Now that's what I call a washing line!

On the skyline left to right are trees, a very faint St Michael's Church, then rather a dark blob which could be Josiah Gray's house, site of the present school.

It is difficult to know how advanced was the chalk quarry, if in fact it was working as yet, and if so, how prosperous Josiah was to have been able to have such a fine house built for him.

So down we come to the long row of coastguard houses and it would seem for at least one family it was washing day '“ and what a clothes line!

Somehow I feel there was something special about the wash houses. Was there one to be shared by two?

Then it would not all happen on the same day. A lot of these families had been brought up Navy style and no surprise at any rules even about the clothes lines '“ perhaps someone will kindly enlighten us.

At the bottom of the near line is the 'house' for 'the apparatus'. This was the carriage for the Breeches Buoy life-saving gear and rocket firing equipment.

Today it might well be dismissed as quaint but until the arrival of helicopters it was still saving many lives.

A rocket with a line attached was fired across the grounded victim, in circumstances perhaps not suitable for a lifeboat. Hopefully, a crew member of the victim grabbed the line and with help, this was pulled aboard followed by a much stouter rope with pulley attachments.

This was all made fast and a system followed where crew members could be brought ashore, one at a time in the buoy, which was rather like a lifebelt, with a material seat, and to and fro the device went until all were ashore.

I recollect seeing a small steamer, the Merwede, loaded with bricks (for building Peacehaven I believe) ashore at The Buckle, not a healthy place in a bad sea. All that I could see from Hillcrest Road, at night, was the mast lights of the victim rolling from one side to the other and the rocket fired.

Not much else, but what hit the headlines was that nurses from the Chailey Heritage Hospital at Tidemills were on the scene and helping the coastguards haul the rescued ashore. They took them to the hospital for any treatment needed, warm drinks and food as required.

Later, when calm had returned, the steamer discharged most of her cargo on to the beach using her own derricks and with a suitable high tide, she was towed off.

Back to the photo '“ there is of course no Gibbon Road and that is not the Sheffield Hotel (or Harbourside) but a 'shant' or 'shanty' for accommodating the navvies building the breakwater or other harbour works. Another single storey one is to the right.

At the bottom left of the picture is the rear of the Ark House, showing the bedroom windows in the black hull of the barge and the small back garden with the hedge around it. Two families lived here.

A higher road eventually replaced the lower one as it was often flooded. Date about 1880.

PETER BAILEY

Peter Bailey is curator of the Newhaven Local and Maritime Museum based in its own fascinating premises in the grounds of Paradise Park in Avis Road, Newhaven. Summer opening hours are daily, 2-4pm or by arrangement. Admission 1 (accompanied children free). Contact the curator on 01273 514760. Log on to the website at www.newhavenmuseum.co.uk