Church Road (3)

James Gray: The grocer’s shop of Mr Daniel Shaw at the corner of George Street and Church Road in 1868. The modernised shop, was known as Shaw’s Stores. In those days, Church Road extended only from Hova Villas to George Street on the north and from Albany Villas to Osborne Street on the south, and was known as Church Street, Cliftonville. jgc_13_039

2018: Daniel Shaw, grocer, and family were shown to be at 12-13 Church Street in 1867 and in the 1871 and 1881 censuses. By the mid-1920s his son Alfred Daniel Shaw was on the register of electors at the shop, now renumbered as 153-155 Church Road.

James Gray: Parsons Store and Yard had been here for a century when it was given up in 1960. Formerly it extended well out across the present road, as can be seen by a study of the many earlier photographs in this volume. It was cut back to this size when Church Road was straightened and widened about 1900. The date of the two photographs is 1 May 1960, and the buildings were demolished in December 1965. Presumably at some future date the site will be used for an extension to Hove Library. Accurate information about these two dwelling houses behind the store is very scanty. It seems that they first formed part of a group of houses called Providence Place, which is mentioned in Directories as far back as 1859. By the turn of the century they were known as 7 and 8 Connaught Place and in recent years just as 178 and 180 Church Road.  jgc_13_059

James Gray: Parsons Store and Yard had been here for a century when it was given up in 1960. Formerly it extended well out across the present road, as can be seen by a study of the many earlier photographs in this volume. It was cut back to this size when Church Road was straightened and widened about 1900. The date of the two photographs is 1 May 1960, and the buildings were demolished in December 1965. Presumably at some future date the site will be used for an extension to Hove Library.  jgc_13_060

James Gray: The printing works of Emery & Son, 170 Church Road, after the serious fire of 1922. When rebuilt, the premises were extended more to the east, eliminating the garden.  jgc_13_061

2018: Church Road has kept the same numbering as in this image from 1922, so No 170 is easily identifiable as the building at the corner of Church Road and Vallance Road. As noted in the original description, the building has been extended eastwards, retaining the same style and with a fine turret room added on the fourth floor. The ground floor now houses the offices of Mishon Mackay estate agents. (Photographer: David Sears)

James Gray: The old rental office of the gasworks. Built in 1860, it was originally the office of the Engineer and General manager. After its demolition in 1932, the present gas showrooms were built on the site.  jgc_13_062

2018: The gasworks and gas showrooms are all long gone. The site was eventually purchased and redeveloped by Tesco, a supermarket chain, and the south-western corner facing on to Church Road now houses a Costa Coffee café on the first floor for the use of shoppers.

James Gray: View of the offices of the Hove Echo, in Church Road at the west corner of George Street – period between 1890 and 1900. In 1902 the offices were moved to Stone Street, Brighton, where the business of Clifton Elmutt Ltd was. The paper survived the move to Brighton by only a year or two. Note that this building is quite different from the house seen in the St Aubyns photograph on another page. That was a large private house occupied by Henry Pinker, the stonemason, later demolished and replaced by the present building. jgc_13_074

2018: 157 and 159 Church Road have retained their original numbering but the references to the Hove Echo offices and Clifton Newsagents have been painted over. The layout of the windows has, however, been retained. The two shops currently house Gail’s Bakery, on the western corner of George Street, and BrightOn Smiles, offering cosmetic dental treatment. (Photographer: David Sears)

James Gray: The shops of A.E. Bishop, Grocer and provision merchant, at 159 and 161, Church Road, near the corner of George Street, in 1912. These shops were here until 1921.  jgc_13_102

2018: This is one of several images showing shops and offices along Church Road, in this case on the northern side, just west of the junction with George Street. No 159 now houses BrightOn Smiles, a dental clinic, and No 161 serves as an office for Fox & Sons, estate agents. Although the signage has changed, the numbering and the first-floor windows remain unchanged. (Photographer: David Sears)

James Gray: Photographs of the outfitters shop at the corner of George Street (now Broadly Bros.) jgc_13_105

