Safe Havens by the Sea

SAFE HAVENS BY THE SEA

Lancing, London and a century of caring

Chris Hare & Lela Tredwell

Price: £10.00

SAFE HAVENS

BY THE SEA

Chris Hare & Lela Tredwell

SAFE HAVENS

BY THE SEA Lancing, London and a century of caring

First published in the United Kingdom in 2020 by Guild Care Methold House, North Street, Worthing West Sussex BN11 1DU history@guildcare.org www. guildcare.org Registered charity no. 1044658 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-5272761-7-8 Copyright text Š Christopher Hare and Lela Tredwell 2020 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing from the publishers.

The right of Christopher Hare and Lela Tredwell to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Developed & produced by Panda Creative Ltd Sompting, West Sussex UK E: james@pandacreativeltd.co.uk T: 01903 531531 www.pandacreativeltd.co.uk

SAFE HAVENS

BY THE SEA Lancing, London and a century of caring

by Chris Hare & Lela Tredwell

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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his project was jointly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, £48,500, and Guild Care, £5,000. The project was overseen by a steering group consisting, at various time of, Bill Demell, Martin Hayes, Lionel Parsons, Amy Perry, Samantha Philpott, Jennifer Mason, and Pat Wilson. Helen Plant, Clerk of Lancing Parish Council, has been a support to the project and supplied us with the images of the wartime damage to the Sunbeam Children’s Home.

Thanks to Claire Binstead for keeping the financial records for the project. We are especially grateful to the original research undertaken for this project by Susan Buchanan, Maureen Condick, Phyllis Evans, Maureen Isaacs, Robert Shute, and Phil Wood.

We would also like to thank those former Bell employees, trustees, and friends, who agreed to be interviewed for this project, namely: Ros Berkley Maureen Condick Jackie Flowers-Leek Mary Gauntlett June Jackman Trudi Cary Diane Maisey Colin Martin Don Moat Liz Munday Sylvia Palmer Philip Tote Mary Voice Elizabeth Walton Christine Wood The authors are especially grateful to Philip Fry, who made his personal collection of Lancing postcards available to them, and to Alan Dunn who made his collection available. The authors also thank Martin Hayes and the staff at West Sussex Library Service, and especially for the use of their excellent resource, West Sussex Past Pictures, a website with over 13,000 photographs and pictures from the County Library Service and seven local museums.

Thanks for proof reading to Julia Kopycinska, John Bull, and Patrick Campbell and also a thank you to James Mansell at Panda Creative Ltd (Sompting) for the production of this book. Thanks are due to Gary Pate at Guild Care, who ensured the precious Bell archive was preserved, so, making it possible for this book to be written.

CONTENTS About The Authors .............................................................6 Introduction .......................................................................7

Part 1 by Lela Tredwell 1. Distress ......................................................................11 2. Tonic Air ....................................................................19 3. Trials ..........................................................................45 4. A Very Personal Crusade .............................................57 5. The Good Fight ..........................................................71

Part 2 by Chris Hare 6. New People for a New Age ..........................................81 7. Dreams Come True ....................................................89 8. A Season of Refreshing, 1962 – 1973 ........................ 107 9. At the Crossroads ..................................................... 133 10. The Final Years ......................................................... 147

Fry Postcards ........................................................... 151 Appendix .................................................................. 157 References ................................................................ 171 Index ........................................................................ 179

About

THE AUTHORS CHRIS HARE has been writing on local history topics since 1987. He has a BA (Hons) in British Studies from the University of Brighton and an MA in Life History from the University of Sussex.

His most recent books include, The Secret Shore, and Worthing Under Attack. He has a particular interest in oral history, folklore, and the writings of Hilaire Belloc.

LELA TREDWELL is a prize-winning author, historian and researcher. She has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and a first degree in English with History. She is author of Providing the Jam, a heritage book published in 2018, winner of the Word Factory’s ‘Fables for a Modern World’, and first runner up in the Pinch Literary Awards. Her writing received an honourable mention in The Best Horror of the Year, was commended by The Orwell Society, and can also be found published in journals, anthologies and online.

INTRODUCTION

V

ictorian Lancing was poor by modern standards, but it was a veritable paradise compared to the deprivation and poverty experienced on a daily basis by the people herded together in the squalid and miserable tenements of London’s poorest boroughs. For these people life was still ‘nasty, brutish and short.’ [1] One man conceived a plan to relieve the stress of these downtrodden masses. William Chorley, a Methodist preacher, and superintendent of the Kingsland Gospel Mission in North-East London, believed that a change of environment would go a long way to restore the health of those in his care. He also hoped to instil within them a sense of hope and belief that their lives could change for the better.

In 1890, Chorley rented Bank Cottage on Lancing seafront. To here he brought a small group of children from the London slums. How amazing, exciting, and unreal, it must have been for them to view the sea for the first time; to walk down uncrowded streets and breathe in unpolluted air! As they travelled down to Lancing, they would have passed through fields of waving corn and watched with wonder as the broad sweep of the South Downs came into view before them.

Over the following years and decades, thanks largely to generous gifts and bequests, Chorley was able to open several permanent homes in Lancing. These homes catered for many needs and brought comfort and relief to old and young alike. Some of those first residents were afflicted with tuberculosis (TB), then known as ‘consumption’ - a deadly disease greatly feared by poor people in the days before antibiotics.

Bank Cottage in 2017 –7–

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring

Old cottages at Lancing that would have been standing when William Chorley first visited the village None of the ‘Chorley Homes’ embedded itself more deeply into the Lancing community than The Bell Convalescent Home, opened in 1926. Unlike the other homes, The Bell was purpose-built rather than a conversion. It was larger than the other homes and would become larger still when it incorporated its neighbour, The Sunbeam, in 1956. This book is the history of all Chorley’s homes, but it is The Bell that is the heroine of our tale. This book is about far more than health care, far more than just philanthropy; it is concerned with a very human story, one carried on across the generations, motivated by love, compassion and religious conviction.

Chorley’s endeavours sprang from the great groundswell of social reform that swept across England in the last half of the nineteenth century. This was an era that began with the prohibition of children working in the mines and climbing up chimneys and culminated in the radical reforms enacted by the Liberal government elected by a landslide in 1906. During this half century, the population of the United Kingdom increased from 27m in 1851 to 41m in 1901,[2] while the population of London increased at an even higher rate during the same period, from 2.3m to 6.2m.[3] Such a rapid growth of population had never been seen before, nor has it since.

