Buildings of interest

Please note that this text is an extract from a reference work written in 1990.  As a result, some of the content may not reflect recent research, changes and events.

c) BUILDINGS: St Cuthman’s Church was originally erected in Lintott Avenue in 1937, but was destroyed on 16 August 1943 by a German bomb with a church-warden buried alive. The new church was built in 1951-2 {83,311}. The church hall was sold to the community association in 1982 to become the Valley Social Centre. St David’s Mission Hall, still standing at the junction of Whitehawk Road and Whitehawk Way, was used before the church opened, and was later used by the Whitehawk and Manor Farm Boys’ Club {83}. The Catholic Church of St Louis, King of France, opened on 20 December 1964 in Modern style at Henley Road, but as it was constructed of high-alumina cement it was later declared unsafe and closed in October 1982 to be replaced by a block of flats, Henley Court, in 1985-6 {56,123}.
Whitehawk Library opened in 1934 in a building in front of Whitehawk Primary School in Whitehawk Road, but it was eventually required for classrooms and a temporary library was established at Rugby House, Rugby Place, in August 1969. A new community centre and library, the largest of the town’s branches, was opened by Princess Alexandra on 9 November 1973 in Whitehawk Road; the toy ‘library’ was opened by Dame Flora Robson three weeks later. {123,311}
Stanley Deason School opened in Wilson Avenue in 1976; the community sports hall and squash courts were added in 1984. {123}

Any numerical cross-references in the text above refer to resources in the Sources and Bibliography section of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder.

Comments about this page

  • Seeing a little feature on Whitehawk was great. I’d love to see more photos of the old whitehawk(40s and 50s) particlularly the prefabs.Do you have some?

    By E Cook (30/06/2008)
  • This is the old Stanley Deason School, now part of brighton college, not the actual leasure centre.

    By Nikkie (02/07/2008)
  • My grandad lived just accross the road and actually saw this happen, he said this was a frightening experience.

    By Nikkie (02/07/2008)
  • re St David’s Hall, (Whitehawk and Manor Farm Boys Club).   We played in a beat group there as the Shady Glades  and won a  bronze award  for the club in a 1965  music  festival  at  Crawley  Boys Club. Our youth leader, Stan, entered us. Does anybody remember him?

    By Tony Lidbetter (13/03/2009)
  • That’s the Boys’ Club. Dougie Greeland’s mum used to look after it, and we had some blinding discos there.  Who was the strange bloke who did the DJ’ing?  Was it Eddie Whitney?

    By Paul Hubbard (09/04/2009)
  • What an awful place. To think that this took the place of the Whitehawk Inn. Progress? I think not.  Whatever happened to George and Jean Gunn who ran the place at one time?

    By Paul Hubbard (03/06/2009)
  • Hi, both my sisters got married at St Cuthman’s. They were Carol Groves (now Thompson) & Shirley Groves (now Shepperd). I also was a choir boy under tuition from the Rev Parffit who was a very good Vicar. My mother was a member of the Mothers’ Union - her name was Winnie Groves

    By Richard F Groves (20/10/2009)
  • My sister Shirley, as I said, married Barry Shepperd who lived at the time in Wiston Road. Thay were at St Cuthmans in the 60s. Thay are still married and now live up the manor (Maresfield Rd) in Whitehawk

    By Richard F Groves (23/10/2009)
  • I was a choirboy here in the early fifties and also remember queuing here to collect our new Ration Books. Now I visit every second Wednesday of the month with the other members of the Phoenix Local History Group. It brings back so many happy memories.

    By Vernon Brand (30/01/2010)
  • Hi my name is Tony Brashill, some might remember me as Tony Brazil, named after me old Dad. My mum’s name was Connie and her maiden name was Bishop and she used to live at 82 Fletching Road with her brother Arthur, my Nan Nellie and Grandad Trigger as he was known. On the night of the bombing of St Cuthmans she was supposed to have been on fire watch there, but due to illness she could not attend, if she had gone she would have undoubtably been killed.

    By Tony Brashill (04/01/2011)
  • Such a shame this building is being demolished leaving no community building for local residents in its place. I’m sure lots of people have fond memories of the building whether it be a function attended there or a community class attended.

    By Sandra Frape (29/06/2011)
  • I was married in this hall on the 4th of August 1951 it was the the only place in Whitehawk as the church had been destroyed by bombs in the war and the new church had yet to be built. It still brings me many happy memories, and I was very happy in my childhood growing up and living with all the people who were my friends and neigbours, in Whitehawk.

    By Colleen Long (05/08/2013)
  • My Grandparents’ house was on the corner of Twineham Road – no 21. Some of the church crashed through my Uncle Brian’s bedroom window, he was sound asleep in his cot. I have heard so much about this day from my Mother who also lived in the house and I was actually born in there in 1956. This is the first picture I have seen. It brings everything to life and I now realise just how lucky everyone was. Chris

    By Chris Coomber (22/09/2013)
  • I was christened here in 1952, along with my cousin Mary Sprigg

    By Michael Beal (31/05/2015)
  • I remember everything that everyone has written on this site. I lived at 104 Hervey Road from birth in 1941 till I joined the Army in 1959. My favourite teachers in Junior School were Mr Kibblewhite, Mr Morris, Miss Smart and Miss New. I also remember St. David’s Hall and the Boy’s Club. My brother Frank and I boxed and played billiards and snooker there. I used to take my wind up gramophone and play my 78s on club nights. I was one of the original DJ’s back in the early ’50s. The Broadway café was our regular haunt. Names I remember are : Rodney and Janet Gunn, Bobby Chapman, John Whiteside, Betty Jupp, The Faynes, Linda Maidment, Maureen Wickens, Mary Luff, Veronica Barrett and Christopher May. Also my girlfriend Joyce Farrow. Memories. These photos are brill. If there’s anyone out there who remembers me, give me a call.

    By Kenneth Muzzall (04/07/2016)
  • By the way, adding to my previous comment: The picture shows the old church after the smaller hall, St. David’s, was taken down. There were two buildings on this site. This building was the church before St Cuthman’s was built.

    By Kenneth Muzzall (04/07/2016)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.