brighton abbatoir by Paul Brooker 30 November 2005Hi to all,I would like to know if anybody has any information regarding the history of Brighton Abbatoir.Many thanks for any info.6 replies Re: Brighton abatoir by Bob 3 December 2005In the recently published “Rose Hill to Roundhill: a Brighton Community (2004 Brighton Books Publishing) it says:“The municipal abbattoir was built in 1894 so that the many unsanitary slaughterhouses in poorer areas of the town could be removed. The nearest abattoirs to Roundhill at the time would have been in Oxford Court [off Oxford Street, London Road] and Providence Place [on the other side of London Road between Ann Street and York Hill]. The Hollingdean site was not the first chosen by the council for an abattoir as land in Prestonville area (Stanford Road) had been designated. The Hollingdean site was undoubtedly further away from the expensive houses of Dyke Road and being close to the Dust Destructor , it kept the councils utility services together… Later the council used adjacent spare land for the wholesale meat market and the Cleansing centre where infeasted belongings and people were deloused.”The abattoir “failed to meet modern hygiene standards even after the council leased it to private enterpr5uise and it closed in 1986.It is of course now the controversial site for the proposed rubbish sorting/recycling centre. The original “Dust Destructor” adjacent to the site also met with great resistance when it was built in 1898.Without going here into the current controversy about whether or not our rubbish should be sorted there now, since you ask about history I would comment that the proposal to site a rubbish sorting depot there, with plans to cart away refuse in huge lorries down the completely unsuitable Hollingdean Road with its tortuous railway tunnel and congested Vogue Gyratory where it meets the Lewes Road, shows a v poor grasp of the historical and geographical reasons for siting the cleansing department and abattoir there in the first place.An important factor was that it was (and still is) right next to to the Lewes-Brighton railway line allowing cattle to be brought into the abattoir sidings and pens without driving them through the streets – as they were from the railway goods yard to Providence Place and Oxford Court. The sidings also connected to the “dust destructor” presumably to allow rubbish to be brought there or ash removed.Since the proposed incinerator at Newhaven is at the other end of this very same railway line it seems surprisng – to say the least – that nobody seems interested in making use of it to avoid all those heavy lorry journies through our narrow streets.You do not explain your interest in the abattoir so what sort of history you are interested in is unclear. There are personal experiences of local residents in the Roundhill book cited above, a copy of which is in the local history library. These include memories of the smell which was often apparent to children at the nearby Downs School – where modern-day parents are in the forefront of the battle against the new rubbish works. I grew up nearby in the 50s and recall occasional escapees – cattle which didn’t fancy the facilties at the abattoir and bolted. My school friend’s Dad – for reasons I was never really clear about – had a Lee Enfield .303 rifle – the standard British Army weapon of WW1 and WW2 – in the corner of his living room and was sent for on such occassions. I seem to remember him despatching one such animal at the entrance to the Woodvale Crematorium where it had been cornered. That sort of thing would certainly liven up the Vogue Interchange now (and perhaps send people into Sainsburys with different ideas about what to buy for dinner!). But even mad cows would be better than a strema of 40 ton lorries imho. Re: Brighton abattoir - more history by Bob 4 December 2005Tim Carder’s encyclopedia of Brighton says the abattoir was built on the site of the Union Hunt’s kennels – Hollingdean Road was formerly known as Dog Kennel Road. It opened on 30 June 1894 and put an end to most of the 40 or so other slaughterhouses operating in the town. Nearly 7,000 animals were slaughtered in the first year. By 1928 this figure had risen to 34,400. No 84 Hollingdean Road, a knapped flint and brick house, was the home of the abattoir superintendent. Re: brighton abbatoir by ronald 5 December 2005Memories of Hollingdean Lane, the abbatoir and surounding area can be found on the seedy business website , tales from the allotment shed (do a google search)The Cleansing Centre was the headquarters of the City Pest Control Department until recently, it now lies empty and uncared for, I imagine awaiting demolision. Re: Brighton abatoir by neil 29 January 2006iwas the last person to actually slaughter an animal in the abattoir.it was an imposing building and a fine example of victorian workmanship.it was built on top of a former rubbih dump on brick arches .i remember that every time the ground was opened there was a multitude of interesting artifacts.when i worked there melvyn brooker (any relation)had a print of the original building. there was also a council produced handbook from maybe the fifties extoling its virtues i dont know if you could find a copy of this Re: brighton abbatoir by Trevor Henshaw 23 June 2022 9:05 AMHi my husband Trevor Henshaw work up the abattoir, for a long while ,he was a good friend of melvyn broker , Re: brighton abbatoir by Jonathan Aldridge 14 NovemberRe Brighton Abbatoir I was a HGV driver for A Taubman co the tripe dresser that was based there at the top of the site wow what a smell when rendering fat for tallow. 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