Britain at this time was ‘the workshop of the world’ with the largest economy and the largest land empire in history. Fortunes were being made at home and overseas, and an expanding and increasingly assertive middle class bore testimony to this financial success. But there were losers as well as winners. In 1887 angry mobs of unemployed Londoners swarmed through the fashionable –8–

Introduction West End, smashing windows and hurling abuse at privileged elites as they sat down to dine. In 1889 the Great Dock Strike showed the power of trade unionism, and with it the possibility of political change, even revolution.

William Booth’s evangelising ‘Salvation Army’ sought to liberate the poor of London, not through politics, but by Christian evangelism. While missionaries sought to save souls in ‘Darkest Africa,’ Booth turned his attention to the benighted souls living in wretchedness in ‘Darkest England,’ and London in particular. It was in this context of tumult and poverty that William Chorley set out on his mission to alleviate the distress and suffering he had observed in Tottenham by creating havens of sanctuary on the Sussex coast - at Lancing, far from the cramped, impoverished deprivation of the capital’s poorest working class districts.

From these uncertain beginnings, Chorley met with increasing success, as he expanded his work at Lancing to include not just respite from the choking atmosphere of London’s slums, but long stay care for those in need of rest and recuperation. By 1914, there were homes for the young, the old, mothers, and those afflicted with TB. It was a big operation, funded with the help of generous donations and bequests.

This book is divided into two sections, for a very good reason. Between 1890 and 1938 the caring work at Lancing was very much a Chorley family project. Although the governance of the homes was formalised in 1922 with the creation of the Southern Convalescent Homes Trust, William Chorley remained the dominant personality. As this book reveals, his forceful character would frequently lead to conflict, even with his own son. His death in 1934 was a turning point and would lead to the baton of authority being passed from the Chorley family to the Methodist South London Mission in Bermondsey.

The Labour government of 1945 – 1951 ushered in, arguably, the greatest social reforms in British history, leading to the creation of the National Health Service Old minute books, a valuable source of research –9–

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring and the Welfare State. The State very rapidly took over the role played, however inadequately, by local charities such as the Southern Convalescent Homes. New times called for new people and a young and dynamic team took over the Lancing homes. All had been born in the poor working class districts of London, had been youthful converts to Methodism, and drew their inspiration from Chorley’s example.

It is their story which is central to the second half of this book, for without them ‘The Bell’ would never have thrived or even survived as long as it did. Their resolve and boundless energy, even in old age, kept the Chorley spirit alive right up until the eve of the 21st century.Past annual reports were a great source of research, Annual Reports, selection JPG Many in Lancing were sad, dismayed even, when The Bell closed in 2016. Yet just as the story of a human life is far more than the details of a person’s death, so the history of The Bell and the other Lancing homes is far more than the circumstance of their closure. This history seeks to celebrate an extraordinary achievement of over 100 years of caring. The hope of the authors is, in some small part at least, to have chronicled the story of this amazing institution and the amazing people who made it all possible.

Chris Hare, Lela Tredwell, November 2020.

Past annual reports were a great source of research

[1]

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

[2]

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/adhocs/004356ukpopulationestimates 1851to2014

[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_London

– 10 –

Chapter One

Alamay.com

DISTRESS

Distress in the East End of London. An illustration by Charles Joseph Staniland from a supplement to The Graphic, 20th February 1886

A

t the beginning of 1868 an article appeared in the Liverpool Daily Post entitled ‘Distress in East London’. It was in connection with the East London Mission and Relief Fund and painted a bleak and desperate picture of the lives of many inhabitants of the area lying north of the Thames, which encompassed the districts of Millwall, Stepney, Limehouse, Mile End, Whitechapel, St George in the East, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, Poplar, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch. Of the some 626,056 recorded in this area on the census in 1861, it was estimated that upwards of 50,000 people were living in destitution. At least 15,000 of these were thought to be children, “almost naked and starving”1.

12,000 men were considered to be out of work. Every day hundreds gathered at the dock gates in hope of obtaining casual labour, often to their disappointment. Many more walked miles between establishments searching for employment. The newspaper article that depicted these scenes was written as an appeal; therefore, it had a vested interest in portraying extreme distress. However, it included compelling details, such as the suffering of the Spitalfields weavers, who having found – 11 –

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring work at the docks, subsequently lost out to “stronger men”2. Issues with employment in the area were sometimes attributed to foreign immigrants but also to the continual fluctuations of industry.

As North London became ever poorer its inhabitants were considered by the Lord Bishop of Stepney to be “in the hands of some strange industrial development which was wholly uncontrollable3.”

The workhouses in the area were populated by in the region of 6,374 people. However, many still “deserving mechanics and labourers” would rather “perish”4 thAN apply for aid. In receipt of outdoor relief were 24,163 of the population but obtaining it was not an easy task, especially for those who were weak or sick. Hundreds were said to crowd the doors to receive assistance and could expect to wait all day before gaining admittance.

“The more violent and depraved drive away the weak and worthy objects; and instances are known of women entreating their husband to suffer anything rather than subject them again to such brutality and endurance.”5 Over the next few decades many appeals would be made on behalf of the people in North and East London. As the area experienced almost inexhaustible population growth6 it was the working-class inhabitants, in particular, who suffered. The East London Mission and Relief Fund set up a number of enterprises to offer assistance: depots to sort old clothes, sewing classes, soup kitchens (with cheap dinners) and temporary Ragged Schools, providing free education to destitute children and where children were “partially fed.” 7 They also set up a central room in each of the districts to bring together old and new volunteers to identify those who were in the most need of assistance.

Secularism was considered by many men of the church to be a serious issue in these impoverished areas of London, along with intemperance. The Rev. E. Skinner is recorded as having said that “Drink was one of the great curses of the East End, but if he was bound down to the life of an East End slave, and had not the grace of God to keep him from it, he would get drunk as often as he could in order to forget his misery.”8 The institution of ‘Tee-to-Tum’ was established in order to provide restaurants to the working classes that didn’t serve alcohol, instead offering lectures and services. Members of the church, such as the Rev. F. Winnington Ingram, felt it was of paramount importance to give “people something in lieu of the public-houses and the gambling and drinking clubs”9. The Reverend’s solution was the establishment of good working men’s clubs. The Oxford Hall which housed one of these clubs was equipped with billiard and bagatelle tables. It hosted concerts and entertainments and was also a space where “gymnastic exercises were practised, and lecturers and discussions took place on the great social problems of the day”. This club reportedly had around 1,000 members.

