Historic and Contemporary Images of Brighton and Hove
Based on the Regency Society James Gray Collection
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PORT HALL, DYKE ROAD

Port Hall Road

Neighbourhood:
Tivoli and Prestonville
1874-1887
2018

James Gray: First, let me admit that this photograph shows that I was wrong in stating that the photo of this mill [see jgc_26_098 below] was the only one in existence. Here the view is north-west over the low wall which 100 years ago flanked the narrow, rural Dyke Road. It shows, extreme left, the roof of Booth’s Bird Museum, then the house Port Hall with adjoining buildings, now separate cottages in Port Hall Road. Finally, the Mill and yard, without buildings, some of which were later used as a laundry. 

It is easy to see that the Mill occupied that area which is now used by motor garage businesses. Among its last owners were J Trusler 1866 and Charles Cutress 1874 – 1882. In 1887 it was pulled down and the sweeps were advertised for sale. One pair was put on the Race Hill Mill, which had odd sweeps. The photograph was taken at some time between 1874, when the Bird Museum was built, and 1887. jgc_26_101

2018: The flint wall seen in the original photograph runs along what is now the Port Hall Road side of Port Hall’s front garden. Because of the development on the other (south) side of Port Hall Road it is not possible to take a photograph from exactly the same position. Port Hall itself and the cottages behind it are easily recognisable. The main part of the long, low building has vanished, but the flint ruin containing a gothic window, partly covered by ivy in the original image, remains as a major element of the listed property. There is no distant view of the Booth Museum in 2018 because there are now houses in between. It is the end wall of 172 Dyke Road which is clearly visible. The old mill yard, later used as a laundry and a garage, was converted to a residential mews in 2014. The entrance is between the cottages and 3 Port Hall Road, seen here on the left of the terrace. (Photographer: Jane Southern)

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1872
2018

James Gray: This was a small, thin-bodied, white post mill, which stood to the rear of the house known as Port Hall. The mill yard was afterwards used as a laundry and later, as a garage. It stood here from 1813 until 1887. The photograph was taken from the north, from about the site of Port Hall Street, in 1872 when this was all open ground. It is almost certainly the only photograph of this mill in existence. jgc_26_098

2018: On the left is the garden of 39 Port Hall Road, built in the mid-1890s, and on the right is 9 Port Hall Street.

If the Port Hall Windmill were still standing, we would be able to see it in the distance by looking across the garden fence. Although they cannot be seen here, the old mill yard buildings were converted into housing in a 2014 development. (Photographer: Jane Southern)
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Historic and Contemporary Images of Brighton and Hove
This website has been prepared by the Regency Society of Brighton and Hove. All historic maps are provided with kind permission of the National Library of Scotland (https://www.nls.uk/) regencysociety.org

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