Rock Street
No.11 Rock Street, formerly Webb's greengrocers
Photo by Andrew Doig
People and businesses c1940
Ken Brown: interviewed by Andrew Doig
At 14 Rock Street, the fishmongers shop had a huge sliding sash window on to the street to display the fish counter. The window was open no matter what the weather and the owners would be serving fish with fingers red raw from wet and cold. Opposite in 19 Rock Street, lived Harold and Mary Cushing. Ken remembers Harold as a clever, phlegmatic man who built a loom. Mary wove material on that loom and made a suit from it. Next Door at 18 Rock Street, Mr Islip the tailor would sit in the window, sewing cross legged in the good natural light.
Many famous people lived in Lewes Crescent then. Bill Rose who wrote the script for the popular 1950’s film ‘Genevieve’ lived at No.26 Lewes Crescent. Patrick Allen, actor, and his wife, Sarah Lawson also an actor, lived in Lewes Crescent. 16 Lewes Crescent was a dormitory for Brighton College. Some of the houses were still in single occupancy, for example, 4 Lewes Crescent where Mrs Knight lived with help from housekeeper Miss Botting, and Miss King, the maid of all work.
Rock Street photographed in 2009
Photo by Andrew Doig
This is Ken’s account of the Rock Street houses and shops in 1940:
South Side (Numbers run consecutively West to East)
1 Gibson’s, Chemist
2 Benee, Grocer
3 Cyril Voke’s Butcher
4 Brown’s, newsagent, confectionary & circulating library
5 Ladies and Gents hairdressers
6 Mrs. Lake, General Store
7 Rock Inn, pub
Here is the junction with Rock Grove
North Side (Numbers run consecutively East to West)
8 & 9 Hervey Arms, pub
10 private house
11 Webb’s greengrocers
12 private house
13 private house
14 Trethewey, Fishmonger
15 private house
16 private house (site of the bomb of 14.9.1940)
17 private house
18 Islip, GentsTailor
19 private cottage
Here is St. Mark’s Place
Rose & Crown, Chesham Street, pub.
This page was added on 30/11/2009.