On the 2 July 1880, Hastings Council planning application DH/C/6/1/2509 was approved for what the Discovery catalogue describes as a ‘new road from Pevensey Road West to the borough boundary, on the Eversfield Estate, Rosamond Road’. It was later renamed Albany Road. This is an L-shaped road, with the long arm gently rising north from Pevensey Road and the shorter arm then turning east to where Upper Maze Hill and The Green meet.
The Hastings Observer the next day gave much more detail:
A NEW ROAD.
The following report was adopted; —
The Committee have examined plans for a new road, to be called the Rosamond-road, proposed to be made on the Eversfield Estate, from Pevensey-road West, to the Borough boundary for the estate. The length of the proposed road, is 600ft., and the width, 45ft., with a foot-path on either side, 8ft. wide. The road &c, is drained by a 15in. pipe sewer, eleven gullies, and two catchpits are shown; the gradients are easy, and the Committee recommend that the plans be approved.
The length given meant that the road was only the long arm. Initially numeration was consecutive from the left going from Pevensey Road, with house names only on the other side.
Such an application for road and sewers were required before any building occurred. However, there was an earlier planning application for the largest house on the street, Caple ne Ferne, now numbered 2 Albany Road. Planning application DH/C/6/1/2389 by Major Tubbs, an Indian Mutiny veteran, was approved in 1879 and presumably its initial entrance was on Pevensey Road. This is supported by the fact that in the 1891 census its address was 42 Pevensey Road. The architects were Jeffery and Skiller, a well-known partnership. I intend to write the house up some day.
As usual in my research I have not looked at the actual planning applications, which would have a wealth of information.
The street was renamed Albany Road in 1884 at the request of Fowler and Hill, surveyors to the Eversfield Estate (Hastings and St Leonards News, 11 July 1884). They normally leased building plots for 99 years, so they would have controlled the freeholds.
In the chronological listing below of the DH planning applications the street numbers are those identified when they were catalogued in the 1950s, not those at the time. The current numeration was adopted in 1905, with odd numbers on the west side, with fine views toward Beachy Head, and even numbers on the east side, with numeration beginning from Pevensey Road. Sometimes I could identify newspaper mentions, which were typically a day or two later, and are given here in italics. The dates before the DH citations are of approval for the application. The applicants were, I believe, all builders.
4 June 1880, DH/C/6/1/2481, St Paul’s House, Albany Road. A month before the road was authorised. Is this the current no. 1 ? Although awkward to enable drains to Pevensey Road, as some distance from it. Currently, it backs on to the present 44 Pevensey Road, but is quite different in style, and presumably saved on space as if detached it would have been very cramped.
There were no entries in the 1881 census for Rosamond Road.
3 March 1882, DH/C/6/1/2788, 1 Albany Road, 44 Pevensey Road. I am guessing that 2481 was not implemented.
1882, 3 and 5 Albany Road, DH/C/6/1/2870.
11 May 1883, Hastings and St Leonards News:
One pair of semi-detached houses to be built in Rosamond road, for Mr G. Hare, on the usual condition as regards kerbing, paving and channelling.
1883, 11 Albany Road, DH/C/6/1/2966
8 June 1883, Hastings and St Leonards News:
A villa, in Rosamond road for and by Messrs. Eldridge and Cruttenden.
1884, 7, 9, 13, 15 Albany Road, DH/C/6/1/3025
2 February 1884, Hastings Observer:
Two pairs of semi-detached villas in Rosamond Road, St Leonards, for Messrs. Eldridge and Cruttenden on condition that a ventilator is provided to each room under 100 ft. super, and on the usual conditions as regards kerbing, paving and channelling
24 July 1884, Hastings and St Leonards Advertiser. List of households on the street:
Ty-issa – Mr and Mrs Stiverd Vores
2 (Ardendran) – Mrs Donald Ross
Miss Wallace
Ribecourt – Mrs & the Misses Harvey
Balmain – Miss Ramsay
Mrs and Miss Tripp [visitors]
Kirkley Dene – Mrs Chester
Rev. & Mrs J.M. Sandham [visitors] [The reason the Tripp and Sandham families can be identified as visitors is because their details are given in larger letters, which was explained as meaning that they were visitors]
5 November 1886, DH/C/6/1/3342. 8 Albany Road, the stables, also 2 and 4 Caple Gardens, cottages for the staff of Caple ne Ferne. Caple Gardens is down a lane going east from Albany Road, bordering no. 2’s premises. No. 8 has since become a house.
1888, DH/C/6/1/3651, St Paul’s House, Albany Road, additions [No. 1 ?]
5 October 1888, 10 Albany Road, DH/C/6/1/3662
6 October 1888, Hastings Observer:
A villa in Albany-road, St Leonards, north of Caple-ne-Ferne, for Mr A.H. White.
Pike’s directory, 1891, which of course reflects contemporary numeration:
LEFT FROM PEVENSEY ROAD
Ty-Issa, Vores, Stiverd, Esq. J.P.
