between Sackville Road and Boundary/Station Road
James Gray: Looking west, from opposite Hove Cemetery, on 8 February 1966, before this section of Old Shoreham Road had been widened. jgc_16_137
2019: JGB Marshall built the lodge and the walls which are built of picked flint with red brick piers 12 feet apart. The glasshouses have been demolished and replaced by a memorial garden. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: The premises of Rooke’s, the stone masons, with the adjoining Sackville Nurseries, period not known. Judging by the chalk seen on the railway embankment on the left it may be that the rails of The Dyke railway had just been removed, so the year may be 1939. All these buildings were removed in 1963 and the area was laid out for industrial purposes. jgc_16_138
James Gray: The end of the nurseries. These closed down in 1960 and the land and houses were disposed of.
James Gray: The premises of Rooke’s, the stone masons, with the adjoining Sackville Nurseries, period not known. Judging by the chalk seen on the railway embankment on the left it may be that the rails of the Dyke Railway had just been removed, so the year may be 1939. All these buildings were removed in 1963 and the area was laid out for industrial purposes. jgc_16_139 and jgc_16_140
2018: Rooke & Sons Stonemasons was present opposite Hove Cemetery in a photograph taken in 1909. It was demolished in 1963 and the site is now occupied by the Majestic Wine Warehouse. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: When Old Shoreham Road was widened, channelled and paved, about 1930, traffic was comparatively light and the awkward bends presented little problem. Now, this once country road forms part of the busy A27, which is gradually being widened throughout and the stretch seen above is undergoing straightening and widening as well as a levelling out of the steep gradient to the east.
James Gray: See caption for jgc_16_141 above. jgc_16_142
2019: View looking east. The road on the left is English Close where there is a business park and Hove Fire Station. Many trees in the cemetery keeled over during the Great Gale of October 1987. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: See caption for jgc_16_141 above. jgc_16_143
2019: The commercial premises are occupied by Majestic Wine, Halfords Autocentre and PR Industrial – Tools Fixings Hire and Repairs. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: The works of Bennetts’ the stone masons, facing Hove Cemetery, about 1890. It was erected here soon after the cemetery opened in 1880 at which period this area was very remote from Hove which was all then south of the railway line.
James Gray: The changed scene [from jgc_16_144], some 70 years later. In this photograph of April 1960 can be seen Bennetts’ building with part of the Sackville Nurseries beyond. The private house this side of Bennetts’ was built in the early 1930s for Mr English, originally manager and later proprietor of the nurseries. Land on the north side for the extension of the cemetery was bought in 1929. jgc_16_145
James Gray: Four photographs [jgc_16_150, 151, 152 and 153], taken in 1976 at the time of the widening of Old Shoreham Road from Olive Road to Southwick. At the junction with Hangleton Road this involved the removal of the four houses Nos 345-351, and the grassing over of the old pit, which, many years ago, had been a source of water. jgc_16_150 and jgc_16_151
2019: Next to the building with the scaffolding is the Christian Arabic Evangelical Church where people of all ages and nationalities join together for services and meetings. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: See caption for jgc_16_150 above. jgc_16_153
2019: View looking east. On the corner of Old Shoreham Road and Hangleton Road on the left was Knold’s chalk pit (Brighton Corporation Waterworks). It is now the site of Pumphouse social housing. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: Old Shoreham Road, between Holmes Avenue and Sackville Road, was laid out for building in 1930, and allowance for later widening was provided on the north pavement which was twice the width of the south pavement. Similarly, when Nevill Road was projected in 1932, this provision was made on the west pavement and, higher up, on the north side of the road.
James Gray: The south side of Old Shoreham Road was little affected by the widening except for a contraction of the pavement for a bus bay. The purpose of this photograph is to show the changing character of the buildings between Sackville Road and Leighton Road all built early in this century as private dwellings with small front gardens.