It was felt by some missionaries that it was important not to force religion down the throat of the secular man already in low spirits. Instead it might be brought within his reach. An article published in 1908 in a contemporary newspaper concerning East London spoke of the destitute as coming “from a class outside the influence of religion.”10 The source claimed to have spoken with 90 factory girls to discover that only ten of them could recite the Lord’s Prayer. Many were not accustomed to going to church. The key work of missions set up during the late 1800s was to “reach and teach”11 the poor in order to “bring them within measurable distance of religion.”12 This could prove a challenge when many people were reluctant to enter religious spaces.

– 12 –

Chapter Two

West Sussex County Council Library Service

TONIC AIR

Bathers and bathing machines at Worthing. The woman on the right is the “dipper” or bathing machine woman. She would accompany bathers into the sea.

H

. S. Boyden wrote to Worthing Herald, in 1930, to commend South Lancing for having a “bracing, tonic atmosphere entirely of its own.”27 Boyden claimed that “no medical authority has yet been able to explain it, or give any satisfactory reason why these few miles of coast between Worthing and Brighton should be so particularly affected.”28 Though the letter was humorous in its content, it did reflect on a long-established belief that the air along the West Sussex coastline was good for curing ailments. Indeed, earlier generations had long since travelled to the stretch of beach in order to take the coastal air for medicinal purposes. In 1797 Princess Amelia resided in Worthing over the summer at the suggestion of her Court Physicians and Surgeons.29 She was subsequently followed by Princess Charlotte of Wales, Her Majesty Queen Caroline and His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland.

In 1884 a piece in West Sussex Gazette stated that the natural situation “produces a combination of advantages such as no other place of similar character can excel and few even rival. The climate is mild and genial, and through all seasons preserves that equality which medical art prescribes as the prime condition – 19 –

West Sussex County Council Library Service

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring

A postcard showing a group of women and children on the beach at Lancing. The postmark is 1910.

From the Philip J Fry collection

of a sanatorium. It is stated upon excellent authority that ‘the range of temperature is less than any other part of the Kingdom, two places only excepted.’ Thus we have a comparatively equable temperature throughout the year most conducive to health, comfort, and longevity.”30

An image taken outside Bank Cottage

Dr Letheby, a celebrated analyst, was noted as having spoken at a public dinner in 1884 in West Worthing: “I have had experience of over half a century of the healthfulness of watering places in England and on the Continent, and I have found that more gain to health is obtained by visits to Worthing, which no analytical or critical explanation has explained, but by which it is pre-eminent for recruiting health.”31 While the Rev. Dr Magee, Lord Bishop of Peterborough, wrote of his own four month restitution along this stretch of coast: “The fresh, clean sea air of Worthing and its quiet restfulness have done wonders for me. It seems quite a sanatorium for those who are not strong enough for a very bracing climate, and who are yet able to avail themselves of its mildness and abundant sunshine to keep out of doors as much as I have done.”32 It may well have been for these reasons that William Chorley chose this stretch of coastline, and most particularly Lancing, for the location of his first holiday home. In the newspaper article ‘A New Home of Rest Near Worthing’ this statement appeared on behalf of the new venture: – 20 –

Chapter Three

TRIALS

R

From the Philip J Fry collection

unning a collection of seaside homes was not always plain sailing. In the decade spanning the First World War tensions ran high. At this time the accredited preacher, William Chorley – Superintendent of the North East London Gospel Mission and Secretary and Director of the Southern Homes of Rest – was approaching 70 years old. Archie Colbourne remembered William Chorley as “a rather stern and somewhat forbidding man.”86 In his Convalescent Homes of Lancing he tells us how Chorley had no private residence in Lancing so he would make frequent visits by train. “If it was a wet day he would be met and driven to the home in a horse drawn trap,” but “unless the weather was very bad he walked to the Chestnuts with what I can only describe as a slow and measured tread, his hands clasped behind his back and usually under the tails of his frock coat.”

Reflecting Chorley’s stalwart behaviour concerning the access way to Lancing Beach, another incident in 1912 demonstrated his unfaltering resolve. Chorley wrote to West Sussex Gazette to raise concern over how the laws governing poor relief were managed. He questioned whether poor people in receipt of relief should forfeit their right to statutory assistance by entering as a patient into a home of rest. Chorley supplied a practical case that helps us to understand this issue somewhat better. For the first time in its

This card is postmarked 1911 so the group assembled outside Channel View was likely photographed that year. The symmetry of the children in the front of the image must have been particularly pleasing to the photographer.

– 45 –

From the Philip J Fry collection

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring

Another postcard of a group outside Channel View. This one was postmarked 1912 so was likely taken that year. The men in the front row do not look particularly comfortable in their more horizontal poses. history, a child came down with scarlet fever at the home of mothers and infants. The matron approached the relieving officer on the afternoon that the case was certified with the request that the child be promptly removed to the infirmary. However, the officer refused to do so. He explained that he had been instructed in his decision by the Guardians of the Steyning West Union to take no course of action.

In 1834 administering to the poor had been taken out of the hands of the local parish church and placed in the remit of civil government by an act of parliament. Each civil parish operated within a union of parishes and had a workhouse on the premises. There was a Board of Guardians in each union responsible for meeting the demands of the poor. At times these Guardians came into contention with the rest homes in Lancing. In relation to this particular incident, William Chorley provided a summary in a letter he wrote for publication in West Sussex Gazette: “As nothing was done, as the Secretary of the homes, I made a personal application to the Clerk to the Guardians the following day, but again without result, and though I urged the necessitous condition of the poor people, also the fact that every bed in the home was filled with a mother and infant, two being in the same room as the sufferer, yet nothing was done, and another 24 hours was allowed to pass, with all the attendant dangers of infection to the other patients, not to speak of the villagers. It seems hardly credible that in these days of feverish anxiety to insure isolation and prevent infection, that for two whole days and nights, this poor sufferer should be permitted to remain to spread infection while the parish officials and the sanitary officials held a duel and debated who should afford the relief asked for.”87 This story may sound all too familiar today for countries that do not have a national health service, with all parties arguing over who is responsible for settling the bill. Back then William Chorley took a stand and, in order to register a public protest, declined to pay the £2 16s poor rate which was levied on the homes. He – 46 –

Chapter Four

Fry, P. (1995) Lancing & Sompting [Britain in old Photographs], Alan Sutton Publishing Limited

A VERY PERSONAL CRUSADE

During World War I, The Chestnuts was used to accommodate wounded soldiers. This photograph was taken outside the home. A military hospital was also set up at The Brighton Pavilion to treat Indian soldiers called to fight in the name of ‘the Empire’. The placement of hands on soldiers in this photograph may have an ominous feel to a modern eye.