2 Ward, Col. W. (late R.A.)
3 Branksea, Binsteed, Mrs
4 Beattie, John L. Esq.
5 Balmain, Tanqueray, John S. Esq.
6 Kirkley Dene, Bourdillon, Mrs
Carbonell, Miss
7 Mellor, Mrs
8 Hillerslie, Spark, Miss, ladies’ school
10 Brandreth, Miss
11 Breeds, T. Esq. (Tele. 327)
Here is Upper Maze Hill
RIGHT FROM PEVENSEY ROAD
Caple-ne-Ferne, Tubbs, Col.
Robert, T.N. and Mrs
Pen-y-Bryn, Francis, Mrs George
Ford Bank, Vipan, Charles, Esq.
Here is Upper Maze Hill
1891 census. Going west, south side, from the northeast corner. Names and occupations of household heads only:
Albany Rd Stables Thomas Hastings, stableman
Ford Bank. Mary Vipan, wife, living on own means
11 Thomas Breeds, brewer
10 Mary Brandeeth, living on own means
Elsewhere in the census is the bulk of the road, listed from the south end, suggesting that the two parts of the road were not yet connected:
42 Pevensey Road [now no. 2 Albany Road] Robert Tubbs, retired officer
[1 and 2 Caple Gardens, now nos. 2 and 4 Caple Gardens]1 Stiverd Vores, JP, independent means
2 William Ward, retired Colonel, Royal Artillery [later of Baston Lodge ?] wife Minnie born Canada
3 Charlotte A. Binstead, living on own means
4 John L. Beattie, barrister at law
5 John S. Tanqueray, brewer
6 Selina Bourdillon, living on own means
7 Agnes C. Mellor, living on own means
8 Louisa M. Sparks, teacher [with sister Grace Sparks, teacher]
Pen-y-Bryn Caroline R. Francis, living on own means.
[then 71, 73, etc. Pevensey Road]4 March 1892, DH/C/6/1/5230, pair of semi-detached villas, Albany Road
1 April 1892, 2 Albany Road, alterations, DH/C/6/1/5243
2 April 1892, Hastings Observer:
Alterations and additions, No. 2, Albany-road, Eldridge and Cruttenden, owners; F.H. Humphreys, architect.
28 July 1894, 26 Albany Road, DH/C/12/1/158B, for Charles Hughes
23 April 1895, perhaps 22 Albany Road, DH/C/12/2/8, detached villa, also DH/C/11/8, Frank Humphreys architect, Charles Hughes builder
7 April 1896, 24 Albany Road, DH/C/12/2/45, also DH/C/11/45, Frank Humphreys architect, Charles Hughes builder
12 March 1897, 25, DH/C/12/2/72, J.H. [F.H. ?] Humphreys, also DH/C/11/72
18 February 1898, 22 Albany Road, DH/C/6/1/6122, bay window
19 August 1898, rear of 4 Albany Villas, Albany Road, DH/C/6/1/6230, summer house
20 August 1898, Hastings Observer:
Summer house, rear of 4, Albany Villas, Albany road, St Leonards, per Mr Charles Hughes, builder; that the plans be approved
Pike’s 1901 directory:
(Left from Pevensey Road)
(Ty-Issa) Vores, Stiverd, Esq. (J.P.)
3 Morris, Capt. Robert
4 Beattie, John L. Esq. barrister
5 (Balmain) Tanqueray, John S. Esq.
7 Sturgis, Mrs
8 Palmer, Mrs
9 Haynes, Mrs and Miss Nona
10 (Sandridge) Miles, Rev. H.H. (M.A.)
11 Davis, The Misses
12 Gould, R.C. Esq. private tutor
(Right from Pevensey Road)
(Caple-ne-Ferne)
(Pen-y-Bryn)
(Kilchrenan) Whythead, The Misses
(Fairford) Simmons, B.D. Esq.
(Tregenna) Pearse, Mrs
(Binfield House) Beeching, Chas. E. Esq. (J.P.)
(Ford Bank) Vipan, Capt. Chas. (F.L.S.)
The street was renumbered in 1895 (Hastings Observer, 12 October 1895). In 1906 it was renumbered, and empty plots were to be numbered as if built on (Hastings Observer, 17 November 1906). Nowadays it is odds on the left, evens on the right from Pevensey Road, but nos. 4 and 6 are omitted, with no. 8 a graceful conversion of the former stables to Caple ne Ferne.
All this makes trying to identify the individual houses today quite difficult, especially the named houses. The best way would probably be to use street listings in contemporary directories and newspapers (there are many after 1890) plus the 1901, 1911 and 1921 censuses. The 1954 Ordnance Survey map for the area gives house numbers. The no. 10 in that map now consists of modern blocks of flats.
I have already written about Ford Bank in my post The history of Ford Bank, 30 Albany Road, St Leonards on Sea.