No development yet … settlement, with grand estates,
yes, but no seaside town … however the railways had arrived in 1849 … life was
moving on … a new seaside town had been promulgated.
 |
| Cavendish Arms (the grandson of the Duke holds the title Earl of Burlington as a courtesy title) |
The Earl of Burlington, before he became the 7th
Duke of Devonshire in 1858, had had plans produced in 1836, but it was not
until 1859 and 1872, after new plans were adopted, that the formation of the
town as we know it today commenced.
 |
| Burlington Hotel, just west of the Claremont - burnt down in 2019 |
The promenade is a wonderful straight … with three
levels … class came into play in the 1800s … us, them, and me! Well no – you know what I mean … them up
there, the middle lot and the rest: e.g. the servants …
 |
| Eastbourne - the straight promenade; the pier to the east, beyond which would be the servants' quarters, the kitchen gardens, orchards, etc while to the west along the front were the high-class hotels, the theatres, Devonshire Park tennis courts (part of the Devonshire estate) and other developments |
At the easterly end the pier was built – a defining
point along the seafront … it interrupts what would otherwise have been a
ribbon development of buildings: to the west, high class hotels, with modest
family hotels and boarding houses to the east.
 |
| The Claremont in full conflagration, the Burlington Hotel abuts the Claremont. The entrance to the pier is nearly opposite, at the easterly end of the Promenade |
The pier is opposite the end of the Claremont, as it
was, to the west stretches the Grand Parade towards the Downs and Beachy Head,
while eastwards were the kitchen gardens, laundries, coal stores, lodgings for
the servants, gardeners etc …
 |
| Sorry - one of my blue mobile phone pics ... it is a drawing done in 1850 - looking west towards Beachy Head; the Roman Villa remains are shown in the lower left of the image - where the pier has been built. |
… it was at this point 2,000 years ago that a Roman
Villa stood – so one advantage to come out of Claremont’s conflagration is that
21st century archaeological techniques can be used to perhaps
uncover hidden treasures …
 |
| The Claremont as it was in the 21st century |
… there was a Foundation Stone ‘the foundation of the new town laid in the spring of 1851’, which
was still there in 1898 – its whereabouts unknown today – so who knows what
might be found.
 |
| Not much as changed really from about 1900 - the end of the terrace before conversion to the hotels |
The fire that destroyed the Claremont claimed about
one third of the Grade II* Listed building …
 |
| You can see the end of the burnt hotel - similar in appearance to the one taken about 120 years before |
... originally designed as a terrace
of 19 four storey high houses – before being converted into the hotels we see
today … the Burlington occupying the other two-thirds of the Victorian Terrace.
I won’t be doing the A – Z … tempted though I might be
– I will try and do a few fun posts and will do the WEP prompt during April and then get to the
more interesting posts about my escapades to various museums and exhibitions as
the year moves on.
Tempted I am – but I must put priorities first – and home
needs some major sorting … which confinement will help … just hope it doesn’t
last the gestatory nine months! That would surprise a
few … 
Take care – there’s much to worry us at the moment … I’m
trying to keep away from posting about it – too much other information around …
my cherubic, non-opinionated jottings will have to do … to keep us connected. Enjoy the A - Z anyone who is participating …
Youtube: “Class System” skit 1966 with John Cleese,
Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett … this clarifies our classes!! Absolutely classic ... makes me laugh and remember back to watching with my parents ... just brilliant ... enjoy.
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
