25 December 1845, Brighton Gazette:
ST LEONARDS. On Saturday last J.F. Stanford, Esq., of 1, West Ascent, gave a musical soiree at his residence, when he invited the principal resident musicians of Hastings and St Leonards. Some very creditable pieces were performed, and Mr Stanford, who is an accomplished violoncello player, was very much gratified. We wish that this example of encouraging native talent was more generally followed.
A venerable lady, at St Leonards, aged 94, had a tooth extracted last week; but not finding the relief expected, she says that she must have another taken out.
6 January 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
… Mr W. Payne, of the New England Bank Inn, Bopeep, was also charged with having sold a quarter of a pint of sherry, he not being licensed to retail the same. – Matthew Thompson, an officer, proved purchasing the same of Mr Payne, at his house, on the 8th of November, for which he said he paid defendant 4d [There were numerous raids at the time by excise officers on local pubs, as there were many similar cases for Hastings pubs before the magistrates].
22 January 1846, Brighton Gazette:
BRIGHTON, LEWES, AND HASTINGS RAILWAY. During the past month or two the works on this railway have been vigorously carried on by the active contractors, Messrs. Perry and Lutley; and now there is every prospect of the line being opened to within a very short distance of St Leonards by May next, should the weather during the spring months be favourable for prosecuting railway operations.
On passing over a portion of the line a few days ago, we were surprised to find a great part of the permanent way formed between Bulverhythe and Pevensey, the rails laid, and the road ballasted…
Arrangements on a most extensive scale are made for the station sheds, &c., at Bopeep, adjacent to St Leonards. Upwards of 80 men were vigorously engaged in levelling the hill on which the workshops, &c., connected with the station, are to stand; and although they had only taken possession of the ground on the previous Monday, we were astonished to see what the brawny arms of these stalwart navvies had effected in so short a time. The road leading from Hastings to Lewes is being diverted, over which a strong wooden frame-work is erected for the purpose of allowing the earth-work to pass over, to form the embankment across the beach to meet the one partially formed on this (the Hastings) side of Bulverhythe. This embankment, when completed, will be upwards of a mile long, averaging from twelve to fifteen feet in height. The tunnel also from the St Leonards Station to the Priory Meadows, Hastings, is, we are informed, likely to be commenced very shortly by the South-Eastern Company, as also the one through Fairlight Hill, to continue the line to Ashford, where it joins the South-Eastern Railway, the contracts, we believe, for which have been taken by a highly respectable and enterprising firm, who have executed some of the most important works in the kingdom.
The completion of the coast lines will be the commencement of a new era of prosperity to the towns of Hastings and St Leonards; and easy and expeditious means of communication will be placed within the reach of the invalid, as well as of the pleasure-seeker, and will doubtless being us many visitors.
12 February 1846, Brighton Gazette:
[In the course of a case about two men, one who begged from Mr F. North, the magistrate, while the other tried to rescue his friend from a railway policeman] … A conversation then arose as to the number of policemen in the town; and Mr North said it was very seldom he could see a policeman at St Leonards. He wished to know how many men there were in the force ?Inspector Campbell replied eight.
Major Jeffries – They only visit St Leonards a short time during the day.
Mr North – It is a mistaken economy. It would be desirable to have a policeman stationed at St Leonards.
The Clerk – I have no doubt the Council would take it into consideration. There is more occasion for one than ever, in consequence of the railway works.
Major Jeffries – If we could have one man the whole day, we should then be served…
24 February 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
The works of the Brighton, Lewes, and Hastings railway are progressing rapidly at Bopeep; the men are working night and day in forming a bridge over the sewer which runs into the sea near the intended terminus.
19 March 1846, Brighton Gazette:
A sea-faring man, who has the name of PETER M’VICAR, was charged with being drunk and disorderly on the previous day at St Leonards, and assaulting Policeman Burgess while in the execution of his duty. – He was fined £5, and in default of payment committed for one month to hard labour. – He was further charged with having, on the same day, at St Leonards, assaulted Priscilla Burrell, at the Warriors’ Gate Inn, and was fined £5; in default of payment, he was committed to prison for two months. – Prisoner had only left gaol on the previous Wednesday.