2018: This is one of several images of the shop on the western corner of George Street and Church Road. It is still numbered 157 and for the moment trades as Gail’s Bakery. The signage on the wall above the door has gone, otherwise the building remains as it was when first photographed. The kerbside is however cluttered with lamps, road signs and traffic lights. (Photographer: David Sears)

James Gray: The scene in Church Road and Connaught Road, in March 1970. When the Motor Dealer’s business on the corner closed, the rear of the premises, extending along Connaught Road were demolished and completely rebuilt in their present form. Later the ground floor showroom was used as a furniture shop. jgc_13_070

2018: This corner plot on the corner of Connaught Road and Church Road has been fully redeveloped, with an eight-storey block of glass-fronted red-tiled flats now occupying the site of the motor garage and petrol station shown in the original photo.

James Gray: The scene in Church Road and Connaught Road, in March 1970. When the Motor Dealer’s business on the corner closed, the rear of the premises, extending along Connaught Road were demolished and completely rebuilt in their present form. Later the ground floor showroom was used as a furniture shop. jgc_13_071

2018: This corner plot on the corner of Connaught Road and Church Road has been fully redeveloped, with an eight-storey block of glass-fronted red-tiled flats now occupying the site of the motor garage and petrol station shown in the original photo.

James Gray: James Edwards opened his shop in a part of these corner premises in 1891 and Mr G. H. Broadly seems to have come into the business in the late 1920s. jgc_13_106

2018: This is one of several images of the shop on the western corner of George Street and Church Road. It is still numbered 157 and for the moment trades as Gail’s Bakery. The signage on the wall above the door has gone, otherwise the building remains as it was when first photographed. The kerbside is however cluttered with lamps, road signs and traffic lights. (Photographer: David Sears)

James Gray: A 1913 photograph, looking east from the corner of Seafield Road. Note the side garden at the corner of Ventnor Villas. jgc_13_126

2018: The modern image, taken early on a clear cold Sunday morning in February, shows Church Road relatively free of traffic. In the far distance, on the northern side of Church Road, the lower concrete replacement for the original Town Hall, which burnt down in January 1966, is just visible. The building is currently undergoing renovation.

James Gray: The extreme western end of Church Road. Just out of sight at the left was Sackville Road while on the right is the entrance to Connaught Road. By the large stacks of bricks it looks as if the houses fronting Church Road were just about to be built. This site had been a gravel pit, which extended some distance up Sackville Road. The basements of the first few houses on the east side of Sackville Road were built in this pit. jgc_13_072

James Gray: Just a little further east and probably a few years later. Here again the entrance to Connaught Road can be seen on the left but by now houses had been built on the vacant sites. The large trees west of Parsons’ buildings were on land owned by Mr. Livesey of Ivy Lodge. These were removed about 1903/1904 and the Public Library was erected on this site in 1906. jgc_13_073

2018: Four images, JGC_13_070 to jgc_13_073, show how much the western end of Church Road has changed – in this case almost entirely for the better. In 1893, Brighton Steam Brewery still owned the brewery jutting out from the west side of Osborne Villas to form the ‘brewery bunion’; the brewery was then bought by Tamplins and demolished in 1902. Hove Library, on the near right, was built four years later.

James Gray: 172-176 in 1912, showing also Parsons’ Store and yard on the right, cleared away in 1965. jgc_13_016

2018: Nos 172-176 Church Road have retained their original numbering and are therefore easily identifiable as shops and offices now trading as Natural Beauty, a cosmetic studio, and Lextons and MyLets, property letting and estate agents. Sidney Hole, a dairy farmer who owned the Hygienic Dairies with its impressive array of horse-drawn delivery carts, died in 1956.

James Gray: View from Church Street, Cliftonville, down Albany Villas. A very old photograph of the period 1868 -1872. jgc_13_103

2018: Albany Villas, one of the first roads to be developed by George Gallard, is now in the Cliftonville Conservation area. Nos 1-5 at the far end, all still in single-ownership, are Grade II listed. The villas remain largely intact, including some with fanciful towers and external decorations, although most have been split internally into flats. Work is currently in progress on two undeveloped plots to the right of the picture.