James Gray: Looking down Sackville Road from Nevill Road in December 1967, before the widening of either road had commenced. Previously there had been two changes in this part of Sackville Road, originally the old Hove Drove. Early in the 1930s the ground floor of the Sackville Hotel had been built out beyond the original elevation.
James Gray: This photograph of a few years later, in 1933, is interesting because it shows the original façade of the Sackville Hotel, which was altered soon afterwards. jgc_17_072
2018: The site of the garage is now occupied by Furniture Village. The Sackville Hotel is now called the Hove Park Tavern. See also jgc_17_071, 073, 075 and 076. (Photographer: Helen Glass)
James Gray: Bungards, the stone masons, premises being cleared so that the site could be redeveloped 19 April 1963. The motor showrooms of Harringtons are now here. Until 1928 most of this area was allotments with a footpath from the Tamworth Road Arch under the railway coming out just to the right of the open gate shown. Amherst Crescent was built in 1930-31. jgc_16_130
James Gray: Bungards, the stone masons, premises being cleared so that the site could be redeveloped 19 April 1963. The motor showrooms of Harringtons are now here. Until 1928 most of this area was allotments with a footpath from the Tamworth Road Arch under the railway coming out just to the right of the open gate shown. Amherst Crescent was built in 1930-31. jgc_16_131
James Gray: Bungards, the stone masons, premises being cleared so that the site could be redeveloped 19 April 1963. The motor showrooms of Harringtons are now here. Until 1928 most of this area was allotments with a footpath from the Tamworth Road Arch under the railway coming out just to the right of the open gate shown. Amherst Crescent was built in 1930-31. jgc_16_132
James Gray: Two more photographs of 19 April 1963, at the same time of the clearance of Bungard’s stone masons premises to make way for Harrington’s Motor Showrooms. The large coach building works of Thomas Harrington Ltd. were built in 1929 in what was a large meadow, part of Holmes Farm, and known as Pole Field because in a part of it GPO telephones kept a supply of their massive telephone poles. jgc_16_133 and jgc_16_134
2019: Harrington’s, selling the now extinct Humber, Hillman and Sunbeam brands, was replaced by Harwoods, selling Jaguar Land Rover cars. Harwoods was demolished in 2020 for the construction of self-storage and office space. The coach building works was later occupied by British Telecom and then demolished. The site is now occupied by PC World and the Martlets charity shop. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: During the widening of this major road in the 1970s, the girders of the old bridge, which carried the road over the Dyke Railway, were uncovered. jgc_16_135
2019: The bridge carried the road over the Dyke Railway. Where the railway used to be, there is an alleyway linking Old Shoreham Road with Acacia Avenue and Maple Gardens. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: The gaunt side walls of Harrington Motors premises, in the 1960s, looking north, with the large trees in Hove Cemetery at the right. jgc_16_136
2019: This site is now occupied by Currys PC World which sells computers and other electronic equipment. Hove Cemetery is on the right. I can’t see that the original image can have been looking north if the cemetery was on the right. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: These three photographs [jgc_16_147, 148 and 149] provide a good illustration of how slowly officialdom moves in the 1960s and 70s. It having been stated in 1964 that the portion of this busy road between the Southwick boundary and Olive Road would soon be widened, I had this photograph taken on 14 July 1964.