A labouring man, named EDWIN LUCK, was charged with drunkenness at St Leonards – He was fined 5s., and in default of payment he was ordered to be put in the stocks for three hours [Normally prisoners were offered, as an alternative to a £5 fine, a week in prison. The Warrior’s Gate Inn was badly damaged in World War II and is now the site of the London Road post office].
On Monday se’nnight a meeting of the inhabitants took place at the Assembly Rooms, to take into consideration the present state of the National Schools. A Committee having been formed, it was resolved “that a new school building be erected on an enlarged plan, and in a more eligible situation.” A sermon will be preached next Sunday morning, in aid of the funds. We hear that Mr Burton has given the ground [National Schools were Anglican, as opposed to non-denominational British Schools. The schools at Mercatoria to which this relates were opened on the 29th May 1847, states the Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 21 May 1908. Decimus Burton was the architect]
24 March 1846, London Gazette:
NOTICE is hereby given, that the Copartnership carried on for some time past, at Saint Leonard’s on Sea, in the county of Sussex, by Samuel Woodgate and Charles Thomas How, under the firms of Woodgate and How, and Charles How and Co. was, on the 28th day of February now last past, dissolved by mutual consent. – Dated this 20th day of March 1846.
Samuel Woodgate. Chas. Thos. How [In the 1851 census there was, at 18 Marina, Samuel Woodgate, 49, builder employing 5 men, born Devon, and at 4 East Ascent, Chas. Thos. How, 29, coal merchant, born London].
9 April 1846, The Morning Herald:
ST LEONARD’S ON SEA. – OPENING of the RAILROAD. – Eligible FREEHOLD BUILDING GROUND for SALE. – This fashionable watering-place, which has required nothing but a railroad to make it one of the most popular in the kingdom, will, in another month, have one opened from Brighton, by which the journey from London will be accomplished in three hours, and a bill will, in all probability, pass the Legislature this session for a direct line through Tunbridge Wells. A demand, therefore, will arise for houses of all classes. – Apply to Mr Beddoes, South Lodge, St Leonard’s on Sea [The line would run as far as a station close to Bopeep. Mr Beddoes was the agent for the Burton family].
14 April 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
HASTINGS AND ST LEONARDS.
A sturgeon was caught, by one of our fishing boats, off St Leonards, on Tuesday last, measuring nearly nine feet in length. It was purchased by Mr T. Price, fishmonger, of St Leonards, who sent it to London.
16 April 1846, Brighton Gazette:
Hastings. Magistrate’s Clerk’s Office. Present J.H. Maw, Mayor, and George Scrivens. Edward Pierce was charged with having assaulted Mr William Henry Kerr, a gentleman visiting at St Leonards.
Mr Shorter – Are you guilty or not guilty ?
Defendant – I am guilty of the assault, but not guilty in the parish of St Mary Magdalen.
Mr Shorter – It is quite immaterial, so that it is in the borough.
Complainant deposed – On Saturday morning I went into Mr Southall’s reading-room, and read a paper; on my return, as I was looking at some books, I observed Mr Southall’s shopman (defendant) go to the door and lock it. He then suddenly attacked me, without having given him any offence”… [Detailed account follows, two windows broken, Pierce claimed that he was provoked but did not explain why. £2 fine plus 12s costs. Edward Pierce is probably the lodging house keeper who died 6 February 1855 at 15 Undercliff, aged 64 [Sussex Advertiser, 13 Feb 1855]]
5 May 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
ST LEONARD’S.—On Saturday evening, the 25th, between nine and ten o’clock, an accident occurred to Mr Stephen Smith, of Salehurst, while returning at a moderate pace from Hastings, in company with Mrs Smith and Miss Munn, in a four-wheel chaise. From enquiry we find that when about opposite Verulam-place, Mr Smith heard the sound of a horse coming at a rapid rate behind, and in order to avoid a collision, pulled to the near side of the road, when, owing to the extreme darkness of the night, (there being no lamps) the carriage came in contact with the iron fence of the Parade, damaging only the shafts of the chaise. The party afterwards proceeded home in one of Mr Chamberlin’s flys [William Chamberlin ran the Royal Victoria Hotel].
