Hazelden’s Nursery
James Gray: This was opened in 1884 by Mr Mark Hazleden and carried on by his son and grandson. It covered an area of 6 acres adjoining Dyke Road Avenue, with fourteen glasshouses. It lay to the north-west of the old houses Fairhaven and the Den, photographs of which appear on other pages. Photographed 21 March 1965, it was cleared at an auction sale on 19 May. An estate of expensive houses is now being built here. jgc_26_029
2018: The 1965 photo shows the drive into Hazelden’s Nursery.
James Gray: Hazelden’s Nurseries – see caption jgc_26_029 above. jgc_26_030
2018: The 1965 photo shows much the same view as previous one [jgc_26_029] but from about 20 yards to the right. The 2018 photo is slightly wider angle and also shows the monkey puzzle tree which stood in front of Mr Hazelden’s bungalow. The spelling of Hazelden as used here is correct: the nursery was owned by the Hazelden family although the housing estate which replaced it is Hazeldene. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: These two photographs, of 1965, show the extent of the long frontage to the nurseries. Note the absence of traffic in this quiet and select road, quite different from the mass of vehicles which now use it as a short cut to the Brighton by-pass. jgc_26_031
2018: The 1965 photo shows the monkey puzzle tree in front of the Hazelden’s bungalow, Fairhaven is behind the sign, with the Den to the right.
James Gray: These two photographs, of 1965, show the extent of the long frontage to the nurseries. Note the absence of traffic in this quiet and select road, quite different from the mass of vehicles which now use it as a short cut to the Brighton by-pass. jgc_26_032
2018: The 1965 photo shows the monkey puzzle tree in front of the Hazelden’s Bungalow, the large tree at the entrance. The large house is Tagdown, 24 Dyke Road Avenue and the tall monkey puzzle tree is in the front garden of No 26.
The 2018 photo shows the last tall tree in the middle of the picture is the old tree by the old nursery entrance with the Monkey Puzzle hidden by new trees. No 24 Dyke Road Avenue had its side garden sold off and a detached house built now No 22. The tall Monkey Puzzle tree in No 26 survived the 1987 Hurricane only to succumb to a storm in January 1990 just missing the house when it fell. jgc_32_032 (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
The Den, Dyke Road Avenue
James Gray: The oldest of the private houses in Dyke Road Avenue, it was built in 1884. Set well back from the road and screened by numbers of tall trees it presented a forbidding exterior and few Brightonians can have explored the extensive grounds of about 4 acres, which, at one time, extended right back to Withdean Road. jgc_26_040
2018: This was the site of The Den, 14, Dyke Road Avenue, which was not actually the oldest house in Dyke Road Avenue as No 26, for example, was built before the 1870s.
James Gray: Here can be seen the front façade which faced roughly west, and the side and rear faces. The extensive southern expanse of glass was probably a later extension of the original house. From a newspaper cutting: “A fortune – for animals. When Mrs Louise Marion Grenville, of Dyke Road Avenue, Brighton, died in April she left £98,042 net (duty paid £21,684). She left a house at Egham Hill, Surrey, and £1,800 to her companion housekeeper Marie Stewart, a caravan and £500 to her gardener, Mr John McQueen, £1,000 to her solicitor, Mr Joseph W Parker, of Worthing, and her house at 16 Dyke Road Avenue to Mr Bernard C Elliott of that address. The residue of her estate is to be divided equally between the PDSA and the National Canine Defence League”. jgc_26_041
James Gray: Another photograph of this house, probably taken about 1964/5 when it looks as if a sale of the contents was on. Part of rear elevation. jgc_26_049
2018: jgc_26_041 shows the north-east back of The Den with the south-east garden side with large windows taking advantage of the view down the lawn. The close up in jgc_26_049 of the south-east front shows the house is in good condition. It is not possible to get any 2018 photos at the same location as the places where they were taken in 1964 are in the back gardens of several houses in Hazeldene Meads. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: The large expanse of lawn flanked by trees, which extended southwards from the side of the house, large enough for three tennis courts. jgc_26_042
2018: This view is from the south-east corner of Hazeldene Meads and shows the area which was formerly The Den’s back garden. The large tree by the lamp post marks the spot where The Den stood and its sweeping lawns, as seen in the 1964 image, would have covered today’s road and the front gardens of the houses seen here. (Photographer: Hugh Robinson)
James Gray: In its life of 80 years, the house seems to have been occupied by only two families. Built for Mr P Lybbe, it was occupied by his family until 1921. By the next year the occupant was Mr P M B Grenville and it remained with this family until 1964. See also the newspaper cutting with jgc_26_041. jgc_26_043
More images of The Den, 14 Dyke Road Avenue, including the coachman’s house
James Gray: Here are four more photographs of this house, probably taken about 1964-5 when it looks as if a sale of the contents was on. They show the lintel over the front door, the greenhouses in the expansive gardens, the side of the house with people and a part of the rear elevation. People viewing the house. jgc_26_037, 044, 045, 046, 047 & 048
Fairhaven
James Gray: This was one of the first two houses in Dyke Road Avenue. It was built in 1887 and was preceded only by The Den (1884). Distinctly smaller than most of other houses in this area, it was built in the style of a small villa. Photographs taken on 21 June 1964 show the front and rear of the house and the old stables in the rear garden. Before long this and adjoining buildings are to be demolished and a large site will be redeveloped. jgc_26_050, 051, 052, 053, 054, 055, 056