James Gray: The crossroads, looking west towards the Dyke. The year is unknown, but thought to be the late 1950s or 1960, long before the traffic lights were installed. jgc_26_001
2018: The James Gray image is undated but the road was widened and lamp posts installed along the length of Dyke Road Avenue and Dyke Road in the early 1960s. See jgc_26_009 below for a 1961 view of the last stages of the road widening.
James Gray: A rather unusual, and distant view of this now busy road. Taken in January 1957 from the large field, to the east of Redhill Reservoir, now covered by the houses of Whitethorn Drive and looking to the crossroads. jgc_26_002
2018: Now Whitehorne Drive is behind the hedge on Dyke Road Avenue. At the far end, the top houses are on the old Reservoir site. The 1957 photo shows the corner of one of the blocks of Woodland Court and a tree at the top of the Three Cornered Copse. The trees have grown up so much that in 2018 Woodland Court can hardly be seen under the branches on the left. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: Just as World War 2 was about to begin, this large house was built between Green Ridge and Brighton Corporation’s Dyke Road Reservoir. It could be approached only by this private drive. After a short life of only about 30 years or so, the site was sold for redevelopment, and the house was demolished in July 1974. It is proposed to build eleven detached houses here. Date of photographs – July 8 1973. jgc_26_005
James Gray: Just as World War 2 was about to begin, this large house was built between Green Ridge and Brighton Corporation’s Dyke Road Reservoir. It could be approached only by this private drive. After a short life of only about 30 years or so, the site was sold for redevelopment, and the house was demolished in July 1974. It is proposed to build eleven detached houses here. Date of photographs – July 8 1973. A different view. jgc_26_006
2018: See caption for jgc_26_005 above. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: A distant view, showing the private drive. jgc_26_007
2018: See caption for jgc_26_005 above. The name of the now demolished house – Shaughnessy – can be seen on the ‘Sold’ sign on the James Gray image. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: Concealed from view behind this high hedge was a large field. For some years this was an additional playing field for the Grammar School and the Old Grammarians Football Club played here in the 1930s. Photographed in January 1957. The houses of Whitethorn Drive were built here soon afterwards. jgc_26_008
2018: The grey utility vehicle on the right is waiting to come out of Valley Drive. The houses in Whitethorne Drive can be seen behind the hedge. The backs of the three houses built on the old reservoir site can be seen above the red car. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: Widening and making up the old country road just short of the crossroads, 24 September 1961. jgc_26_009
2018: The 1961 image shows the road widening completed and the entrance to The Heights and Hilltop on the right. The Hill Top Café entrance is just beyond the fence. In 2018 the crossroads have been replaced by a roundabout and there is a bridge over the A27 Brighton and Hove bypass beyond, leading to another roundabout on the dual carriageway A27 road. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
Text is being prepared or edited for this entry. It will be available soon.
James Gray: Cows grazing in the field surrounding the coppice on the brow of the hill 28 July 1938. This coppice is still there in the region of Windmill Drive and Bramble Rise. jgc_26_018
2018: The good news is that it is still there looking taller and thicker than before. This view is Bramble Rise where the coppice forms about a 75 yard section of the north side of the road. Houses in Windmill Drive share the coppice at the bottom of their back gardens. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: The view to the south-east from over the hedge boundary by the tea shack on Redhill, 28 July 1938. The coppice is seen in the middle distance. A refreshment kiosk is still in the same place today, but the house in Green Ridge obscures the view. jgc_26_019
2018: This image was taken within feet of the original view which is now blocked by the houses on The Heights. Note the gated Hill Top development. There is a good chance that the coppice shown in the middle distance in the previous 1938 image jgc_26_018 is the same one as in Bramble Rise today. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: Berea House, at the corner of Dyke Road Place, 19 June 1960. After the sale of this property, part of the garden was cut off and occupied by Aylwin House. The roadway was then being channelled and the footpath paved. jgc_26_024
2018: There was considerable concern locally when permission was given to cram in a small detached house on the side garden of Berea House. However, it was well designed with only kitchen, utility and bathroom windows facing the nearest side of Berea House. The entrance into Dyke Road Avenue was blocked off with matching bricks.