James Gray: The caption on this photograph tells its sad story. A funeral service at the church for a child killed in an accident with a car, in February 1913. Seemingly such an accident was then so rare as to warrant a photograph. Little did people know of the carnage that lay ahead! Additional Information: Hove motor car fatality; funeral of little Gladys Page, Feb.18, 1913. jgc_13_051

James Gray: With the widening of Church Road, the barn had to be removed. Some years earlier, Lewers Terrace (now 188-214 Church Road) had been built, and the site was needed for the building of the present Hove Library. This photograph, looking south shows an expansive chimney, the size of which suggests that it might have been the chimney of the old smithy (see jgc_13_063).  jgc_13_066

2018: Four images (jgc_13_063 to 066) show the old tithe barn in its prime in the 1890s and then in an increasingly dilapidated state before demolition in 1906 to make way for Hove Library – a fine building with an ornate Renaissance-style front, which opened to the public in 1908.

James Gray: This photograph was almost certainly taken at the same period as the three photographs above, of which it is merely an extension westwards. The Connaught Hotel can be seen on the right. On the extreme left can be seen the backs of Dial House and St Aubyns Gardens. jgc_13_065

2018: Four images (jgc_13_063 to 066) show the old tithe barn in its prime in the 1890s and then in an increasingly dilapidated state before demolition in 1906 to make way for Hove Library – a fine building with an ornate Renaissance-style front, which opened to the public in 1908.

James Gray: Here can be seen the North wall of the barn and Church Road. It is probable that the manhole seen in the road is that which is now in Church Road at the entrance to Connaught Road. To the east are old farm buildings on the site of the later Lewers Terrace. The chimneys may be of Hove Cottage. The photographs probably date from the 1890s. jgc_13_064 

2018: Four Images (jgc_13_ 063 to 066) show the old tithe barn in its prime in the 1890s and then in an increasingly dilapidated state before demolition in 1906 to make way for Hove Library – a fine building with an ornate Renaissance-style front, which opened to the public in 1908.

 James Gray: This formerly stood a little to the east of Hove Street with its North wall facing Church Road. The age of this barn is not known, but on the south side it adjoined the old smithy which is thought to have been in existence in the 13th century. One wonders if the fireplace and chimney breast are relics of this smithy! To the left can be seen houses in Connaught Road and the School, opened in 1884. On the right are backs of the houses in Providence Place, which then numbered four, instead of two as at present. jgc_13_063

James Gray: Old buildings facing the gas works, Hove. The row of elm trees were where Hove library is now. Builders, Parsons & Sons, occupied the adjoining building while to the south were the few houses of Providence Place. Between the two buildings were the Nurseries of Balchin and Nell, with the entrance in the left foreground. The cottage, known locally as Gas Cottage, was originally a public house and was probably built about 1850. This stood just to the north of the entrance to the present Vallance Road. The building on the extreme left is 166 Church Road, now occupied by Galliers, electrical goods shop. The protruding buildings and the trees were removed later in 1902, and the road widened to its present width. jgc_13_040

 James Gray: After the demolition and clearance of Parsons, Builders Store, seen in another page, in 1965, the empty space was used as a car park for the adjoining Hove Public Library. Many people hoped that the Library would be extended here. Photographed in December 1969, the site was later sold and now, in 1984, a large office building is being erected. Another sacrifice to the mania of disposing of publicly owned land. jgc_13_037

James Gray: This remarkable photograph is a copy of one taken in 1869 from the window of one of the newly built houses St Aubyns. The gas works were erected in 1835 and gas was manufactured here until 1870 when the Portslade works were opened. These buildings were then removed and replaced by gasometers. The photograph also shows St Andrew’s Church, George Street School, Gas Cottage (referred to on another page) and the Gas manager’s house at the extreme left.