News and Events

NEW In 1964 six children at Bevendean School won a swimming pool in an essay competition organised by The Times Newspaper.

NEW Brighton Council set up a Nursery in the walled garden of Stanmer House following the purchase of the Stanmer Estate after World War 2.

NEW Downsview Special School and Training Centre of Coldean Lane opened in 1962 and demolished in 1990 to make way for the Brighton Bypass.

NEW Archaeological Dig on Farm Green in June 2025 The final report on the archaeological dig can be found at the bottom of this page.

NEW Three additional photographs of the Air Raid Trench shelters at Moulsecoomb School have been added.

NEW Newspaper Reports and Photographs on Territorial Army Camps at Falmer in the 1930s. Other photographs of Falmer from the 1930s to the 1950s.

NEW It is sad to report the death of John Funnell who was a good supporter of the Bevendean History Group and did much for Archealogy in Brighton and the surrounding area.

NEW Archaeological Dig on Farm Green in June 2025 to investigate the results of the geophysical survey in October 2019.

NEW Ray Bond memories of Stanmer Park after World War Two when he started work in the building industry.

The Wild Park at Moulsecoomb was formally opened with an inauguration recorded on a commemorative plinth 30th June 1925.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

Bevendean Estate Council Houses Three photographs of building work in process at 40-48 Norwich Drive, Bevendean added.

Photographs of the Avenue Two photographs of the Avenue in 1930s from site of Jevington Drive added to end of Avenue Photos page.

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.

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.

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

Confirmation Service at the Parish Church of Coldean The Rt. Revd. Will Hazlewood confirmed 16 people on 13th June 2023.

Coronation Celebrations on Sunday 7th May 2023. Nearly 400 people from St Mary Magdalen Church and Coldean celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III.

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