Tudor Close, Rottingdean

Notes and queries: very special houses

The following query was posted to the site by Pam, on 29/08/2002

'I recently took my visiting parents for an afternoon in Rottingdean. Near Kippling's house there is a little quad/enclosure of beautifully kept Tudor houses. The gate said Strictly Private, but we still had a good look through the gate's porthole anyway. Does anyone know anything about the history of these houses and if they're original? They certainly looked as if they'd fetch a fair price on today's property scale.'

Response 1:

Posted by Jan Hill, My Brighton and Hove volunteer, on 29/08/02

If the "Tudor Houses" are Tudor Close in Court Farm Road, they date from 1929! They look very authentic though at first glance.

Response 2:

Posted by Paul Cracknell, on 31/08/2002

There is no great mystery here and all is not what it seems in Rottingdean. The cottages referred to comprise Tudor Close in Dean Court Road. Despite being remarkably authentic in appearance, they are in fact relatively modern. Further information is already available at the following URL: http://www.saltdean.info/saltdeanpastlbegtodayhtm.htm

Response 3:

Posted by Geoffrey Mead, on 10/09/02

The Rottingdean Tudor houses (if Tudor Close, In Dean Court Road) were the most elegant of all the south coast houses built by Charles Neville and a definite up-market devt after Peacehaven, He actually lived in one of them. for a while this was a famous hotel and housed in the Thirties a Hollywood actress (but I forget which one...Myrna Loy? Bette Davis?) The Rottingdean Museum at The Grange will know all this ...and more.