Trickle of pedestrians used footpath
PIC No 1. Well there's a surprise. Newhaven has got a ring road, Southway has begun.
Early stages indeed. Patients in the waiting room of today's Harbourside Surgery, served by the car park to the left of the descending railings, would be well aware of the trickle of pedestrians using this footpath, which links Chapel Street with the Southway ring road.
At this time the new system has but crossed the fly-over at its junction with South Road. The old police station remains in action to the rear right with its white flag pole to the front, blocking the view of the dental practice, now beyond and set back.
The far hill is that which continues beyond the junction with Meeching Road. The first two houses to the left of Meeching Road were demolished, then lining up with the frontage of the Congregational Chapel (the Flea Market) above which can be seen the steeple of St Michaels Church.
Returning to the sloping footpath, the top reached the ring road near the bus stop as today a useful connection for those in the Chapel Street area.
The fence would line up with Sussex Place, a small cul-de-sac of old cottages from which a footpath, known as the twitten led into Bridge Street at its eastern end, then over the swing bridge to the railway station.
Before the age of the motor car this was a very popular route for those living on the south of the ring road as we know it today.
So now we are at the bottom of the sloping hand rail still. The large facing wall, leads to the chemist's dispensary just out of the picture to the left. Ahead appears a tunnel under a large shed.
This was Church Road, now used as a footpath linking Chapel Street with South Road. To the left had been Christ Church, which was replaced by the present day police station, here under construction beyond the builders sheds.
A period of much activity – good or bad. Now we had become a car ferry port, there was a steam train link with Scotland, passengers sleeping the night away as they and their cars were whisked all the way to Newhaven to get to France.
The East Quay was packed with large freighters, there was the huge Tango crane, Parker Pens were busy and the Fort was becoming a great attraction. We had the best sand beach for miles around. What went wrong?
One thing that did go wrong was at the West Pier. From opposite the Hope Inn, to the junction with the sea, the foundations decided to move, with some very dramatic switch-back effect, the undulations of the concrete footpath alongside the river must have confused many of the Inn's revellers as to the power of what they had been consuming. The scene was really dramatic and difficult to imagine that the area could ever return to its present condition.
One feature at the pier end was the attractive concrete lighthouse erected in the early 1880s. It was claimed to be leaning off centre and would have to be demolished and the area re-set. Fortunately the top of this attraction was removed before the explosion. This just had to be saved and, although it had been positioned at the Railway Quay, it was exposed to possible damage. We bought it to secure its future, but could not return it to the seafront, where our museum then was, as it could be exposed to the vandalism there.
At that time negotiations were in force with Mr Tate at Garden Paradise as to our possibly moving there if charity status was realised and the historical society was voted in favour. This all came to pass, the lighthouse top was beautifully restored and positioned in the extensive gardens behind the main building. Close by is the large capstan, which can be seen in Picture No 2. The two black state of tide canvas balls at the signal mast, now hanging in the museum, with a storm cone nearby.
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Weather for Lewes
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
