James Gray: I do not know when Ovingdean Hall was built, but for all the present century it has been a school. At first, it was a small preparatory school but now it is part of the large school for partially deaf children. Additional Information: According to Pevsner, of late 18th century foundation. jgc_33_036
2020: Ovingdean House, as it was originally called, was built in 1792 by Nathaniel Kemp – the uncle of the founder of Kemp Town, Thomas Read Kemp.
In 1891 it became a school for ‘young gentlemen’ and the name was changed to Ovingdean Hall. The school closed at the start of the Second World War and the grounds were occupied by elements of the Canadian Army. After the war, the hall and its extensive walled grounds were sold to an organisation named the Brighton Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. The Institution opened a school in 1947, which closed at short notice in 2010. The building then became Ovingdean Hall International Language College. At the time this photograph was taken, the college appeared to be closed and the building under repair, with the grounds being used for the training of police dogs. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
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