News and Events

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.

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.

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.

NEW St Thomas the Apostle Church in Davigdor Road. The foundation stone was laid on 1 June 1901 it opened for worship on 9 November 1901. The building was finally consecrated on 17 January 1923. It was closed for worship on 17 January 1993 and declared redundant.  It is now the Coptic Church of St Mary and St Abraam.

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.

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/

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.

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.

St Wilfrid's Church, Elm Grove, Brighton The Iron Church was dedicated in 1902. The new church was consecrated on 25 November 1933.  The building was declared redundant in 1980 and converted into flats.

Christ Church, Montpelier Road, Brighton The foundation stone was laid on 13th June 1837, the church was consecrated on 26th April, 1838. It was destroyed by fire in 1978 and formally declared redundant in 1981, and demolished in 1982.

St Cuthman's Church, Whitehawk, Brighton The Church was originally erected in Lintott Avenue in 1937, but was destroyed on 16 August 1943 by a German bomb. A new church was built in the 1951-52.

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.

St Margaret's Church formerly in Cannon Place A 19th century Church in Brighton dedicated to St Margaret built in 1823 and demolished in 1959 to make way for Sussex Heights.

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.

St Saviours Church Ditchling Road. Foundation Stone 19 Aug 1885, Consecrated 25 Nov 1886. Parish amalgamated with St. Augustine, declared redundant 1 Nov 1980.

St Annes's Church Burlington Street The Foundation stone was laid on 16th June, 1862, the church was consecrated on Saturday 13th June 1863 and demolished in 1986.

St James Church, St James Street The first church was erected on the site in 1810.  The church was rebuilt in the 1870s. The church closed in the early 1949 and was demolished in 1950.

Holy Resurrection Church, Russell Street, Brighton The Church of the Holy Resurrection was built with the entrance going down 17 feet to reach the floor.  It was demolished when Churchill Square was built in the 60s.

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.

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.

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.

Cherry Trees in Blossom by the Lewes Road Photographs of the blossom taken in May 2022.

New flats on the Bates Estate opened in 2020 30 flats have been built on the site of the former council housing office.

Memories of a Vicars Daughter Jenny Money remembers Moulsecoomb when her father the Revd Jack Money was the Vicar of St Andrews in Moulsecoomb.

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.

Falmer Village War Memorial A horse trough in Middle Street was converted into a memorial for people from the parish who died in WW1.

Hogs Edge Self Build Project Work started on the site in late 1997 and the houses were completed in the summer of 2020.

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.

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!