A second accident occurred about the same time, opposite to No. 1, Warrior-square, about a quarter of a mile from the first, to Mr G. Thomas, Mr S. Thomas, and Mr White of Bexhill, who were also returning from Hastings in a light spring cart, when, owing to the darkness which prevailed, the near wheel caught the iron railing of the Parade, threw the cart over, and snapped both shafts asunder, the affrighted animal being at liberty, dashed onward through the east boundary, and when opposite the Albert Shades [pub], ran against and overturned a fly which was standing there, continuing its course along the back of the Marina, under the porch of the Royal Victoria Hotel – passed the church, and after receiving considerable injury from fence, found a stopping place in a piece of building ground at the end of the Marina. We are happy to say no bones were broken.
5 May 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
Mr Yates called the attention of the Council to the necessity of lighting the part of the road between White Rock and the east boundary of St Leonards, as two accidents had happened on Saturday night last, through the darkness of that part of the road.
After considerable discussion, it was resolved that application be made to the inspectors and also to the commissioners of St Leonards, to light that part of the public road complained of, which was principally in St Mary Magdalen. A cheque was ordered to be drawn of the treasurer for £14 9s 11d.
28 May 1846, Brighton Gazette:
A lad, named WILLIAM CARPENTER, was charged with having stolen some ducks’ eggs, the property of William Cramp, market gardener, in the parish of Saint Mary Magdalen; but the prosecutor withdrew the charge, and the Magistrates discharged the lad with a severe reprimand.
9 June 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT. – On Thursday afternoon, the 4th instant, an accident, attended with loss of life, occurred at Bopeep, near Hastings, to a lad named Thomas Smith, about 16 years of age, who was working on the line at the time. An inquest was held at the Sea Side House, White Rock, on Saturday evening, the 6th inst., before J.G. Shorter, Esq., coroner, and a respectable jury. From the evidence of William Collis and John Flinders, it appeared that the deceased was a driver, and while in the act of running with a horse and waggon loaded with earth to the top, he accidentally stumbled and fell across the rail, the waggon passing over the thick part of his right thigh, and the lower part of his abdomen, crushing his person in a shocking manner. Mr Savery, surgeon, said the deceased was brought to the Infirmary about six o’clock on Thursday evening, and that it was found necessary to take off the limb, and that he died about eight o’clock on the following evening, of a shock of the nervous system. Verdict, “Accidental Death.” [Thomas Smith of St Mary Magdalen, aged 16, was buried 7 June at St Leonards’ Church].
16 June 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
Emily Huckstep of St Leonards, applied for an order of affiliation on Samuel Brown, for the maintenance of her illegitimate child, born on the 13th April last.
The defendant was adjudged to pay 2s 6d per week for the first 6 weeks, 14s expenses, and 2s per week in future.
25 June 1846, Brighton Gazette:
OFFICIAL INSPECTION OF THE LEWES AND HASTINGS RAILWAY. General Pasley, the Government Inspector-General of Railways, arrived at Brighton yesterday morning, for the purpose of making his official inspection of that part of the Brighton and Hastings Railway which lies between Lewes and St Leonards. A special train, consisting of a first, a second, and a third-class carriage, awaited him; and at twenty minutes to eleven o’clock it started from the Brighton Terminus… the reporters of the local papers were, as on a former occasion, kindly accommodated with seats.
The line was opened from Brighton to Lewes, as most of our readers are aware, on the 8th instant; and that portion was passed by the train at a rapid pace… [next Polegate, Pevensey and Bexhill stations]… proceeding eastward we pass through a deep cutting, then along the edge of an ancient sea cliff, next through another cutting, and then we obtain a view of St Leonards. The rails are at present only laid as far as Bulverhythe, half a mile from St Leonards: and there, of course, the train stopped. The line is to be continued to St Leonards, where it will end in a cutting; this part of the road is progressing very fast and will be completed in about two months. The road from St Leonards to the station will be raised about ten feet, which will be a very great improvement.
