the burtons' st leonards blog
St Leonards in the newspapers, 1842-43
10 August 1842, The Morning Herald: THE QUEEN’S ST LEONARD’S ARCHERS. – The ANNUAL PRIZE presented by her Majesty will be SHOT FOR on the 17th August (the grand target [...]
read moreAmy Louisa Wolfen, campaigner
The 18 March 1911 issue of the Hastings and St Leonards Observer had the following letter. AGAINST WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE. RESULT OF A POLL OF HASTINGS WOMEN VOTERS. Madame Amy Wolfen, [...]
read moreGeorge William Spice, cab driver
In the 1 February 1947 issue of the Hastings and St Leonards Observer we have the following interesting autobiographical account. Veteran Driver’s memories WHEN BOROUGH HAD ONE MOTOR BUS. Days [...]
read moreThe dramatic rescue of the crew of the J.C. Pfluger in 1891 at St Leonards
There is a dramatic account of the (successful) attempts to rescue the crew, and the captain’s family, from the Pfluger when it ran aground at West Marina, St Leonards on [...]
read moreLandslips at Cave Road, St Leonards, in 1937 and 1939
Landslips have occurred from time to time on the cliffs to the south of West Hill Road onto gardens and buildings on Caves Road and Marina. This post tells the [...]
read moreSt Leonards on Sea and the 1873 Return of Owners of Land for Sussex
The Radical and Quaker MP John Bright (1811-89) used the 1861 census to charge that there were only 30,000 land-owners, and alleged that “fewer than one hundred and fifty men” [...]
read moreSome stories from 9 Maze Hill, St Leonards on Sea
Members of the Society enjoyed a garden party at 9 Maze Hill today. Many thanks to our generous host. Here are some stories connected with the address. Below is a [...]
read moreSt Leonards in the newspapers, 1841-42
3 May 1841, Sussex Advertiser: HASTINGS AND ST LEONARD’S. ACCIDENT – On Saturday, as a boy about nine years old named Eldridge, was digging sand under the cliff, near St [...]
read moreGratitude for being saved from drowning in 1874
The Rye newspaper the South Eastern Advertiser, 26 September 1874, has the following article: NARROW ESCAPE FROM DROWNING. – A female servant had a narrow escape from drowning on Sunday [...]
read moreThe Intoxicating Liquors (Sale to Children) Act of 1901: the reaction of St Leonards landlords
The Intoxicating Liquors (Sale to Children) Act of 1901 provided, briefly, that: A landlord must not knowingly sell to children under 14 any liquor, except in sealed and corked bottles, [...]
read moreA day’s outing in 1898 for the employees of Charles Hughes, a Mercatoria builder
Newspapers frequently gave detailed accounts of summer day outings for the more substantial tradesmen, especially the builders, or for men in the same trade, such as cabbies or shop assistants. [...]
read moreThe domestic arrangements of 2 Villa Road, St Leonards, in the 1911 and 1921 censuses
By chance I came across the following entry in the 1921 census (taken on the 19 June) for a three-roomed dwelling at 2 Villa Road, St Leonards on Sea. Only [...]
read morePersons of bad character on St Leonards’ sea front
The following references from the Hastings Watch Committee’s correspondence are taken from catalogue entries of documents at The Keep, Falmer. The date is followed by the document reference and then [...]
read moreSt Leonards in the newspapers, 1840-41
The first story about the Hollington toll gate is rather long but is, I think, full of interest. However, I don’t know where it is. Can anyone comment ? 19 [...]
read moreThe first construction work in St Leonards on Sea, by a carpenter
The local newspapers occasionally printed letters or reminiscences about the early days of St Leonards. Here is an example I have just come across, as printed in the Hastings and [...]
read moreWho’s the Daddy ? A question of paternity from 1850
In Victorian times ratepayers had to pay for maintaining the inmates in the local union workhouse. They had every incentive to save money by avoiding this, so magistrates, invariably ratepayers [...]
read moreNotes on St Austin’s Croft, 28 Boscobel Road
The Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 7 December 1895, mentions the granting of planning permission for a detached villa, Plot no. 28, Boscobel Road, Mr F. Cruttenden, owner, per Mr [...]
read moreThe sad story of Charlotte Sargent
The Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 25 October 1879, gave a long account of a case before two magistrates sitting on the Hastings Bench. The following is only a summary, [...]
read moreGensing Manor, 19 Dane Road
Hastings Council gave permission on the 3 February 2025 to planning application HS/FA/23/00871 for Gensing Manor, 19 Dane Road, for ‘Alterations and extension to existing building to create 20 apartments, [...]
read moreConfectioners in Victorian St Leonards
This is the story of three confectioner families in St Leonards, all linked by living at one time or another at 43 Marina. Evidence is at first fragmentary, and we [...]
read moreSt Leonards in the newspapers, 1839-40
23 March 1839, Morning Advertiser [Lent Assizes. Lewes]. Charles Lee the younger, labourer, aged 22, Charles Lee, the elder, chimney sweep, and John Henbury, were charged with the manslaughter of [...]
read moreThe former banks of St Leonards on Sea
It is well known to locals that St Leonards on Sea, with a population of about 40,000, has not a single bank left. It had, in the 1950s, about a [...]
read moreThe Convalescent Home for Poor Children, St Leonards on Sea
These are notes on a convalescent home for children which for many years was the most westerly of the several convalescent homes on West Hill Road, St Leonards on Sea, [...]
read moreRichard Beagley, temperance advocate at St Leonards on Sea
Last Sunday I gave a talk to the Society on Philip Henry Tree (1848-1922), an architect who was born on Norman Road. Tree was responsible for numerous houses, and some [...]
read moreMaud Bullock, Red Cross Commandant at 5 The Lawn
I came across a mention of Maud Bullock in a 1914 newspaper and decided to research her life. There are a number of mentions of her in the newspapers, and [...]
read moreSt Leonards in the newspapers, 1838-39
11 January 1838, Brighton Gazette HASTINGS. Our Quarter Sessions commenced on Wednesday, the 3rd, before Mr Recorder Austin… John Jarvis, a flyman, for embezzling money belonging to his master, Mr [...]
read moreFrom St Leonards on Sea to Michigan
By chance I came across the following item in the 10 December 1910 issue of the Hastings and St Leonards Observer, and I wanted to know more about the happy [...]
read more‘Our shops at Christmastide’: St Leonards on Sea, Christmas 1875
This post consists of a lengthy extract from the 25 December 1875 issue of the Hastings and St Leonards Observer. A long article titled ‘Our shops at Christmastide’ consisted of [...]
read moreThe Rev. Paul Warschawski, missionary to the Jews
The Rev. Paul Warschawski was long associated with St Leonards. This post is an attempt to nail down details his life and that of his children, but there are some [...]
read moreChristopher Maxwell-Stewart, late Chair of the Burtons’ St Leonards Society
At the funeral of Christopher Maxwell-Stewart on the 28 November, at St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, the eulogy was read out by his son Hamish, but was [...]
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