jg_23_102.jpg

REDEVELOPMENT OF THE WHITEHAWK ESTATE

Whitehawk Road, built in the 1880’s, consisted of a terrace of 44 small houses each with a religious text inscribed on the lintel over the front door. So it remained until well into the 1930’s. In order to re-house the inhabitants of the slums of Hereford Street, Paradise Street, Essex Place etc., Brighton Corporation in 1927 bought compulsorily 10 ½ acres of land from the Marquess of Bristol. In the following year a start was made on the now large Whiehawk Council Estate. In the years 1928, 1929 and 1930 Whitehawk Road was extended by the building of 106 houses, up to 150. Also two new roads were laid out, Whitehawk Crescent, with 111 houses, and Hervey Road (named after the Bristol family), with 107. The later completion of this large estate need not concern us here. In 1975, only 47 years after the first houses were built, the decision was taken completely to redevelop, in stages, the whole estate. The obvious place to start was with the oldest houses, and on this, and succeeding pages are photographs of the streets affected. All photographs were taken on 11 January 1976. These three views are of the west side of Whitehawk Road, showing some of these early houses, many boarded up and awaiting removal.

Image Reference: JG_23_102.tif
Date: 1976
Image Details: Original monochrome print
Size of Original: 153x98
Place: Brighton
Additional Information: From the News of the World, April 5, 1914.
"Mrs Fanny Salmon of Drummond Road, Bermondsy SE., widow of Mr William Henry Salmon, left estate of the gross value of £10,655, of which £4,394 is net personality. She left numerous small legacies to Congregational charities and to individuals, and stated that it was her express desire that the persons to whom her premises in Whitehawk Road, Kemp Town, were left should retain the texts over the doors of the cottages as they are now are, and if the said premises are sold would make such conditions as are possible with the purchasers that the texts may always be retained."

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