One noble De La Warr pays birthday tribute to another

BEXHILL said 'happy birthday' to perhaps the town's most famous resident on Monday evening. And many agree the old - or should that be modern(ist) - girl gets better with age.

The De La Warr Pavilion had its recent 8 million refurbishment to thank for the almost 'good as new' look as hundreds of visitors came to mark the 70th anniversary of the opening of the seafront icon.

It seemed fitting, in the year the Pavilion reopened after the troubles of the recent past, guests were reminded of the unique plan to provide social and cultural prosperity for the town as far back as the 1930's.

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And to connect the past to the present, Lord and Lady De La Warr were in attendance, the Earl (pictured) remarking how his grandfather's vision had been realised to the extent he would have wanted.

Guests included Friends of the Pavilion, members of Rother District Council, patrons, artists and countless others connected to the project.

The evening concluded with a gala performance of Cinderella, the pavilion's new pantomime, and the climax of the Variety season.

Pavilion director Alan Haydon welcomed the excited crowd to the party and gave thanks to all the people who have visited the refurbished building, supporters, friends and "particularly Rother District Council and the Arts Council of England."

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Earl De La Warr spoke of his grandfather's competition, held 70 years ago, to create an iconic building and his eagerness to build a better future for Bexhill.

He said: "There was no doubt at all he was the driving force behind it (the Pavilion) and it was his idea for the architectural competition that ended up with Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff."

"The pavilion was just the start of his vision for Bexhill. He had ideas for piers, hotels and cinemas.

"Those never happened, but I would like to think that he is watching us today."

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The Earl added the building was at last getting the exposure it didn't have towards the end of his grandfather's life.

"I would like to think that this is the start of the vision he had in 1935 and that Bexhill will become the premier resort of the south east of England."