T

he Bell Memorial Home was a project over a decade in the making. Roy Kerridge, in his book Lancing, suggests that money was being collected to build the home as early as 1911. The committee certainly discussed it before the First World War, but national events were rapidly to take attention elsewhere. Due to the war, many enterprises met further challenges and Southern Convalescent Homes (SCH) were no exception. We know from a postcard printed by Philip Fry in his second collection of Lancing postcards that The Chestnuts was used during the First World War for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers.135 There is a postcard of a uniformed group, which included Indian soldiers from the military hospital set up in the Brighton Royal Pavilion. The cluster is assembled outside The Chestnuts.

The first minute book of committee meetings that has survived dates back to 1917. It shows rising prices during the war increasingly becoming a challenge. The high cost of food caused the biggest increase in expenditure.

However, according to the minutes: “The increase affected almost everything – hardware – stationary – printing etc etc.”136 The homes were forced to raise the charges they made to the Guardians to admit patients.

“The secretary explained that he hoped the present inflated prices could not be maintained very long and to meet the present need in the way suggested would obviate interfering with the settled charges for patients – as the increase could more easily be dropped – when normal conditions should again be restored.”137 – 57 –

From the Philip J Fry collection

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring

William Chorley with his wife Sarah, daughter and grandchild.

With money uncertain, it must have seemed the sensible option to shelve the idea of a new purposebuilt home. The committee agreed to invest in a war bond instead. It would be some time before they were able to consider the proposal for a new home again. However, in many ways the seed of The Bell Memorial Home had been planted much earlier still. To understand the motivations that led to its creation we must take a detour back into the early life of its founder. We have seen how as an aging man William Chorley could be viewed as a stubborn, self-righteous sort of gentleman. However, the founder of the homes was once a young man and his character and motivations, to an extent, would have been formed by the experiences in his early life.

William was born in Bath in 1848 to a family of tailors. His father Richard Chorley had, from what we can tell from historic documents, always been in the trade, as had his father and his father before him. In fact, a high proportion of the Chorleys in Somerset were tailors. It was something of a family tradition.

In the Annual Directory of Bath from 1852, when William was three years old, there were three Chorleys listed as tailors in Bath. One of them was James Chorley, who was likely related, another was Samuel J. Chorley, William’s uncle who was operating out of 8 New Orchard Street at the time, and the last one was Richard Chorley, William’s father.

Richard Chorley’s family, including his young son William, lived at his place of business at 4/5 Philip Street. Residing there also in 1851 was Richard Chorley’s father aged 81. William’s grandfather, another Richard Chorley, may have operated his own tailoring business out of the same address earlier in his life.

However, it seems more likely his business was conducted in Chard. What we do know is that William’s father was living at the address as early as 1839 with his first wife, Ann. Richard and his new wife must have hoped for a long life together. However, sadly within only two years of marriage Ann died, in her early – 58 –

Chapter Five

THE GOOD FIGHT

O

n the 11th of September 1926 John Bull (a very popular weekly magazine of the period) published an article stating that consumptive patients under the care of the SCH were insufficiently fed.

Chorley and the committee took offence. They set their solicitors on the task of prosecuting the matter.

Two months later and no apology had been forthcoming, but the committee and their solicitors had been proactive in seeking to prove the homes were not at fault. Mr Rooke had procured the assistance of Dr Allan of Teddington to conduct a “careful and exhaustive examination”169 producing a “splendid report”170 that showed the homes’ diet compared “with advantage”171 to that of the LCC Sanatorium in Surrey. Furthermore, a medical superintendent at the East Dulwich Institute (belonging to the Southwark Guardians), Dr Prince, had visited and also provided a “splendid report”172.

John Bull finally printed an apology in their edition from the 4th of December 1926. They also paid to publish an apology in four Sussex newspapers. They gave £200 in damages, further to paying the solicitor costs and Dr Allan’s fees. However, regardless of these efforts to make amends, Chorley informed the committee that the false libel had done the homes much damage which would take a very long time to overcome. Did these accusations hit William Chorley extra hard because of the demise of his brother from the illness? Did he feel like he was being accused of not taking proper care of people with consumption?

It wasn’t the first time that Chorley’s homes were accused of not taking the best care of patients. Nor would it be the last. In May 1927 a body of Guardians asked that the Sunday evening service held for consumptives at Channel View be optional for their patients and the committee reluctantly conceded to change their wording from “required” to “requested”173 attendance. This decision was taken bearing in mind that these Guardians were the first to make use of the Sanatorium and were the largest users of the SCH. William Chorley made a trip to Horley in July to view an example of a hut to be used “on the revolving principle for open air treatment for consumptives.”174 He ordered six which provided extra accommodation and gave them a large recreation room, which was described as a “great boon”175. During the next couple of years updates and renovations continued to be made to the homes, including a new billiards room in the men’s home, electric lighting in the reading and reception room, a new range of cooking ovens and a hot water installation in the women and children’s home.

Although the committee made efforts to make their patients’ stay at the homes comfortable, some rules still had to be enforced. An issue was raised in July 1928 concerning the number of relatives (of patients) who made Sunday their visiting day. Future visits on Sundays were to be discouraged and only in special circumstances would half an hour in the grounds be allowed. Refreshments of bread, butter and tea would only be provided at the matron’s discretion.

It may have been that the visitors were overwhelming the staff. In what must have been quite an unorthodox occurrence, the matron of The Chestnuts failed to return from a long leave of absence visiting – 71 –

Ref: From the Philip J Fry collection

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring

The Bell Memorial Home her sister in Sunderland. Therefore, a patient, who was also a cook, stepped in and took over the position.

Around the same time a party of 12 Welsh miners’ children were taken in for four weeks. Children had always been at the heart of Chorley’s work and in the early half of 1929 a new proposal was being discussed: a children’s home. A bid to build the home for £4000 was accepted from Messrs Gates. Testimony from the oral histories collected for this project include several references to the unusually small size of fixtures in some parts of the Bell Memorial Home and this was likely due to the custom-build of a home specifically designed for children.

