Daily ritual of the town crystal gazer

A curved metal screen behind the crystal globe held a paper chart marked in hours and minutes. When the sun shone, its rays went through the globe and burned a track on the chart; he was a sort of weatherman-crystal gazer. This functioned in the 1930s and the plinth, operative or not, was I believe still there in the early 1960s. It had certainly done its job: pre-war guidebooks were keen to promote the town's sunshine appeal.

In 1931 Seaford was top of the official GB sunshine records, second in 1932 and sixth in 1933. The following year it was recorded that 'the sun shone at Seaford on 300 of the 365 days'; in 1935 the total was 306 days, 300 in 1936. An earlier figure, with no mention of place in the national competition, was that in 1923 308 days of that year had seen the sun '“ 'a yearly average of 4.45 hours per day'.

The Seaford Publicity Bureau 'under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce and Seaford Urban District Council' was then responsible for the guide book and used the climate ('mild, invigorating and dry') as a major selling point to lure holiday makers '“ and prospective residents '“ here. They quote an enthusiast for the town (estimated population in 1923, 8,750): 'an unpretentious, clean, healthful little watering place with natural amenities, untroubled and unspoiled'.

After the Second World War local guide books tended to stress the general advantages of living in Seaford and there was no further special mention of sunshine, though the Medical Officer of Health had a front-page quote, 'Seaford - the most bracing of all the South Coast resorts'. By the mid-1960s (population then 15,000) our catchphrase 'Sunshine Serenity and Sport', with a logo of cliffs, sailing boats, a golfer and a blazing sun, appeared not only on the cover of the guide book, but was also in use as a Royal Mail franking.

By this time the compilers were having to play down the educational centre aspect of Seaford's attractions, as many of the pre-war boarding- and prep-schools that had evacuated to safer areas did not return to their old quarters; only eight were featured in 1967 as against 20 some 30 years before.

I wonder if ever the 'Sunshine Recorder' on his visits to that corner of the recreation ground looked across to the nearby children's playground and, when the sun was having one of its good days, fancied a paddle in their pool? Children's Corner then provided 'swings, sand patches and other apparatus, also a model yacht and paddle-boat pond, where a man is kept in constant attendance so that children may play in safety without the constant oversight of their elders'. But oh, the tricks some of those same children played on that poor attendant '“ so I've heard from one or two of today's senior citizens. Brownie points to the person who thought of the 'sand patches' '“ Seaford's shingle beach offered few opportunities for the use of the buckets and spades so optimistically brought along by visiting youngsters!

PAT BERRY