Tide Mills slowly reveals foundations and floors
The history of the Tide Mills is slowly being unearthed.
First of all Luke Barber of the Sussex Archaeological Society and some hardy volunteers have slowly been excavating many of the old buildings that made up the village.
Foundations and floors have been unearthed and many small domestic items give clues as to what it must have been like to live there.
Sherds of Spode china for nice teas and plenty of beer bottle fragments give an idea of what was drunk; some of this found in situ around the houses but much more found in the area of the mill-ponds where rubbish was obviously thrown.
Several horseshoes have been found; these may have come from the horses which were used around the mills but could also have come from the racehorses which convalesced at Dales stables in the 1930s.
The history of Tide Mills can also be found in some unexpected places off-site. Local councillor Bob Brown (and a regular at the monthly beach-cleans), recently found some old documents at a car-boot sale in Alfriston.
These were for the purchase of land in Brighton and were signed by 'William Catt of Bishopstone' – a name synonymous with the mills.
It is fascinating to see a document that was once handled and signed by the man who built up the mills and village.
Local historian Philip Pople has found some more of the history even further away – in Petworth, West Sussex.
While browsing through an antique shop, he luckily recognised a water colour picture of the village. The artist stood with his back to Seaford looking north towards the village.
The painting was probably executed in the 1920s and shows the village cottages on the left, with a taller building towards the centre which is Kale House – the original grain store.
In the centre, just one mill-race is shown which is odd as today several can be seen. Above this, the huge mill buildings once stood but these were demolished prior to the date of the painting, although the Mill House, where William Catt lived, can be seen on the right.
Maps of the Tide Mills have also been found recently.
Newhaven Fort (always worth a visit) has a map dated 1823, which clearly shows the village with just the east mill pond. The mouth of Newhaven Harbour can be seen to the west whilst the Buckle Public House and the East Blatchington battery can be seen to the east. Seaford Museum has also unearthed a map dated may 1935, just two years before the village was closed down for being a "health hazard." The map was drawn by the Southern Railway, who then owned the village and is particularly interesting as it shows not only the house numbers but also the location of the drains.
These maps and much more information can be found on the new Tide Mills web-site which can be found at www.tidemills.webs.com. This site has a wealth of information about this fascinating 'lost' village and also details of the regular beach cleans run by Jim Skinner of the Friends of the Tide Mills every month.
The next beach clean will be this Sunday, 18th October at 10am so why not turn up and help for just an hour? From the Car Park, carefully cross the railway line and go to the seaward end of the Mill Road where litter pickers and bags are provided.
I always enjoy the walk along the beach with my dog Molly, picking up the flotsam and jetsam before it can harm the local seabirds and other users of the beach.
It's difficult to remember now however that this windswept beach was once both the workplace and home of our forebears.
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Weather for Lewes
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
