18-20 Drove Road, Portslade

Local listing is different to statutory listing; it does not provide further legislative controls. and does not affect when planning permission is required.  However, when planning permission is required, the ‘special interest’ of a locally listed heritage asset will be taken into account. In 2013 the council asked for nominations for inclusion in the list; over five hundred submissions were considered. The Local List of Heritage Assets was adopted on 18th June 2015, it will be reviewed in 2020; other items in the current list can be seen here.

Built for Manor staff

Portslade Old Manor was built in the Norman period, to the immediate north of St Nicolas’ Church; with a further wing added in the early seventeenth century. The ‘new’ Portslade Manor was built in 1807 and is still in existence today. Unfortunately very little remains of the original Norman building. These two storey rendered cottages used to have direct access through the rear garden into the grounds of Portslade Manor. It is believed that they were built to house staff from the manor. When St Mary’s Convent took over Preston Manor, a priest is believed to have lived in one of the cottages.

Date from 19th century

The cottages date to the early nineteenth century when the population of Portslade was approximately three hundred people. They have tall hipped slate roofs with two over two sash windows; the semi-circular headed front doors are within enclosed porches. They have been included on the local list as they are good quality examples of buildings of their scale, comprising relatively high status worker’s housing which still retain a rural character. The buildings are closely associated with Portslade Manor (listed at Grade II as St Mary’s Convent), both historically and physically.