Concrete Blockade

Buried beneath Beach Green are almost 200 five-foot square concrete wartime anti-tank blocks.

They were part of the shore line defence system.They were too large to take off the site and so in 1946 it was decided to bury them and they have remained there ever since.

Historical 1946 view of wartime anti-tank blocks being buried at Beach Green, Lancing. The burial of these blocks helped raise the level of the green, which was previously a low-lying area prone to tidal flooding and part of the historical Widewater lagoon system.

View in 1946, image courtesy Bob Brown

Recently and controversially it was planned to have all the blocks dug out and crushed, they had begun to cause problems as the soil covering was eroding and exposing parts of the concrete to the surface.
The community formed an action committee and persuaded the council that a top dressing of re-seeded soil would be a better solution.

Modern view

.Shoreham Herald Article 13th May 2004

A collection of village scenes

These postcards are thought to date from the late thirties or forties, possibly 50's, we are grateful to Lydia Schilbach for sending them

St James the Less, Manor Road
13th century flint church
Grade 1 listed

St James the Less today showing it's recent restorative face-lift

The Old Cottage,  Mill Road
Grade II listed
Some parts  date from 15th century
Recently on the property market

The Old Cottage today

Penhill Road
A very quiet road 

Cricket Match, Lancing College
A good crowd, was there a famous player in the team?

All images courtesy of Lydia Schilbach

South Lancing from the air

An aerial photo taken in the early 1940's

courtesy Michael Warr

View Larger Map

Here i have tried to overlay old and modern

viewing tip: click on a picture and toggle between the two with left and right arrow keys.

South Street Cottages

Here's an interesting clipping sent from Derek Gorham, showing the old cottages next to the Luxor.

They were replaced by an office building, up until recently the premises of the Federation of Small Business but now vacant.

Two 250-year-old cottages, 5 and 7 South-street, Lancing, are being demolished and will provide a site for an office block to be built this year.
The cottages are owned by Brian Dodd and Co., estate agents, who have moved from 7 South-street into temporary offices next door. The buildings were too old old to be converted; at Mr Dodd’s former office the ceiling has had to be supported with beams, while 5 South street was full of damp and rot, and the stairs gave way.

The two end properties still recognisable with the offices slotted in.

Station Road aka South Street

Another from Derek Gorham's collection of cuttings from the Worthing Herald

Top: this is how the view south from the level crossing in south street looked around 1900

Below: circa 1960

The horse pictured above in another scene of old Lancing did not have to worry about parking restrictions. today’s view [below] of the northern end of South street shows how Lancing has grown from a quiet village to a thriving township. A bingo hall (formerly a cinema) now dominates the eastern side, while trees almost opposite have given way to shops and offices. The street’s name has also changed - it used to be known as Station Road.

The modern view

View Larger Map

From the same position but facing north these two show the comparative views 60 years apart

The full text of the cutting is :

This is the first in a short series of pictures showing Lancing old and new. The old pictures are taken from postcards published by A. G. Colbourne, of Lancing, and appear to show the village as it was in the early 1900s. Above: the delightfully rural aspect of Lancing level-crossing, taken from just south of the gates, looking north up North-road. This contrasts greatly with the busy shopping area it is today [below]. In not one of the old pictures does a car or bus appear, and most of the roads seem to be provided with only an untarred surface.

An earlier post shows more views of this Railway Crossing