We heard from Colin Martin, who spent many years maintaining The Bell. He was interviewed as part of this heritage project: “The bungalow was all divided into sections. And one of the sections had some toilets and when we went out the doors to look at the toilets, they were children’s toilets– children’s WCs – like miniature. I’d never seen anything like it, like small WCs for kids. Amazing.”176 As it neared completion the new Sunbeam Children’s Home was praised for its many “features of utility, making it a unique children’s seaside home”. A part of the building that the committee noted took a long time to complete was the central heating machinery. It was hoped that the home would be opened by the end of March 1930, but the project dragged on. It was agreed that the new home would take boys aged 5-10 years and girls aged 5-14 years.

In the January of 1930 there had been an outbreak of diphtheria at the already standing children’s home and some children had to be sent away to the Brighton Sanitorium. It motivated a separate hut being added to the designs, and built next to the Sunbeam Home, with the specific purpose to provide care for patients with infectious diseases. The spread of infectious diseases was a real concern to the homes. With – 72 –

Chapter Six

NEW PEOPLE FOR A NEW AGE

T

he history of the Southern Convalescent Homes (SCH) is a history that divides itself very neatly into two halves: the period leading up to the Second World War, and the period following the war, right up until the closure of the Bell Memorial Home in 2016.

As we have seen in the first section of this book, that earlier period was dominated by the drive, determination and vision of William Chorley. It began with his renting of Bank Cottage in 1890 in Lancing, and culminated, at the time of his death in 1932, with six care homes in Lancing, as well as other properties, owned by SCH and let out to tenants, and other care homes and properties in East Sussex and Kent. For a short time in the 1930s it seemed possible that Chorley’s sons and daughter would take up their father’s mantle, but perhaps the parental figure cast too long a shadow over their lives, and in 1938, the governance of the homes passed to the Methodist South London Mission in Bermondsey.

As we have seen, the Rev. Tribe, sought to fashion out a new destiny for SCH, but in 1947, following the troubles at Mount Hermon and disagreements about the future direction of the homes, the chairmanship was taken over by Rev. J.C. Priestly. Over the following years and decades, many reverend gentlemen of the Methodist church would take on the role of chairing the SCH committee, but, as we shall see, it was a key group of four people who ensured the smooth running and success of The Bell in the decades following the end of the war: Harry Leeks, his wife Peggy, Irene Chapman, and the key figure of all, Sister Ivy Baldock, who gave sixty years of service from 1938 until her death in 1998.

Very soon after the war SCH consolidated and focused its operation. All but two of the Lancing homes were sold, leaving only the Sunbeam Children’s Home and the Bell Memorial Home still under its control. In part this reflected the financial situation of the homes.

There had been no residents during the war years, when the War Office requisitioned the properties for military purposes. One home, The Sunbeam, received a direct hit from a German bomb in 1942, and needed rebuilding. The War Office paid out compensation, but not sufficient to meet rebuilding and refurbishing costs. So it was decided to concentrate on care The Sunbeam children’s home after it received a direct hit for sickly children and respite and from a German bomb recuperation for adults.

– 81 –

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring The advent of the Welfare State and the National Health Service in the late 1940’s, rapidly transformed the living conditions and the health of the nation. So great was the transformation, that by 1956, the children’s home was no longer needed. Within eight years many childhood diseases had been virtually eradicated, and medical opinion had turned against the whole concept of young children being separated from their families for many weeks at a time. The Bell too would change, slowly moving its focus from the disadvantaged of London to the needs of the older residents of Lancing and the surrounding district.

The changing fortunes of The Bell reflect the changing face of Britain in the post-war decades. Annual reports are not generally exciting documents as far as the historical researcher is concerned, containing as they do, facts and figures for the year in question, and some generalised aspirations for the year ahead.

What makes the Bell annual reports so different are the overviews written every year by Sister Ivy that are alive with vivid detail and personal warmth. Intermingled with her yearly accounts of life at the home are references to significant national and international events. She usually finds some way of bringing all these various threads of life together, conveying not just facts but feelings too. It is almost as if she stands back from the year, observing, reflecting and wondering, and we are invited to do the same. She has left us a precious record of the times in which she lived.

Introducing ‘The Staff ’.

Before embarking on the history of The Bell in its last 71 years, the reader really needs to be introduced to the four leading characters of our story, without whom, there probably would be no story to tell; four people, who gave between 38 and 60 years of service. All four came from some of the poorest districts of London. They themselves had known hard times, while their parents and grandparents had known real

Irene Chapman, Peggy Leeks, Harry Leeks, and Ivy Baldock – 82 –

Chapter Seven

DREAMS COME TRUE

W

hen the SCH Council met in Bermondsey on 9th October 1945, they had a lot on their minds, a lot to discuss and many decisions to make. The four homes at Lancing had been requisitioned by the Ministry for War at the very start of hostilities in September 1939. At the time of the meeting only one of the homes, Mount Hermon had reopened, and, as we shall see, that reopening had not run smoothly.

Although the four homes were now back under the control of SCH, The Sunbeam had received a direct hit from a German bomb in 1942 and therefore needed to be rebuilt. Beachville’s condition after six years of neglect was “very serious,” the rooms were no longer considered suitable for residents and the attic rooms that had been for resident staff were “totally unsuitable.”225 The Bell would need many improvements and redecoration.

The government had offered compensation totalling £3,500 for war damage and £11,416 for the rebuilding of the Sunbeam Home. However, it was estimated that the true costs would be much higher, for example, Beachville would need £5,000 spent on it rather than the £3,000 offered, and the true cost of rebuilding The Sunbeam was likely to be £20,000 – almost double the amount offered by Harry’s report to SCH Council in 1947 the government.226 – 89 –

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring Before the war ended SCH had been planning for post-war reconstruction and anticipating the costs involved. As well as properties in Lancing, SCH also owned properties elsewhere in the South-East, some appear to have been investment properties rather than care homes. At an Extraordinary General Meeting held on 13th October 1944,227 it was agreed to sell 3, Upper Maze Hill in St. Leonards for £3,250. This must have been a substantial property, as others in the SCH portfolio were sold for much smaller sums, such as 3, The Terrace, Lancing that was sold for £300 and ‘Homelands,’ which went for £400.

