Portslade in the Past: Eastbrook Road, Portslade.

Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2024)

A Venerable Name

It is fascinating to note that the name Eastbrook has ancient origins. In 1558 Thomas Culpeper died on 1^st April and in his will some properties in Sussex were mentioned including twelve virgates of land called ‘Southwike Brambedam and Eastbroke’.

In 1578 Henry Smith purchased from Lord Howard, Baron of Effingham ‘all that his Manor of Southwicke and Eastbrooke, alias the Manor of Eastbrooke, with the appurtenances in the parish of Southwicke … late parcel of the dissolved Priory of Reigate in Surrey’. The ‘dissolution’ just mentioned took place in the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547) after he made the break with the Roman Catholic Church which led to the dissolution of English monasteries and priories from 1536 to 1539.

Smokey House Farm

In 1881 the farmhouse was called Smokey Cottage, but by 1891 it was Smokey House. The farmhouse was situated facing Church Road, Portslade, and it is still there today although unfortunately the old name has been discarded. The property also included a two-stall stable and a chaff house plus a large brick and flint built barn with sliding doors and a slate roof. The farm was small but the quality of the earth was excellent, and consisted of 8 acres and 2 roods of rich, dark, fertile, market garden land that ran along the north side of Eastbrook Road.

There is an excellent photograph of local woman earning money by picking peas on this land. In the 1920s the farm was leased to Mr. H. Broomfield. It is instructive to note that he paid far more to rent the market garden than he did for the house; he leased the market garden for £46 a year while the house and buildings came to a modest £5-16s a year.

copyright © G. Osborne
In the background on the right is Smokey House and its barn. The railway line separating Trafalgar Road and Church Road is top left.

Eastbrook Farm Allotments

At some stage, most probably in the 1920s Portslade Council acquired Eastbrook Farm for allotments – technically of course the land was not situated in Portslade but was over the East Sussex boundary in Southwick. This was because there was not enough land space in Portslade-by-Sea itself for such a project.

In March 1930 Eastbrook Farm holders complained to Portslade Council that people persisted in using the ground as a short cut and as an exercise place for dogs. The council responded by erecting a notice that said Private Property. Trespassers will be prosecuted.

In 1933 Portslade Council conducted a survey to find out how many plot-holders wanted a water supply laid on: out of 222 holders, 112 did not bother to reply, 30 were against it, and just 80 holders were in favour.

In March 1934 the plot-holders considered that Portslade Council should prohibit the use of fish offal as a fertiliser because it attracted stray dogs and cats.

A far bigger problem was the proximity of the Power Station. In June 1939 the holder of plot 333 wanted his rent suspended because his plot was unusable due to the erection of pylons by the Central Electricity Board.

In December 1939 the sum of £13-1-3d was paid in compensation to those holders who had suffered damage during the erection of cable towers in connection with Southwick sub-station.

By June 1996 it was stated that the site had up to 25 per cent vacancies.

First World War Heroes

copyright © D. Sharp
Private C. A. Church, died 27 December 1914
and is buried in Portslade Cemetery,
he served in the 9^th Bn, Royal Sussex Regiment,
and was a resident of Eastbrook Road,
It is not known why Pte C. A. Church's name is not
listed on the Portslade War Memorial in Easthill Park.

It should be noted that the four soldiers listed below are remembered in war memorials abroad. This means that in the thick of battle, their bodies were never recovered, and therefore they have no known graves. These four soldiers names are listed on the Portslade War Memorial in Easthill Park.

Corporal Harold Ernest Rowe – He was born in Portslade, the son of George and Mary Rowe of 51 Eastbrook Road, and enlisted in 1914 at Brighton. At first he served in the 14^th Hussars, and then he was transferred to the East Yorkshire Regiment, 3^rd Division. It is recorded that he was twice wounded but survived; his luck ran out on 3 May 1917 when aged 22 he was killed in action. His name is recorded on the Arras Memorial.

Private Frederick E. Streeter – He was born and enlisted in Portslade, the son of William and Elizabeth Streeter of 43 Eastbrook Road. He served with the celebrated Welch Regiment and was only aged 21 when he was killed in action on 31 July 1917. His name is recorded on the Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium.

Private Arthur Edward Warman – He was of mature years, being aged 45, when he was killed in action on 2 September 1918, not long before the war ended. He served with the 16^th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment) and was buried in Dominion Cemetery, Hendecourt Les Cagnicourt. His wife, Flora Warman, lived at 2 Eastbrook Road, while his parents, John and Mary Warman, lived at Beenham, Berkshire.

Private Charles Maurice Woolgar – He was born in Portslade, the son of George and Edith Woolgar of 71 Eastbrook Road, and enlisted at Hove. Tragically, he was only aged 19 when he was killed in action on 25 September 1916.

House Notes

In April 1933 a petition signed by three residents complained to Portslade Council about the nuisance caused by cockerels at number 54. However, when the surveyor went to check on the situation, he found that there had only ever been one cockerel, and the creature had been killed some time ago.

In November 1998 there was a report that a house was haunted in Eastbrook Road. There were strange, metallic, clinking sounds that made the family dog rush up and down stairs barking furiously. One night the lady of the house was in bed with her husband asleep beside her, when the figure of a man with a thin face and heavy moustache leant over her.

In 2000 Stephen Savage lived in Eastbrook Road. He was regional co-ordinator of the Sussex Sea Watch Foundation, part of a nation-wide network, and he appealed to volunteers to log sightings of dolphins and whales off the Sussex Coast.

copyright © D. Sharp
Eastbrook Road looking east from St Aubyn's Crescent in Fishersgate, which is the County boundary between East and West Sussex.

Sources

Directories
Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade
Mr G. Osborne
Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove

page layout and additional research by D.Sharp

08 October 2024

Eastbrook Road, Portslade.