
Bevendean History Project

News and Events

NEW Who lived at Lower Bevendean Farm from 1841 to 1939. Information from the England Census records for 1841 to 1921 and the 1939 England and Wales Registration at the start of World War Two. |
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NEW Coldean Farm in the 1930s from the Brighton & Hove Newspaper archives held by the Brighton and East Sussex Records Offices at the Keep in Falmer. |
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NEW Bevendean Farm in the 1930s from the Brighton & Hove Newspaper archives held by the Brighton and East Sussex Records Offices at the Keep in Falmer. |
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NEW Lucraft Road & Eggington Road Self Build Houses. A group of men came together to form the ‘Brighton Enterprise Self-Build Housing Association’ to build 42 semidetached houses about 1956. |
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NEW Stanmer Church Wall Plaques and a Churchwarden. Wall Plaques. There are three wall plaques which date from the 1700s, which was before the present church was built in 1839. Jude Jones was the carpenter and estate foreman of the Earls of Chichester and also an active member of the church in the 19th century. |
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NEW The sculptor John Skelton executed a number of commissions for the Architect Reginald Melhuish for The Holy Nativity Church which replaced the Old Barn Church in Bevendean. |
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NEW The Rood Screen at St Mary Magdalen Church in Coldean is mounted on one of the six great beams of the former barn, comprises a wooden depiction of Christ, St. Mary and St. John. It was designed by the Brighton artist Mr Charles Knight and carved by Mr Joseph Cribb, of Ditchling. |
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UPDATE Other Brighton Church have now been grouped together and can be found here, starting with All Saints in Compton Avenue and ending with St Wilfrid in Elm Grove. |
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UPDATE The ARP shelter at the Downs School in Ditchling Road is now more accessible with installation of steps from the playground surface to the trench bottom. To visit the shelter go onto the website: - https://takeshelter.org.uk/ |
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UPDATE Scout and Cub Hut at Bevendean Originally the Cubs and Scouts met in the Barn Church. Here is more on the building of the scout hut behind 115 Heath Hill Avenue. |
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Eileen Jones memories of working in the Land Army in World War 2. The worst job I ever did was at a farm in Woodingdean. The wartime Agricultural Committee had the power to take over any farm if it was not producing enough or had been neglected. The height of manure in the cowsheds was higher than I was. | ![]() |

Hazelgrove Care Home originally know as Heather Lodge in Heath Hill Avenue, Bevendean was built during 1962 and 1963 with residents starting to move in during November 1963. | ![]() |

Partridge House in Heath Hill Avenue, Bevendean was opened on 27 May 1953 and replaced with a more modern building in the 1990s. | ![]() |

Jevington Drive Self Build Houses and Bungalows were built on the site of the Moulsecoomb Allotments in the 1960s. | ![]() |

Salvation Army Hall in Leybourne Road The original Bevendean Community Church has been used by the Salvation Army since 1970. |
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Jack Allcorn from Lower Bevendean Farm was a member of the Rodmell Auxiliary Unit from the start of the war in 1940 to 1942 when he left Bevendean. | ![]() |

Coloured plan of St Andrews Vicarage Plan of the Vicarage added to the page on the buildings at St Andrews Moulsecoomb. |
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Bevendean Estate Council Houses Three photographs of building work in process at 40-48 Norwich Drive, Bevendean added. |
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Photographs of the Avenue Two photographs of the Avenue in 1930s from site of Jevington Drive added to end of Avenue Photos page. |
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St Albans Church and Parish Rooms in Bear Road. Built on the corner of Bear Road and Riley Road in 1880s and rebuilt in 1902. |
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Plans of Holy Nativity Church in Norwich Drive. Plan dated are Church 27 Oct 1962, Vicarage 9 Apr 1963, Hall 5 Oct 1965 temporary surgery 29 Mar 1988. |
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Falmer pond was purchased by Brighton Corporation from the Chichester Estate on 16 September 1965. The pond originally had a Saxon name. | ![]() |

Photographs of the some of the flats on the Bates
Estate in 2020 and 2021 |
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Confirmation Service at the Parish Church of Coldean The Rt. Revd. Will Hazlewood confirmed 16 people on 13th June 2023. |
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Coronation Celebrations on Sunday 7th May 2023. Nearly 400 people from St Mary Magdalen Church and Coldean celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III. | ![]() |

Esme White memories of Bevendean in WW2. When war was declared I was 7 years old and staying in Edinburgh. I came back to Brighton in November 1939. |
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New student accommodation at One Moulsecoomb Way 380 study bedrooms have been built where two railway cottage, a recycling centre and a church once stood. |
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Cherry Trees in Blossom by the
Lewes Road Photographs of the blossom taken in May 2022. |
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New flats on the Bates Estate opened in 2020 30 flats have been built on the site of the former council housing office. |
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Memories of a Vicars Daughter Jenny Money remembers Moulsecoomb when her father the Revd Jack Money was the Vicar of St Andrews in Moulsecoomb. |
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Falmer Station was moved to its present site in 1865 The station was originally on the eastern side of the village where the Old Station Cottage is today. |
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Falmer Village War Memorial A horse trough in Middle Street was converted into a memorial for people from the parish who died in WW1. |
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Hogs Edge Self Build Project Work started on the site in late 1997 and the houses were completed in the summer of 2020. |
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Order of St Richard awarded to Coldean Churchwarden on Saturday the 8th October 2022 in Chichester Cathedral by Bishop Martin. | ![]() |

Ian Ginn memories of Coldean Ian moved into 22 Twyford Road in 1954, when he was 6 years old and just starting school. |
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Revised Layout
The Recipes can be found in the Farm section and the Original Press Release is now at the bottom of the news page.
The section Bevendean in the 21st century will contain information on Bevendean from the year 2000.
Beyond Bevendean now contains information on the Parish of Falmer since Bevendean was in the Parish of Falmer until 1931.

The Bevendean History Booklet was published in 2014
A copy of the booklet is available for a small donation from the LECCA Cafe in Leybourne Road, Lower Bevendean. http://leccacafe.co.uk
Alternatively you can use the contact form on the website.
The Recipes can be found in the Farm section and the Original Press Release is now at the bottom of the news page.
The section Bevendean in the 21st century will contain information on Bevendean from the year 2000.
Beyond Bevendean now contains information on the Parish of Falmer since Bevendean was in the Parish of Falmer until 1931.

The Bevendean History Booklet was published in 2014
A copy of the booklet is available for a small donation from the LECCA Cafe in Leybourne Road, Lower Bevendean. http://leccacafe.co.uk
Alternatively you can use the contact form on the website.

Link to previous pages added to the website

Press release: Action for Bevendean Community - ABC, wins £10,000 Heritage Lottery Fund support for local History Project!