However the meeting in October 1945 was chiefly concerned with events at Mount Hermon and a proposal to appoint a salaried Resident Manager for the Lancing homes. At this time, as explained in the previous section of this book, the Secretary, Rev. C. J. Tribe, was also the General Manager of the homes.

As he was part of the cohort of Methodist clergy involved in the running of the Bermondsey Mission, it is doubtful if he was paid for his role over and above his modest stipend as a Methodist minister. He may have felt uncomfortable with the idea of people, however worthy, being set up with paid employment with SCH at a time of austerity.

At the previous meeting of the Council on 11th July, Rev. Tribe proposed a motion “That the resolution to appoint a Resident Manager be rescinded.” Tribe argued that the post was unnecessary, it was an extravagant waste of money, and that the idea of creating the postition had “led to complaints,”228 although who was complaining is not recorded.

The motion was seconded by Mr. J. H. Marsden. The minutes do not document the discussion that followed, so we can only speculate on the arguments Tribe might have put forward. Presumably he believed that as the General Manager, he was fulfilling the role adequately, and to suggest the appointment of a Resident Manager was at best a duplication, and at worst an undermining of his authority. He may well have argued that at a time when SCH was selling off assets and seeking to make savings, hiring new full-time members of staff was counter to the spirit of financial prudence. His second reason is the most intriguing – who, apart from himself, was complaining about the proposed new Resident Manager role? There is nothing that survives in the records to show who these other complainers were or if they even existed.

The July meeting rejected Tribe’s resolution but after “a ventilation of all the difficulties” passed a compromise amendment proposed by Rev. R. J. Buckmaster, viz.:“that having in view the present difficulties of de-requisitioning and repairs, the appointment of a Resident Manager is not at the present desirable but that the matter should be re-considered not later than the Autumn of this year.”229 It is interesting that the minutes of the July meeting were signed by the chairman, Rev. Robinson Whittaker, on 8th October as being a true and accurate record, yet Tribe’s three reasons for proposing his motion have all been heavily scored out in black ink (only with difficulty was it possible to discern what they said). All of which emphasises the passions that had been aroused, and with it, we might assume, some ill-feeling between the opposing members of the Council.

The October meeting agreed, without a vote (and therefore unanimously?) the appointment of a Resident Manager. His duties were clearly set out under 16 headings (which appear as an appendix to this book).

So comprehensive were the duties and responsibilities in terms of the running of the homes, the care of residents, and the policy on admissions, that it is hard to see any duties remaining for the General Manager, apart from receiving regular reports from the Resident Manager.

– 90 –

Chapter Eight

A SEASON OF REFRESHING, 1962 – 1973 Eleven eventful years During the eleven years between 1962 and 1973, The Bell underwent something of a transformation.

The demands of modern living and modern healthcare forced that change. Whereas in 1962, The Bell was, despite some changes, still very much operating within the world of its founder, William Chorley, administering to the needs of the ‘poor of London,’ by 1973, its focus was far more on the recuperation of the local elderly in Lancing, and on providing long-term residential care. When Chorley opened his first home in Lancing in 1890, life expectancy was 43 years; even at the time of incorporation in 1922 it had only risen to 58; but by 1973 it was 72 years.272 It was only during the course of the 1950s that most women could expect to live to retirement age, and only in the 1960s that the same applied for most men.

Worthing, Lancing’s larger neighbour to the west, had the oldest population of any town in the country at the time of the 1961 census, and again in 1971: so it was not surprising that The Bell looked to the needs of its local population rather than to its historic London cohort, although there was a twist to the story.

Increasingly, those reaching retirement age in London were looking to move to the Sussex coast and the flat terrain of Worthing and Lancing with its streets of bungalows was very appealing – thus, to an extent at least, London came to Lancing.

Whereas ‘Health and Safety’ was an unknown term in 1962, by 1973, regular fire inspections had become the norm, and with them modern fire doors and fire escapes, all of which came at a cost. Residents were no longer grateful simply for a refuge in old age; they now expected refinements to their living conditions. Sun lounges and modern lifts became necessary facilities, and although the idea of ensuite bathrooms for all residents was still a pipedream in 1973, standards in carpeting, furniture and personal care were rising throughout this Ivy, Peggy and Harry in the late 1950s period, again, at a significant – 107 –

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring cost to SCH (Southern Convalescent Homes). Fees still remained low compared to other homes, but increases were unavoidable, especially as the cost of living began to rise dramatically following the oil crisis of the early 1970s.

One element that remained pretty constant during this period was the staff. Mr and Mrs Leeks, Matron Chapman, Sister Ivy Baldock, Mrs Ashton the assistant secretary, and many other staff who had been on the payroll for many years. The sudden death of Harry Leeks in January 1973 was an incredible blow, but not sufficient to throw The Bell off course, all the other main players remained on the stage and continued to perform their role of caring as they always had, albeit in the context of new times and new priorities.

Setting the scene To set the scene for the 1960s and early 1970s, we need to turn again to Sister Ivy, who in 1962 instinctively identified that it order to continue The Bell would have to evolve, and she used the occasion of a friend’s birthday as a metaphor for change: – “The other day I had occasion to congratulate a friend on reaching her ‘three score years and ten,’ and her reply set me thinking. She said, ‘Now I shall be living on borrowed time.’ This surely is a thrilling yet sobering thought! We who carry on the work of the Southern Convalescent Homes also are living on borrowed time, for we have now completed 72 years of service. Have we come to the end of our span of usefulness or are we utilising the precious present to the utmost of our ability? Having been intimately associated with this work for a quarter of a century, I feel qualified to answer my own question with an emphatic ‘Yes!’ Throughout the years we have sought to meet the need of the present and have been prepared to change our methods if the need arose. Thus, through the years, the Home has served the Community.”273 Three years later Ivy continued with her theme of hopeful change when she marked the 75th anniversary of SCH, “as we move into the last quarter of our first century we are full of hope,” telling her readers that they should believe that “the best is yet to come.” The following year, Ivy noted that Christmas 1966 marked the “coming of age” of her time at The Bell, as together with the Leeks’ and Miss Chapman, she had completed 21 years of “bringing joy and happiness into the lives and hearts of those we serve.”274 The then chairman, Rev. Joseph Jones, singled out Sister Ivy for special praise “for her painstaking attention to the details without which the Bell would not be able to continue sounding such a reassuring note.” To which he added, “we are all most grateful for twenty-one years of happy partnership.”275 Ivy also continued to comment on events in national and international news, usually with eye on highlighting a moral or common-sense lesson she believed could be learnt from the great events taking place on the world stage. Some of the events she recorded, such as the assassination of the US president, John F Kennedy, are still well remembered today, while other newsworthy events have been forgotten.