James Gray: These three photographs [jgc_16_147, 148 and 149] provide a good illustration of how slowly officialdom moves in the 1960s and 70s. It having been stated in 1964 that the portion of this busy road between the Southwick boundary and Olive Road, would soon be widened, I had this photograph taken on 14 July 1964. This looks east along the Old Shoreham Road. jgc_16_148
James Gray: Iver House, 176 Old Shoreham Road, photographed about 1930. This house was built at the corner of Leighton Road in 1904 and occupied by the builder, Mr Chadwell. He built many other houses in this district including the red brick houses between Sackville Road and Leighton Road. The house, which had stables in the rear, was demolished in 1938 and shops and garages were built on the site. The adjoining house, No 178, is still there. jgc_16_123
James Gray: Five photographs taken by Mr E W Holden of Brighton and Hove Shop-fitting Co. during 1959 and 1960. jgc_16_126
2018: The petrol pumps have gone, and an upmarket car dealership built on the site, demolished in 2020 for the construction of self-storage and office space. (Photographer: Mark Stephenson)
James Gray: Five photographs taken by Mr E W Holden of Brighton and Hove Shop-fitting Co. during 1959 and 1960. A good view of the greenhouses of English’s Nurseries, while the adjoining building was for many years occupied by Rooke’s the Stonemasons. Until about 1930 this building and Bennetts, seen on another page, were the only buildings in this part of Old Shoreham Road. jgc_16_127
2018: The whole area has been rebuilt. A former petrol station canopy still stands as part of a wine retailer. (Photographer: Mark Stephenson)
James Gray: See caption for jgc_16_127 above. jgc_16_128
2018: The building on the right survives but the area to the left, down the hill, has been rebuilt, sometimes twice, since the original photo was taken. (Photographer: Mark Stephenson)
James Gray: About 1908, these four houses were built, at the corner of what was then a narrow country lane leading to Hangleton Farm and to the distant St Helen’s Church. In later years known as 361-367 Old Shoreham Road, they were just within the Hove borough, although the buildings they faced across the road were in Portslade. It is said that one of the first occupiers was the Secretary of West Hove Golf Club.
James Gray: See caption jgc_16_154 above. jgc_16_155
2018: This is a view looking north-northeast. On the right is The Pump House which is a development of social housing properties. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: See caption jgc_16_154 above. jgc_16_156
2018: View looking west showing this busy road junction at the boundary between Hove and Portslade. To the left is Carlton Terrace, Portslade and Carlton House flats. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)
James Gray: The 1914-18 War Memorial in the old Hove Cemetery. Period not known, probably the early 1920s. jgc_37_147
2019: The First World War memorial in the ‘old’ cemetery is very well maintained. Across the Old Shoreham Road in the ‘new’ cemetery is a war memorial for subsequent conflicts. (Photographer: Mark Stephenson)
James Gray: Aerial view of Hove. The particular point of interest in this photograph is that it shows the Dyke Railway line leaving the main line and running through the cutting under Old Shoreham Road. After the closure of the line, this cutting was completely filled up and no trace of it now remains. Old Shoreham Road was widened where it had crossed the arch. jgc_37_150
James Gray: Waste land behind Old Shoreham Road, 28 October 1956. For many years this was nursery land and market gardens. Early in 1956 these were given up and later St Joseph’s Close was laid out here and the present factories were built. jgc_16_124
James Gray: [One of] Five photographs taken by Mr E W Holden of Brighton and Hove Shop-fitting Co. during 1959 and 1960. A good view of the grassed-over bank of the old Dyke Railway line. jgc_16_125
James Gray: Old residents of Hove will recall that the Dyke railway, having left Dyke Road Junction Halt, passed under Old Shoreham Road on its winding way to the Dyke. After the closure of the line on 31 December 1938, the railway cutting was filled in and all visible traces of the bridge disappeared. In the mid-1970s Old Shoreham Road was being widened and during the excavations these steel girders were uncovered. These carried the roadway over the railway, which ran in a cutting just to the right of the much later large commercial building. jgc_37_154 and jgc_37_155
2020: The entrance to Maple works has been moved over a few yards.
James Gray: Five photographs [jgc_16_125 to jgc_16_129] taken by Mr E W Holden of Brighton and Hove Shop-fitting Co. during 1959 and 1960. A good view of the greenhouses of English’s Nurseries, while the adjoining building was for many years occupied by Rooke’s the Stonemasons. Until about 1930 this building and Bennetts, seen on another page, were the only buildings in this part of Old Shoreham Road. jgc_16_129