Lancing Village Memories: The Community of the Glass

The Puzzle of No. 94

For years, the house situated roughly 300 yards south-west of Stanbridge House has been a point of intrigue. While a single stone building on an old map can be hard to pin down, a closer look at the 1910 Valuation Survey and the 1911 Census offers a compelling lead. This property—situated on the south side of the lane, almost exactly level with the Railway Mile Post (M.P.)—appears to have been the operational heart of a thriving nursery plot.

A Feasible Connection: The Verrall and Prideaux Hypothesis

While history rarely leaves a signed receipt, the evidence suggests a strong link between this plot and two local names. George Prideaux, the well-known landlord of the Three Horse Shoes, was a significant market gardener in this area. It is highly feasible that the property at No. 94 was part of his "garden" holdings.

Occupying the house in 1911 was the Verrall family. William Verrall (48) and his grown sons, William Jnr and Arthur, are listed as market gardeners in the census sequence that aligns with this location. This family of eight lived in the shadow of the glasshouses, providing the daily labour and oversight for the crops that fueled the lane’s economy.

The "S" Marks and the Manager’s Office

The Ordnance Survey maps of the era use a curious "S" shaped mark—a brace—to tie the cottage to the surrounding acres of glass and orchards. In the middle of those glasshouses sat a small building that likely served as a packing shed or manager's office. These braces act like an invisible thread, suggesting that the "Trough House" wasn't just a home, but a vital piece of industrial infrastructure.

The Hum of the Glass: Natural and Manual Pollination

Behind the glass, a silent army was at work. While the children perhaps chased butterflies along the lane, wild bumblebees from the nearby railway banks were likely drawn through open "butterfly" vents. This partnership of industry and nature provided the "buzz pollination" essential for the tomato crops. It is fascinating to imagine the nurserymen also using the traditional "rabbit’s foot" on a stick, gently tickling the flowers to ensure a successful set when the wild bees were scarce.

A Publican’s Hospitality?

The famous horse trough at No. 94 remains one of our strongest clues. Given George Prideaux’s dual role as a publican and a gardener, the trough may have been a deliberate "service station" built into his wall. It would have served his own teams and the neighbouring Miles family carters as they prepared for the arduous trek to the village.

The Logistics of the Lane

The journey to market was a rhythmic, daily grind. Every wagon had to travel up Farmers Lane (known earlier as Salts Lane) toward the village. Here, the level crossing gates—mechanised and operated by a massive wheel handle—guarded the way to the Lancing Sidings (where Asda stands today).

The sidings on the west side of the crossing were a hive of activity. The "Up" goods trains from the west would pull in to collect the day's cargo. To return to the main line for the journey to Brighton or London, the engine would have to shunt backwards, clearing the points before steaming off. This industrial bottleneck meant the lane was a constant procession of heavy wheels and working horses.

Conclusion: Nature’s Return

The Verralls and their horses are long gone, and the shunting of the "Tomato Specials" has faded into history. The eventual decline of the coal-fired nurseries and the changes to the railway crossings acted as a "reset" for the area. The ruins of the glasshouses became "ghost houses," where brambles and Elder climbed inside to create sheltered nesting sites.

Nature eventually won the lane back, turning a bustling industrial artery into the wild, butterfly-filled "Green Ribbon" of our memories. While we may never categorically prove every name on every lease, the evidence at the Mile Post allows us to reconstruct a vivid hypothesis of a community built on glass, flint, and the hum of bees.

Courtesy https://www.nls.uk/

Courtesy http://www.nls.co.uk

The Portslade Series

The Social Heart: John Goble’s Outing

• Ref No: IMG_0003.jpg

• Title: The Windmill Inn "Beano" Departure

• Photographer: Tubbs, Portslade

• Key Figures: John Goble (Publican/Greengrocer) and his accordion-playing companion with the dog.

• The Insight: This is the southern end of North Street near Copperas Gap. You can clearly see the "WINDMILL" and "J. COBLE" signs. This was the hub for the Gassies community. The horse-drawn charabanc on the right is being loaded with provisions from the local North Street shops—likely ham from Linfield’s Butcher and bread from Elphick’s Baker.
  
