Portslade in the Past: Windlesham Close, Portslade.

Judy Middleton & D. Sharp 2003 (revised 2025)

Land Ownership

Originally, the land was part of a large estate consisting of 14 acres of meadow land, 4 acres of pleasure gardens, and a 1-acre kitchen garden. There were also stables, a double coach-house, a harness room, a chaise house, cow sheds, piggeries, and a laundry. The grand house, called simply Portslade House and described as a ‘Noble Marine House’ was situated on West Hill – this name has fallen completely out of use, although we still have East Hill.

The estate was the property of Nathaniel Hall whose family continued to live there until the 1860s when it was rented out. In 1913 the house became Windlesham House, a private school for boys, which occupied the premises until moving out in 1935.

Tantalising Loss

An ‘island’ of trees

There was a short space of time when it was debated whether or not part of the estate might have been turned into a public park. But Portslade was not exactly rolling in spare cash, and it was impossible even to purchase a part of the land.

It was on the 25^th October 1933 that Messrs Jenner & Dell sent a letter to Portslade Council wanting to know if the council were interested in purchasing Windlesham House Estate. It was a marvellous idea but the scheme fell through.

On 9^th January 1934 the surveyor submitted an Ordnance Survey Map of Portslade Village that showed trees on the estate. He was of the opinion that the trees ought to be preserved under Portslade Council’s Town Planning Scheme 'Number 1'. For this reason, the developers spared two ‘islands’ of trees when house building started in Windlesham Close.

Portslade Council approved the plan for the layout and sewers in 1934. But there seems to have been an alternative plan, and the surveyor was on the case, wanting to know in April 1934 why plans for the estate showed only 139 plots, whereas according to his information there should have been 242. Obviously, that scheme was over ambitious, and in fact the council only gave approval for 39 houses to be built at that time.

The name ‘Windlesham’ was an obvious choice, and the word ‘Close’ was chosen because the development was meant to be a cul-de-sac with access at the south end to the allotments. There was also a proposal for eight shops whereas only residential properties would be allowed.

One survivor from times past was the old cottage on the corner of what would become Windlesham Close and High Street. You can see the cottage in old postcards of the celebrated High Street bridge. The cottage survived until the 1960s when it was demolished together with the other two old houses on the other side of the road. It was an unfortunate necessity because with the increase in traffic, that part of High Street had become a dangerous blind corner.

copyright © G. Osborne
The ivy covered old cottage on the left at the junction of Windlesham Close and the High Street in the late 1930s

copyright © J Middleton
This building now stands on the space once occupied by the old cottage (see photograph above)

The Windlesham Close ‘Extension’

It is interesting to note the names of the buildings in the extended Windlesham Close, including both Courthope Close and Locks Crescent, all these names are significant in the history of Portslade. In some respects a walk through Windlesham Close and its connecting Locks Crescent is a walk back through time.

Courthope Close

copyright © D. Sharp
Courthope Close at the junction with Windlesham Close.
On the left, is the exit from the South Street Car-Park and the entrance to Lindfields.
The centre gate is the entrance to the Portslade Village Centre and its surrounding grounds.

In the early 1960s the Courthope Youth Club was built, accessed via a narrow road, shown in the above photograph, on the east side of Windlesham Close, south of the last house of the original 1930's Close.

The origins of the ‘Courthope’ name is a mystery, one possible source for the name, is that of the County Councillor, The Hon. Elinor Daphne Courthope OBE, who served on the East Sussex County Council's Education Committee..

From the 1930s to the 1970s, Educational establishments in Portslade were under the control of East Sussex County Council, until the date when Portslade Urban District Council was taken over by Hove Council and its own Education Department in 1974.

On the 17^th May 2021 this narrow cul-de-sac road was officially named as Courthope Close by the Brighton & Hove City Council’s Road Naming Commitee.

Courthope Youth Club

The Courthope Youth Club was central to the social lives of Portslade’s teenagers from 1963 until 1977. The Courthope ran their popular Friday Night Discos which featured up and coming local rock bands. The Club was open most nights of the week after school and ran a number of sports teams, netball and basketball in the Club’s car-park and the Courthope football team that played at Easthill Park. The full-time social worker at the Club in its early days was Mr Wally Thompson. He was always available to give personal and careers advice.

In 1977 the Youth Club was shut down by Hove Council and the building was renamed the Portslade Village Centre. Portslade Urban District Council was taken over (to the detriment of Portslade) by Hove Council in 1974.

Portslade Village Centre

The Portslade Village Centre has been used as a community centre for various social uses, e.g. playgroup, pre-school, Over 60s Club, concerts, educational centre, etc.

Many people will remember it in happier times when it was used to display produce grown in Portslade Allotments at their annual Flower & Vegetable Show which happened on the same Saturday as the St Nicolas Church Fete taking place on the Village Green.

