I came across a newspaper account of an extension to Quebec House School, Upper Maze Hill, in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 12 July 1873. The principal, Mr T. Russell Wilkinson, had negotiated with the landlord, Mr Sellman, while Mr Howell was the builder. I wondered where this school was. No Quebec House was, […]
Author Archives: Stephen van Dulken
This post’s title is the dramatic first sentence, in capital letters, of a report from the magistrates’ court at Hastings, in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 22 October 1870. It continues: JOHN THOMAS MULHEARN, of 28, Warrior-square, coachmaker, was summoned, but did not appear, for having disturbed and annoyed his wife, Jane Mulhearn. Mr […]
Crystal Square in St Leonards survives only as a name of a car park close to the Kings Road. It used to be a courtyard surrounded by tiny houses, with an entry alley from South Street, to the south of the car park. This account of what, frankly, was a slum in based on several […]
Although many schools put adverts in local newspapers, they nearly always give details of their teachers, and the subjects covered, rather than how much they charged. By chance I came across an exception. The Sussex Advertiser, 25 July 1865, provided many details for a school at 26 Gensing Station Road (now Kings Road). The school […]
Happy New year to all members, or to step back briefly to the earlier days of the Burtons’ St Leonards:‘Opening rosebuds fair as ye, may the coming New Year be’ Our next Society event is a talk on the St Leonards Bathing Pool by Andre Palfrey-Martin @ 16.00 on Sunday 28th January in the Burton […]
A selection of newspaper articles relating to St Leonards between 1830 & 1831.
The burial registers of St Leonards church for 1836 lists two burials on the same day: Thomas Laws. [Of] St Mary Magdalen. [Buried] Septr. 17th. [Age] 29 years. Mary Jane Laws. St Mary Magdalen. Septr. 17th. 3 months. No causes of death are given. Mary Jane was in fact Thomas’ daughter, and he had died […]
In 1889 the journal Nineteenth century published a petition asking that women not be allowed the vote. All of the signatories were women. They appear in an appendix to the June 1889 issue as a “first installment” on pages 355-384. Aristocratic ladies headed the list. The text is available on Google Books. Headed A women’s […]
I have often admired Elmside, the house at the corner of Charles Road and Brittany Road. Here are some notes on the history of this 1920s house. As we shall see, its first owner met with a horrific death. The Keep, the archives for East Sussex at Falmer, has three planning application documents. The first […]
In my post on St Leonards in the newspapers, 1828-29 I missed many items because I did not search for “new town” in connection with Hastings. Many of these, given below, are of great interest, with details of the construction work and, sadly, accidents to the many workmen involved. It is interesting that by March […]