Sussex Miscellany

THE JOY OF SUSSEX

This new series of articles is written by Kevin Newman, a Sussex-born author, historian, tour guide around the county and history teacher.

For those who missed this year’s postponed Olympics we try to compensate with look back at competitions, games and challenges from Sussex’s past.

Geographically, the coastal heart of Sussex is Brighton’s Old Steine, which hopefully soon again will be a much nicer area than the busy grassy traffic island it currently is. It is hard to believe today, but it was once “an arena for curious contests.” The Edwardian writer on Sussex, E.V. Lucas tells of how “officers and gentlemen, ridden by other officers and gentlemen competed in races with octogenarians. and features in the 1953 film Genevieve from 1953. Strapping young women were induced to run against The Old Ship hotel in Brighton is where the each other for a new smock or hat.” He continues: meeting took place that created the Veteran Car “Every kind of race was devised, even to walking Run, but it is also where another great race was backwards; while a tame stag was occasionally created, this time a nautical one. Every year Brighton liberated and hunted to refuge.” Apart from the hosts an amazing annual yacht race every year from animal cruelty, how much fun would it be to have a Brighton to France with historical inspiration. The ‘Brighton Alternative Olympics’ in this vein once more Royal Escape Race started back in 1976, when Linda in the Steine – West versus East Sussex! Morgan, the PR Officer for Brighton’s Old Ship Hotel

Sticking with Brighton, the city may be very anticalled the Sussex Yacht Club with the idea for a race car today, but its early days saw it make and race across the Channel. Linda was apparently very cars, with Madeira Drive once the home of passionate about the idea and wanted to see every speedtrials. Brighton’s most famous car race today is yacht in Sussex on the starting line. She took some where it hosts the finish line for a plethora of veteran calming down to recognise that with the limited cars making their way down from London. It occurs facilities then available perhaps it should be scaled every November to celebrate the lifting of the down a bit to just include SYC yachts, but the event Locomotive Act of 1865, otherwise known as the has since grown and takes place every year in May. Red Flag Act. The first ever race of cars from London The Old Ship was still heavily involved back by the to Brighton subsequently started in 1896, called the 1990s and used to fire the starting cannon for the ‘Emancipation Run’ to celebrate the repeal of the law, race from its rooftop. The race gets its name from which had limited drivers to 4mph, curbed the the journey Charles II made when escaping from development of the British car industry and insisted Oliver Cromwell’s forces during the Civil War. that any self-propelled vehicle had a man walk ahead We may not have had the Olympics this year, but of it waving a red flag. The event originally finished at least cricket is back on in Sussex once more. Our not on Madeira Drive, as it does today, but outside wonderful County Cricket Ground has been at its the Metropole. Later the race became known as the present site in Eaton Road, Hove since 1872, before Veteran Car Run, with the emphasis being that the which the site was a barley field. Before then, the earliest vehicles only (veteran cars) could take part club was Brighton-based at Park Crescent and the

Level (pictured above) and also briefly at the Royal Brunswick Cricket Ground. In its time the ground has overcome many adversities, the most unusual of which was an invasion by sheep in the first county match. Early on, the pitch was only enclosed by a concrete boundary, and surrounded by young trees planted nearby. The sheep from a nearby field took a fancy to these trees and decided to invade the pitch for a nibble. Following this session of sheep scoffing they were never replanted. The ground has also

survived financial difficulties in its early days, trampling by football boots by a forerunner of the Albion and by two local schools. It’s hallowed pitch further survived stomping by Army boots when it became the HQ for the Cyclist battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment in WWI (as also did the ice rink that then existed next door). One corner of the ground was even used as a rifle range. In the next war, it was bombed twice, the first time in September 1940, causing four bomb craters and three soldiers to sadly lose their lives during the attempt to diffuse the fifth, unexploded bomb. In 1942, during the second raid, the players dived for cover as a small bomb fell by the score box. The ground has even survived sheep dog trials in October 1933, prompting the wonderful old joke that thankfully, none of the dogs were found to be guilty. Kevin Newman For ‘Scrumptious Sussex’ talks and motorised tours, please call All-Inclusive History on 07504 863867 or email info@allinclusivehistory.org.