Who today remembers the fire on board the cruise ship Lakonia during Christmas 1963 in which 128 crew and passengers perished?276 Although Ivy never states her party-political inclinations, she certainly seems to have taken against Harold Wilson’s Labour government of the 1960s. She bemoaned “unpleasant memories” and a national state of “deep depression,”277 that led to wage freezes and the devaluation of the pound. The social reforms brought in at the time, all of which are taken for granted today, would have seemed very strange to a woman born in the Edwardian era, governed by strict moral codes. The decade of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ – 108 –

Chapter Nine

AT THE CROSSROADS

A

Reproduced by permission of Maureen Condick

s we have seen, the Southern Convalescent Homes really struggled to overcome a host of challenges during the early 1980s. That the SCH was able to adapt to new regulations and new healthcare expectations from the late 1980s onwards was largely due to another dedicated trio, Maureen Condick, the Nurse Manager from 1992 to 2009, Diane Maisey, who fulfilled numerous roles at the homes from 1962 (including that of matron) until her retirement in 2014, and Derek Bennettt.

In 1986 Derek Bennettt became the Company Secretary, taking on much of the role hitherto undertaken

by Ivy Baldock. Derek had been the manager of the Bermondsey Mission (originally known as the South London Mission), his wife, a primary school teacher, was a Methodist lay preacher. In 1986 Derek was 57 and possibly looking for a new challenge. Taking on the running of the SCH would certainly have been a challenge that required both business sense and a genuine passion for the SCH and its work in Lancing – Derek had both these attributes.

Derek Bennettt, shortly before his death in 2005 – 133 –

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring

Reproduced by permission of Maureen Condick

We have seen how Ivy Baldock, Mr and Mrs Leeks, and Irene and Lilian Chapman had come from very humble origins in the south of London. Derek Bennettt was born in Repton, Derbyshire in 1929.381 His father was a butcher, as his father had been before him. The family enjoyed a lower middle class lifestyle.

Derek had children from his first marriage. It was his second wife, Marion, who was the lay preacher and later a council member of SCH. They had married in 1994, two years before Derek took on his role as the SCH company secretary. They lived a comfortable life, but Derek’s immediate ancestors had not been so fortunate. His father had married his cousin, as had his father before him; so ‘Bennett’s’ appear on both sides of the family tree, all hailing from Alton in Staffordshire.

Derek’s maternal grandfather, George Bennettt, was living in Widnes, Cheshire by 1890 as a ‘copper labourer.’ This work involved hard labour in dangerous conditions for little pay. The metal and chemical industries that predominated in Widnes made the town notorious for its toxic pollution and short life expectancy. A visitor in 1888 described the town as “the dirtiest, ugliest and most depressing town in England.”

A report on conditions in Widnes, written in 1905 described a town bereft of any redeeming qualities – “[this] especial ugliness is, however, never more marked than when the spring is making beautiful every nook and corner of England, for the spring never comes hither. It never comes because, neither at Widnes nor St. Helen’s [a neighbouring town], is there any place in which it can manifest itself. The foul gases which, belched forth night and day from the many factories, rot the clothes, the teeth, and, in the end, the bodies of the workers, [and] have killed every tree and every blade of grass for miles around.”382 We will never know if George concurred with this damning 1905 assessment of Widnes, as he had died two years earlier aged only 38 – an age at which many of his contemporaries in the town were also dying. Derek Bennettt may not have suffered these privations himself but he must surely have been aware of this tragedy in his family history.

There is no doubt that Derek hit the ground running as the company secretary in 1986, a time when the SCH faced unprecedented pressures through the changing legislation and the financial commitments these changes incurred. Of his first year with the SCH, Ivy wrote: “We are tremendously indebted to Mr Bennettt for his great help in all the detailed work entailed and the way he has seen the work through to its fruition. It has been a mammoth task – and throughout it all he has kept his cool!”383 All the former staff members we interviewed while researching this book had fond memories of Derek Bennettt, although none disguised, that at times he could be a stubborn and a ‘difficult’ man, but one who always acted with the best interests of The Bell, its residents and its staff.

Derek dressed up as Queen Victoria – 134 –

Chapter Ten

THE FINAL YEARS

H

istory is best observed from a distance, and for that reason it seems inappropriate to look too closely at the final years of The Bell. There is also the consideration of privacy and data protection. As The Bell struggled to survive in its last years, issues arose concerning staffing and pay that remain confidential to those people and should not be shared with a wider public. This short chapter does no more than summarise the final years, which sadly, are years of decline and finally closure.

By the 2000s, the membership of the Council had dwindled to no more than a handful of people, two of whom were Mr Bennett and his wife, Marion. When Rev. Ian Cramb resigned as chairman in July 2001, he also resigned from the Council and from the chaplaincy of The Bell. The Rev. Patricia Hunter replaced Cramb as Bell chaplain, but she did not join the Council. For the first time since William Chorley established the Southern Convalescent Homes the chairman of the Council was not a Methodist minister and there was no representation of the clergy on the Council.430

Charter mark award, 2002 – 147 –

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring The previous year, in 2000, the Council had tried to interest the Methodist Homes Association (MHA) in taking over the running of The Bell. Mr Stephen Reynolds from MHA visited Lancing and inspected the home to see if it met the MHA criteria. The Council was left very disappointed by his response: “The impression was left that MHA had gone upmarket somewhat, and The Bell as it is would fall below MHA’s standard.” Reynolds did not approve of dual registered homes (registered as both a residential and a nursing home). He thought that possibly, in the future, the MHA might be interested in the “overall redevelopment of The Bell.”431 In effect this would be the end for The Bell – not a scenario that the Council was prepared to contemplate at that time.

Costs of maintenance continued to increase. In June 1999, re-roofing alone cost nearly £22,000 (£38,000 in 2020 prices).432 In the next few years major rebuilding works were necessary and the lift system had to be replaced.

In September 2000, following the MHA visit and evaluation, it was decided to de-register the nursing wing so that The Bell would become an entirely residential home.433 Much time and money had been spent on creating the nursing wing, so this decision was not taken lightly.