Carriages were in readiness to convey the party to St Leonards, where refreshments were provided at Hutchinson’s Royal Victoria Hotel. The party returned at a good speed, reaching the telescopic bridge at Lewes in 46 minutes. The return from Lewes to Brighton was accomplished in just 15 minutes.
Mr Wythes, the contractor, commenced operations in November, 1844, but was not able to obtain the greater portion of the land till more than twelve months ago. Between Brighton and Lewes there is a double set of rails; thence to Hastings there is only a single line; but the whole of the works are of a proper width for a double set, should such turn out to be necessary. Mr Rastrick is the engineer in chief… Mr Kirby [has the superintendence] of the eastern portion from Westham to St Leonards [The line to Bulverhythe to be opened to the public on Saturday].
2 July 1846, Brighton Gazette:
ST LEONARDS. A subscription having been entered into, at St Leonards, for the purpose of giving a small reward to the labourers employed on the railroad on the occasion of its being opened, in consequence of their having generally conducted themselves in a quiet and orderly manner during the progress of the works in this neighbourhood, the proceeds were expended in bread, cheese, and beer for upwards of 160 men, who were regaled in a temporary booth near the Bopeep public-house, which Mr Paine, the worthy landlord, had decorated with boughs for the occasion. The scene was also enlivened by Elford and Elliot’s excellent band.
9 July 1846, Brighton Gazette:
ST LEONARDS. The late fine weather has caused an enquiry to be made with respect to the band, which has been in the habit of playing on the Parade three times a week during the summer months for the past ten years. We understand that a meeting was called on Monday evening, but there were only two tradesmen present; the consequence is that no funds are provided for the band, who, we suppose, require a guarantee for their services. The steam [engine] is pretty close to St Leonards, but has not yet reached us.
On Friday last an inquest was held at the Bopeep public-house, before J.G. Shorter, Esq., Coroner for the Borough, on view of the body of James Bates, aged 30, who met with his death on the preceding day upon the railway works at Bopeep. It appeared that while he was undermining a cutting, a quantity of earth fell from a height of about 30 feet, and before he had time to get out of the way he was knocked down and buried; he died instantaneously. Five others had just time to escape from the same fate. The deceased, we regret to state, has left a wife and four children; and the family will shortly be increased to five. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death.”
21 July 1846, Sussex Advertiser:
ACCIDENT. On Saturday last, between three and four o’clock, an accident occurred at Bopeep, to a man named Wm. Foster, while blasting on the works of the railway. The unfortunate man says, he had primed ready for the blast, and found he had no fusee, he succeeded in obtaining a piece of touch paper, which had been made for lighting tobacco pipes, which proved so strong of saltpetre, that a spark fell from it on to the powder, which instantly ignited; the poor fellow had not time to make his escape. The force of the explosion knocked him down, his face and hands being severely burnt, and his hair, eyebrows, and whiskers, completely singed. We are happy to say, he is going on favourably.
What interesting information about the year 1846, when the first railway line to come to town arrived, and the first two stations (now both gone) were built – Bulverhythe temporary station and Hastings & St. Leonards (later renamed West Marina) were built. The Bo-Peep Inn, rebuilt as a result, would no doubt be interested in this.
Thank you, Heather – I have forwarded to Gemma, a proprietor at the Bo Peep pub.
Very interesting, very sad endings for some of the workers. I noticed a mention of an ‘Albert Shades’ pub and wonder where this was and if the building is still standing now?
Gemma – The Bo Peep
Gemma,
In 1867 the Albert Shades was at 18 Undercliff. I’m surprised as normally the ‘shades’ beerhouses were close to a hotel of the same name. Perhaps this was the same as the Star, also on Undercliff, which was destroyed in World War II and is now a small car park.
Stephen