this main at the top of
Goldstone Street. The Hove Commissioners agreed they would install a
fire-plug near Goldstone Farm as soon as the water-main was laid
there.
In 1901 Hove Council needed some
of Clark’s land north of Old Shoreham in order to create Hove Park.
It was stated that Clark had invested a large outlay in bringing the
land into tip-top condition by continuous trenching, manuring, and
cultivation, thus converting sheep grazing and corn production to a
first-class market garden. Consequently, Clark was awarded
compensation amounting to £2,501, while Hove Council had to find
£14,600 to purchase the land from the Stanford Estate. It is
interesting to note the exact nature of the crops Clark grew, as
recorded in Council Minutes:
390 rods – asparagus beds (7
years old)
167 rods – asparagus beds (6
years old)
226 rods – asparagus roots for
forcing (6 years old)
178 rods – asparagus roots for
forcing (5 years old)
347 asparagus roots for planting
28 rods – sprouting broccoli
237 rods – broccoli and Brussels
sprouts
496 rods – vacant after
cauliflowers
248 rods – vacant after cabbages
76 rods – spring cabbages
226 rods – vacant after potatoes
36 rods – parsley
375 rods – double white
narcissus
29 rods – pheasant’s eye
narcissus
92 rods – green euonymus
198 rods – black and red currant
trees
90 rods – chalk pit piece
Some Workers at Goldstone Farm
In 1898 two workers at the farm
were William Walker of 11 Victoria Cottages, Hove, and Barton West
of Upper Portslade. Unfortunately, the two two men were involved in a
fracas on 2 August 1898. Witness Edward Goff stated that when they
were standing outside the chalk pits, one of them said ‘Let’s go
in and have it out.’ So in they went and fought each other for two
rounds, both ending up on the ground. Then as West was about to
leave, Weller pulled out a knife and stabbed West in the back. Nobody
knew the cause of the fracas, but Weller was drunk at the time. It
was fortunate that West did not suffer a fatal wounding. Indeed, by
20 August 1898 he had recovered enough to be able to give evidence in
court, although the wound was not yet healed.
During
the First World War Clark provided a living for 320 employees.
Naturally, with so many men called to the colours, he had to employ
some women too. One such worker was Lilian Bond who milked the cows
and worked in the market garden. The hard work obviously did her no
harm, and she was able to celebrate her 100th
birthday in 1983, by which time she was living in Falconhurst, New
Church Road, Hove.
Goldstone Farm Cottages
These
seven cottages occupied a site later to be covered by Fonthill Road.
They were not built as a terrace and there were two semi-detached
cottages. Henry Porter, writing in 1897, described them thus, ‘The
crude style in vogue among our ancestors can … be discerned in
contemplating the couple of antique Wealden habitations that occupy a
nitch (sic) under the brow of the hill leading to Goldstone Farm.’
A watercolour drawing of them was made in 1885. When the cottages
were demolished in the 20th
century, the date ‘1750’ was found under the eaves.
In census returns the occupants
were listed under Goldstone Bottom, and they worked as agricultural
labourers, cow-men, and shepherds, although in 1851 and 1861 William
Mills, farm bailiff, also lived there.
The cottages were relatively
small, and some of them were very crowded. For example, in 1891
number 2 was occupied by William Gent, his wife, four sons, and three
daughters. At number 5 was Arthur Souter, aged 31, who worked as an
agricultural labourer and a carter, and lived with his wife, one son
and four daughters. At number 7 lived 40-year old Thomas Studart, his
son, two daughters, plus two lodgers, both agricultural labourers.
In 1896 the cottages were occupied
by the following men and their families:
Thomas Studart
Thomas Balcombe
William Baker
George Weller
Thomas Cruse
Arthur Souter
Richard Weller
With regard to William Baker mentioned above, it seems he moved about
a bit, unless of course there were two men of the same name living in
the area. But according to census records in 1891 William Baker was
living at 78 Ellen Street, Hove, with his wife Eleanor, and their
three daughters Eleanor 3, Amy 2, and Alice, aged two months. Then by
1901 he was to be found in West Sussex, at Broadwater, East Preston,
where he had additional mouths to feed because there were three more
daughters, Bessie, Amy, and Agnes, and no doubt a longed-for son
Ernest aged five months. By 1911 the family occupied 1 Goldstone Farm
Cottages. After the First World War, daughter Eleanor married a
soldier who hailed from Glasgow, and the couple moved to South
Africa. (Information kindly supplied by N. Head.)
In around 1900 Mrs Juden and Mrs Peacock lived in the semi-detached cottages, and Mrs Peacock was well-known locally because she sold sweets. In 1902 number 2 was reported to Hove Council because it was overcrowded, and it was stated that five children slept in the back bedroom. The occupants were given seven days in which to reduce the number of children in the back bedroom to three, although how this was achieved is not clear.
The date of demolition is also
unclear. In August 1945 the cottages were described as having been
destroyed ‘in quite modern times’. This cannot be accurate since
St Agnes Church was built where some of them had been located,
although the last cottage did last until 1968.
Sources
Brighton Herald
Brighton Gazette (September 1873)
Brighton Gazette (September 1873)
Census returns
Encyclopaedia of Hove and
Portslade
Sussex
Daily News (18
December 1935)
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