The death of Derek Bennett on 31st July 2005 came as a great shock. Although he had been poorly following a car accident and had recuperated at The Bell, all thought he was well on the road to recovery, so his death was not expected. Nearly the entire staff of The Bell attended his funeral

Maureen at her desk – 148 –

FRY POSTCARDS

T

he authors are very grateful to Philip Fry for allowing them to draw on his extensive postcard collection. Many of his images appear elsewhere in this book. Here is a further selection that also includes extracts from the messages written on the back of the postcards. All but the final two date from the years 1908 – 1910.

From the Philip J Fry collection

A mother, with her child in a pushchair, pauses for her photograph to be taken outside The Chestnuts.

From the Philip J Fry collection

A rather fearsome image at The Chestnuts: this group do seem rather startled by the camera, but it may well have been the first time they had ever had their photograph taken. The girl writing the postcard explains that she is standing next to “the companion with the twin plats.” She is writing to family in Leyton and asks that they give “my love to Bert.”

– 151 –

From the Philip J Fry collection

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring

From the Philip J Fry collection

A happier group at The Chestnuts. This correspondent is writing to her friend, Edith, in Selly Oak in Birmingham. She seems unsure about her stay but thinks it for the best “as mother says it is doing me good.”

Staff and residents at Channel View. The girl to the right in the dark dress appears particularly comfortable in her deckchair. To postcard was written to a Mrs Moss in White Hart Lane, Tottenham. The correspondent confides that she is “not getting on so fast as I would like, it is a slow job and cannot be hurried.”

– 152 –

Appendix

BELL MEMORIES

D

uring the research for this book we interviewed 14 people who had worked at The Bell or who had close connections with The Bell. These interviews spanned a period from the 1950s to the closure of The Bell in 2016. What follows is a selection from those interviews, which are perhaps more vivid and more ‘true’ than any history based on documentary sources alone.

As far as possible we have let our interviewees speak for themselves. It is always tempting to alter phrases or words to give them more grammatical sense, and it might even seem disrespectful not to do that. On the other hand, it should not be our business as historians and writers to ‘tidy up’ these interviews to make them read as if they were extracts from an historical document. The ease and flow of natural speech is what makes these interviews real – hence our decision to interfere with them as little as possible.

Christian/ Methodist Values Most of our interviewees highlighted the importance of Christian values in the running of The Bell. Some sought to emphasise the particular role of Methodism, while others noted the decline of that influence over time. One interviewee, who had worked continually at The Bell longer than anyone else, doubted the real commitment of the Methodist Church to the Home.

“The idea of The Bell was for poor people and if you look at the articles of association it says that, you know. It wasn’t meant to be a money-making venture. It was really to do a service to the poor people of Lancing – the poorer people of Lancing and the poorer people of Bermondsey. That’s what it started out as but obviously as legislation changed and you got the care standards [coming] in everything changed really.”

Maureen Condick “It was Christian based. Very much so. It was a Christian Methodist Mission…And it was Mr Chorley who founded it. It was based for people: mothers and children first of all – to come for holidays to Lancing because of it being such a lovely place in those days, which it was when I was young. It was a nice place in those days but we didn’t appreciate it.”

Mary Gauntlett “...it was a lovely caring place with the clinical skills, so you got the combination of the two, and [a] super standard of cooking and looking after people. It was really, really good.”

Ros Berkley – 157 –

Safe Havens by the Sea – Lancing, London and a century of caring “We were looking for a Christian home [for my mother] and we were looking for good care and good staff…it [The Bell] looked good, you know, and people were chatting, relaxed and there was good reception staff and everything else looked caring and helpful, so that was good.”

Don Mote “You know, it stopped being quite such a religious home. I mean it was still offered but I think before I was there [early 1990s] it really was quite heavily into their religions and things. But I mean to say we still had our services weekly. The local vicar [minister] used to come down and then the staff always used to hold the Christmas church service on Christmas morning.”

Sylvia Palmer “…it’s never been a Methodist home as such – lot of people have that impression – but it was run by them, yeah, by the mission…..They only used to come down for meetings…”

Diane Maisey These varying impressions given about the extent to which The Bell was a ‘religious’ home can be explained by the perception of what that description actually means. Mary and Ros were highlighting what they saw as the Christian motivation of the founder of The Bell, and those that followed him in leadership roles. Diane was reflecting on the actual involvement of the Methodist clergy in Bermondsey, who at one time were ultimately responsible – an involvement that she clearly felt was minimal.

Christmas and children at The Bell I have extremely fond memories of taking the Year 5 children to sing carols to the residents of The Bell Memorial Care Home in Lancing. This was always a highlight in our school calendar which all the children and staff looked forward to, a truly festive start to the Christmas period. The children spent time in class practising traditional carol songs in the lead up and then dressed in their coats and Christmas hats, we would walk round to The Bell. There was always a sense of both excitement and nerves as the children got ready to perform their carols. I clearly remember that the children loved being offered a Quality Street chocolate as a thank you after their performance! It was such a pleasure to observe the delighted faces of the residents who appeared so pleased to hear the carol singing. Some of the children had parents working at The Bell and others even had grandparents within the audience which made it even more special. Many residents and staff joined in the singing which made for a very memorable experience for all.

Mrs Isabel Cordwell, teacher Seaside School The Building For most people in Lancing, The Bell was a physical presence: a building that dominated the southern end of South Street and one that most residents had been familiar with all their lives.

There was clearly a contrast between what people felt about the building as a physical structure and what went on inside.

– 158 –

SAFE HAVENS

BY THE SEA Lancing, London and a century of caring

Chris Hare & Lela Tredwell

Price: ÂŁ10.00

SAFE HAVENS BY THE SEA

Georgian and Regency princesses, Amelia, Charlotte, and Augusta came to the West Sussex coast to aid their recovery from illness. During the following century it was those from the most deprived and polluted areas of London who came to the coast seeking sea air and recuperation. Enabling their passage was a tailor’s son, turned preacher, William Chorley. He established a tradition that enabled generations of deprived Londoners to recuperate and restore their damaged health in a clean and unpolluted environment on the south coast at Lancing. This book tells, for the first time, the story of an extraordinary enterprise of care, love and compassion carried out for over one hundred years, and of the dedicated band of volunteers and professionals who made it all possible. Chorley established many homes in Lancing, for people of all ages, genders and disabilities. One, the Bell Memorial Home, was the largest and remained open long after the others had closed. Many people in Lancing today will remember that home and the inspirational people who devoted their lives and talents to making it a success.

Chris Hare & Lela Tredwell