  Do you recognise these faces? We suspect the musical trio in the front may be brothers, and the gentleman in the light suit is likely the host, John Goble. If you have family ties to the Windmill Inn or the North Street Gassies, we'd love to hear from you.
  
  The musical trio at the front of the Windmill outing, featuring the accordionist and his dog, are likely the early incarnation of what would become the 'Gasco Rhythm Makers.'—they were the heartbeat of the 'Gassies' social scene for decades.

The music at the Gap wasn't just background noise; it was an institution. The button accordion (or melodeon) seen here was the precursor to the famous 'Gasco Rhythm Makers' band. These musicians, often part of the Lucas family, provided the soundtrack for the Gassies' lives—from the 'Beano' outings at the Windmill to the sports days at the rec."

 The "Gassies" at Play (Pre-War & Post-War)

• Ref No: IMG_0005.jpg (June 20, 1914) & IMG_0006.jpg (1921)

• Title: Portslade Gas Works Sports Day

• Photographer: Tubbs (1914) / Wiles Bros (1921)

• The Insight: Note the shift in seven years. The 1914 crowd is a sea of Edwardian boaters and Sunday best, just weeks before the outbreak of war. The 1921 shot, published by Wiles Bros, shows a post-war Portslade—still gathered in front of those familiar flint-and-brick walls, but with a different energy. These are the men who kept the retorts burning at the Works by the canal.

The Next Generation: The "Maypole" Infants

• Ref No: IMG_0004.jpg & IMG_0007.jpg

• Title: Maypole Class & Group Portrait

• Subject: Portslade Infants (likely the school near Old Village).

• The Insight: The chalkboard in IMG_0004 proudly reads "Maypole Infants." The flint-wall architecture is a classic Sussex school feature. These children were the daughters and sons of the Gassies; many would eventually grow up to work in the very buildings we see in the modern "sawtooth" photo.

• "The future 'Gassies' of the Gap. These infants, seen here with their Maypole, likely attended St Mary’s School on Victoria Road. While their fathers were at the Windmill or the Gas Works, these children were being raised in the heart of the Portslade-by-Sea industrial community. Note the beautiful Sussex flint-work in the background—a common sight in the Old Village, but here repurposed for the 'New' Portslade."

The "Sawtooth" Roof Lights

 

1. The Industrial Legacy

• Ref No: image_14dbe2.jpg

• Title: The Lancing Carriage Works (Modern Day View)

• Subject: Repurposed workshop showing the original "sawtooth" roof.

• The Insight: This building stands as a ghost of the 1912 Lancing "Fortress." While it now serves as a Brake's Autocentre and Wheatley's Accident Repair Centre, the North-facing window lights remain unchanged from the day Toby Cloke first walked past them.

Where the bus stops

A long view up North Road, the Pound Store came and went in a very short time in the space that F W Woolworth had occupied for 60 years. Next door to Boots the Chemist another long-established business in Lancing, Vantage pharmacy.

More cuttings from Derek Gorham

above: the modern view of Beach Green looking up towards South Street

below: newspaper cutting of an earlier view taken from old postcards

"Not much remains of the old skyline. This view  of the southern end of South-street, Lancing, taken from Beach Green, shows how much has changed in 50 or so years. The garage buildings in the foreground block the view up South-street, where shops and flats have replaced the taller buildings on the east side (above). Even newer flats can be seen on the extreme right of the modern Lancing. The old view shows, too, how much of South-street has been widened. Reclamation work has rid the green of pools of water which lay there until not so many years ago."

-----------------------------------------

 Above: recent view of Salt Lake cottages, the gardens have developed but the buildings have remained as they looked in the picture below.

The old order changes, Called Salt Lake in former days, this section of Freshbrook-road, Lancing, shows how tastes have changed. It is a change for the better, for with careful treatment the old cottages have taken on a new lease of life. The new bicycles in the old view (top) should help date the picture.