Woodingdean, as we now know it, dates from 1911 when the Brighton Downs Estate Co. Ltd. bought 350 acres of land east of the Falmer Road from Mr. Steyning Beard of Rottingdean.
The Company then sold off the land in plots. Those adjoining the roads, such as they were, measuring 40’x200’ were sold for £30 and those in the back lands, consisting of an acre apiece, fetched £50!
By 1920 some 50 or 60 bungalows and shacks had been erected though water could only be obtained from one stand pipe at the crossroads and had to be carried from there in pails. At this time the area was part of Newhaven Rural District Council and was administered by Rottingdean Parish Council. During a severe snowstorm in the 1920s the district was completely isolated from both Brighton and Rottingdean, for 6 Days.
On 1st April 1928, Woodingdean was incorporated with Brighton and before long the essential services of water, gas and electricity were provided. The Downs Hotel was built in 1925, opening on 7 September of that year and a Tilling’s bus service commenced. Even so development was slow because the district was both isolated and exposed. At the incorporation, Woodingdean’s rates were fixed at 3 shillings below Brighton’s rates, advancing by 4 pence per year for 9 years until equality was reached.
This and the next photograph show the little community as it was in 1928, the year of incorporation. They provide a good illustration of the size of the plots, which the early settlers obtained so cheaply.
Image Reference: JG_33_046.tif
Date: 1928
Image Details: Copy
Size of Original: 152x96
Place: Brighton
Additional Information: No comment
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