The Portslade Village Centre is now in line for demolition to make way for blocks of flats.

New Flats on the Site of the Portslade Village Centre

The BBC News website reported on the 5 June 2024, ‘Brighton and Hove City Council plans to build 28 homes in two blocks of flats, each three storeys high, in Portslade.

The scheme, which will decided by the Planning Committee later, would also see a new community centre replace Portslade Village Centre, hard court play area and old garages. If approved and built, the homes are expected to be let to people on the council’s housing register. A report to the planning committee was in favour of the scheme, subject to a number of conditions and legal agreements. The council said the existing Portslade Village Centre was an outdated 1960s building with a “challenging” layout and in need of significant modernisation.

Supporters of the plans have highlighted the need for affordable housing. One anonymous supporter said: "There is a desperate need for affordable and available housing in the area", and the site was the "best available option". Another said: "The area this is redeveloping is sorely underused and it is derelict in its current condition."

But objectors have criticised the design for being out of keeping with Portslade Old Village and argue there is too little parking and not enough community space. One anonymous objector said: "Please do not destroy the few green spaces that the people living in the existing flats have to sit outside in." Another said: “The character of the conservation area of Portslade Old Village will be affected negatively."

In all, 26 objections have been sent to the council, while four comments are in support of the plans’.

The Argus reported on 26 October 2024, 'A Section 106 agreement has now been added to the plans, outlining the council’s obligation to designate 40 per cent of the housing as affordable, create local employment opportunities and make financial contributions towards biodiversity, among other terms'.

Lindfield

In 1985 the Lindfield Retirement Flats were built on the narrow lane to the Portslade Village Centre and since 2021 its address is now known as Number 2, Courthope Close. This small block of flats are actually on the site of the former early Victorian Lindfield House’s gardens. On the north side of Lindfield by South Street is Portslade’s Baptist Church.

The South Street Car-Park exit is via Courthope Close into Windlesham Close.

Windlesham Close – A Through Road

In the days of Portslade House and the later Windlesham School, it was possible to drive a horse drawn vehicle and later a car on a narrow private road into the Old Shoreham Road at a junction by the former Lodge entrance to the grounds. This car access to the Old Shoreham Road was blocked when houses were built by the Old Shoreham Road in the late 1930s. Today there is only pedestrian access to Windlesham Close from the Old Shoreham Road.

copyright © D. Sharp
The former private road entrance to the grounds of Portslade House and the later Windlesham School,
now a pedestrian only access into Windlesham Close from the Old Shoreham Road.

In the 1980s Windlesham Close was no longer technically a ‘Close’ because the road was extended south and new buildings were erected on the east side allotments. At the south end of Windlesham Close a new road was built on the east side, with the name of Locks Crescent, which linked Windlesham Close to Locks Hill. On either side of this new road council houses and flats were built.

Windlesham Close Extension

Campsite Allotments Headquarters (Portslade Allotments and Horticultural Society)

Although this building is of no architectural merit, the word ‘Campsite’ is very significant in the history of Portslade. The area of the Portslade Allotments (when the Windlesham School playing fields), both east and west of the future Windlesham Close, served as military camp during the First World War.

copyright © G. Osborne
The First World War Army Camp in the grounds of Windlesham School. Loxdale can be seen on the hill in Locks Hill.

The Army School of Cooking was based on this site throughout the War, 14,000 men qualified as army cooks at the Portslade Army Camp.

Dudney Court

This three storey block of flats was named after John Dudney, who in 1849 founded Portslade Brewery. The former brewery building, now converted into flats, still dominates the Old Village’s skyline. John Dudney, who lived at Easthill House, was probably Portslade’s most important resident in Victorian times. He provided employment to 100s of Portslade residents in his brewery and also provided housing for his workers in North Road and Southdown Road.

It seems quite apt that the residents of Dudney Court can see the Dudney built Brewery from their back gardens.

Rotary Point

At 81, Windlesham Close are a block of Sheltered Housing Flats called Rotary Point, it was originally built by the Rotary Club’s Housing Association. Today these flats are administered by a private company.

Copperas Gap Court

These flats take their name from Copperas Gap, a small seaside hamlet on the coast of Portslade, The name Copperas Gap was certainly in use in October 1795 when a local newspaper carried a paragraph about the Princess of Wales and Lady Cholmondley taking an airing to Copperas Gap where they sat on a bank and enjoyed a picnic.
Quite separate from Portslade's Old Village, Copperas Gap fell within The Parish of St Andrews Portslade.
The hamlet of Copperas Gap was later renamed Portslade by Sea in the Victorian era when the whole area underwent a massive house building development.