James Gray: The Spinney. A small group of houses built in the early 1970s and having some association with Tongdean Farm which was formerly here. jgc _26_026
2018: See jgc_17_ 132 below for text. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: Westwood, No. 64. I do not know when this was built as names of houses often change, but it must have had a short life as it has since been demolished. jgc_26_027
2018: The replacement house is larger but of a similar style to Westwood. It is directly opposite Dyke Close from where the photo was taken. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: The reservoir on the high ground at the top of the Avenue. Now, somewhat surprisingly, houses are being built here. jgc_26_028
2018: The houses seen behind the wall in the James Gray photo are the new houses in The Heights and Hill Top development. They are behind the three houses built on the old reservoir site with their backs facing Dyke Road Avenue. Today, the wall remains but the houses are largely hidden by the foliage. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: The junction of the narrow Toads Hole Road with the equally narrow Mill Road, Patcham and Dyke Road. Shortly afterwards Mill Road was widened but the narrow road on the Hove side remained for several years. jgc_36_104
2018: This junction was radically altered when the nearby section of the Brighton Bypass was constructed in 1996. The simple crossroads gave way to a roundabout, with a bridge over the new bypass and a second roundabout beyond that.
James Gray: This was the first school playing field. [Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School?] No clue as to the period, but certainly before 1900. The field was to the west of Dyke Road, between Hill Brow and Tongdean Road, adjoining Tongdean Farm, parts of which are seen in the background. Now covered by the large houses in Dyke Road Avenue, Hove. jgc_17_103
James Gray: I do not know when this farm was established, nor have I been able to obtain any information about its early history. Old directories do not help. The end of the farm came in 1936 when the farm buildings were demolished and the land sold for development. Here, taken from the south, are photographs [see also jgc_17_125] of the long byres, this on 10 June 1936. In this photograph the house seen in the bottom corner is 48 Dyke Road Avenue. jgc_17_126
James Gray: Two more photographs of the farm buildings during the demolition in 1936. This view [right] is from the south and shows the rear of the large barns and the farm cottages. jgc_17_127
James Gray: This photograph [left] was taken from Dyke Road Avenue, the low building behind the high wall was converted to a private dwelling and is now 53A Dyke Road Avenue. jgc_17_128
2019: In the 1936 image it is quite difficult to make out the low dark gable end of the building which is just visible behind the wall, as it is largely obscured by the lower branches of the tree.
James Gray: The breakthrough prior to the laying out of the small cul-de-sac known as The Spinney. Date – 21 January 1968. The low bungalow was one of the last links with Tongdean Farm, broken up in 1936. Look back for two pages and you will see this as a low farm building behind the same brick wall. jgc_17_132
2018: The low bungalow is April Cottage, No 9 The Spinney. The bay window has been added, the chimney stacks and the walls along Dyke Road Avenue have gone.
James Gray: The last plot of open building land in Dyke Road Avenue, date – 3 March 1968. Despite the pegs and bricks it is still undeveloped eighteen months later and it may be years before anything is built here. jgc_17_133
2018: Whilst the house on the right in the old photograph (56 Dyke Road Avenue) remains outwardly unchanged, the adjacent building plot is now occupied by a large detached dwelling, numbered 58-60 Dyke Road Avenue. (Photographer: Alan Hobden)
James Gray: Hidden from view by trees and dense foliage, this large house [Milldean] lay back about 100 yards from [Dyke Road] Avenue with its main rooms facing south. Originally called Mill View, it was built in 1907 and demolished in 1964. The mill would, of course, be Blatchington Mill. Photographed in March 1963. jgc_17_121
James Gray: See caption for jgc_17_121 above. jgc_17_122
James Gray: A rare view of the pond [at Tongdean Farm] which was a great attraction to children walking along the country Dyke Road. It was just to the south of the road, a few yards away and adjoined the long barn seen in several other photographs [see also jgc_17_125, 126, 127 and 128 on this page] of this farm. Dyke Road is just out of the picture to the right but at the rear can be seen the farmhouse, now the present 61 Dyke Road Avenue. jgc_17_123
James Gray: I do not know when this farm [Tongdean Farm] was established, nor have I been able to obtain any information about its early history. Old directories do not help. The end of the farm came in 1936 when the farm buildings were demolished and the land sold for development. Here, taken from the south, are photographs [see also jgc_17_126] of the long byres, this in early spring. jgc_17_125