Evelyn Court

This large sheltered housing building at 81 Windlesham Close was named after Evelyn Cave who was a magistrate and a Portslade councillor. In the 1950s she chaired the housing committee and oversaw many new homes in Mile Oak. She died in Devon aged 93 in March 1998. This building is located on the north side of the road junction with Windlesham Close and Locks Crescent.

Windlesham House

On the south side of the road junction with Windlesham Close and Locks Crescent is Windlesham House.

Windlesham House was built in 1960 for the Women’s Voluntary Service of Portslade.

The National WVS was founded in 1938 to recruit female volunteers to help civilians during and after air raids. WVS members staffed hostels, clubs and communal feeding centres called 'British Restaurants', assisting with the evacuation, billeting of children and undertook welfare work for troops

Meals on Wheels were prepared in the building's kitchen by the WVS for local house-bound residents. In later years the building also served as a Day Club for pensioners where cheap meals could be purchased.

Windlesham House Garden of Remembrance

In 1964 the Portslade & West Hove Rotary Club financed the building of a Garden of Remembrance on the south and east side of Windlesham House. Sadly in recent years the Garden has become neglected and overgrown with weeds and brambles.

245 Ladies of the Women's Voluntary Service died in the United Kingdon as a result of active service in the Second World War, of these 13 were from the County of Sussex.

copyright © D. Sharp
On the left of the front door of Windlesham House is a plaque to the memory of Mrs Vera Kemp.
The side window of the building shows the badge of the WRVS and the fading motto:-
positive about age - practical about life

In 1966 the WVS was renamed the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service.
The WRVS building has not been used since 2018 and is in a poor state of repair today along with its surrounding Remembrance Gardens.

New Council Flats on the Site of Windlesham House

In August 2024 there was a unanimous decision by Brighton and Hove City Council that a three-storey block of council flats should be built on the site of Windlesham House. There would be fifteen flats to be available for people on the Housing Register.

There were some concerns about the design of the two buildings because there was not a lift in one building, while apparently there are no parking spaces either for visitors or deliveries. The council has a policy of ‘growing spaces’ for new developments so that people might enjoy the pleasure of gardening. But when some residents were consulted on the matter, there was zero interest. However, as it is now a council policy, a ‘growing space’ will be provided because later residents might be passionate gardeners. (Argus 9/8/24)

Locks Hill Crescent

copyright © D. Sharp
The junction of Locks Crescent with Locks Hill, resulting in Windlesham Close becoming a through road.
This junction was originally a gated entrance to the east side of the Portslade Allotments, There were two other entrances to the original 1920s Portslade Allotments, from the north at the High Street and the south from the Old Shoreham Road.

The construction of Locks Crescent turned Windlesham Close into a through road to link up with Locks Hill. This junction with Locks Hill was once a gated entrance into the original east side of Portslade Allotments . There were two other entrances to the original 1920s Portslade Allotments, from the north at the High Street (where the Windlesham Close was later built) and the south from the Old Shoreham Road.

It is interesting to note the names of the five small blocks of flats in Locks Crescent, which are all significant to the early history of Portslade.

Horsfield Court
These flats were named after the Lewes Nonconformist minister, the Revd Thomas Walker Horsfield (1792-1837), the first historian to write an extensive history of the County of Sussex, in his History of Sussex (1835) he makes many references to Portslade’s history.

Cowhayes Court
These flats were named after Cowhayes Farm, a farm that once occupied all the land north of the Old Shoreham Road around the present day Foredown Drive and Highlands Road area.

Portslade Court

These flats’ name are a reminder of Portslade House whose extensive former park grounds this block of flats are sited on.

Kemps Court

Nathaniel Kemp was a major land owner in Portslade during the 1700s. Nathaniel’s great grandson was Thomas Read Kemp (1782-1844), the creator of Brighton’s Kemp Town.

Blakers Court

The Blaker family were major land owners in the 1500s to 1800s who lived at Kemps in Portslade’s High Street and later at Easthill House. During the Blaker’s very long association with Portslade, the Family have taken prominent positions in public life. Edward Blaker was MP for Shoreham in the 17th century; Three members of the family became Churchwardens of St Nicolas Church in the 19th century. Harry Blaker (born 1784 in Portslade) became a surgeon in Brighton. Harry Blaker attended Queen Victoria when she was in residence at the Royal Pavilion; he vaccinated the Prince of Wales later to become Edward VII and Princess Victoria who became the Empress of Germany and mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Many of the Blaker Family are buried in the family vault at St Nicolas.

Portslade Planning Approvals

1934 – 39 houses, numbers 3-9, 23-41, 12-44

!934 – One house at junction with High Street

1934 – G. H. Walker, six pairs of houses, 4-10, 11-21

1934 Mr Eastwood, one house

Sources

Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade

Mr G. Osborne

Portslade Council Minute Books

page design by D.Sharp

12 January 2025

Windlesham Close, Portslade.