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The Chain Pier, West Pier and Palace Pier opened in 1823, 1866 and 1899 respectively.

With three piers having been built in Brighton, it is very easy to forget that Worthing also has a pier – a very good one in fact. The 960ft Worthing Pier opened in April 1862 to the designs of Robert Rawlinson (later Sir Robert) for the Worthing Pier Company. It cost £6,500 and was the thirteenth pier to be built in England. Worthing Pier was successful from the very beginning. In 1884, two kiosks were added on the northern end and, in 1889, a pavilion was erected on the southern end (where there was also a landing stage). There was also a scheme to build a second pier in Worthing during the 1880s but it never saw fruition.

In 1921, Worthing Borough Council purchased the pier for £18,978. 15 shillings. Five years ;ater in 1926, the kiosks were demolished and replaced with the new 1,000 seat ‘Shoreward’ or ‘Pierfoot’ Pavilion, designed by Adshead & Ramsey. This pavilion, which is still very much in use, consists of a polygonal hall with an entrance vestibule and two square-sided pavilions. Its most striking feature is the oval domed vestibule with Corinthian columns and round dormer windows. In 1937, an amusement pavilion was built in the middle of the pier along with a windshield along the pier’s spine.

“On Easter Monday 1913, poor Worthing Pier was smashed in a storm and cut off from the land. Temporarily earning it the nickname ‘Easter Island’ from concerned newspapers”

Like the piers of Brighton, Worthing’s has had its fair share of disasters. On Easter Monday 1913, poor Worthing Pier was smashed in a storm and cut off from the land. Temporarily earning it the nickname ‘Easter Island’ from concerned newspapers. Then in 1933, a fire which could be seen from Beachy Head, destroyed the South Pavilion. It was replaced with the Art Deco nautical-style ‘Pierhead’ Pavilion, designed by the Borough Architect, in 1935. This pavilion is rectangular with rounded ends and a low roof. Its smooth lines are its greatest feature; emphasised by the sweeping balconies and many large windows. It is today a nightclub called Lush.

With the Second World War raging and the ominous threat of invasion a 120ft hole was blown in the Pier’s decking. However, this was deliberate – to make potential enemy landings more hazardous. In 1942, troops used the Pier’s facilities for recreation by which time invasion fears had subsided. After the war, the Government paid for repairs and refurbishment, and rightly so. With the current shortage of piers in Brighton, Worthing is very close to outpiering us Brightonians. And we can’t have that now!

Although it is generally acknowledged that the views from it are among the best in Sussex…

…many people don’t actually realise that the Balcombe Viaduct itself is stunning.

Most of my time on the morning Brighton to Victoria train is spent reading and I don’t like being disturbed. However, when the train passes Haywards Heath, I know that I need to keep watch. The second that the train passes a pair of stone pavilions on either side, I know that I should be looking up. It’s the point on the journey where everyone on the train is doing the same thing – looking from one side of the train to the other, like spectators at a tennis match, savouring the stunning view before the opportunity ends when the train passes four more stone pavilions. Whenever I fly back from anywhere, be it to Gatwick or Heathrow, I know that I’m nearly home when I see the marvellous countryside within the idyllic Ouse valley.

The Grade II* listed Balcombe Viaduct has 37 semi-circular arches made of 11 million bricks! It is 1,475 ft long and 96 ft high. It was built over the River Ouse between 1839 and 1841 by John Rastrick and David Mocatta as part of the original London to Brighton line, that also included the nearby Balcombe tunnel and tunnels at Merstham, Haywards Heath, Clayton and Patcham. Although there have been relatively small changes made since, such as trains now running mainly to Victoria instead of just to London Bridge, the line remains intact and the viaduct is used more than ever before.

Several months ago, I took a trip out to the Balcombe Viaduct by car with several friends. I was surprised to find that the Ouse is now just a tiny stream and nearly fell in as we walked through some tall plants! Balcombe itself is a small village with a population of around 1,800, not far from Haywards Heath.

In fact, as we didn’t have a decent map, we just followed the railway line north from Haywards Heath to find it. Balcombe does have a station of its own on the London to Brighton line so it’s not at all hard to reach. I thoroughly recommend it.

So, if you do happen to find yourself on the train between Brighton and London, be sure to keep an eye out for the stone pavilions… then sit back and briefly relax!

Portslade ‘Old Village’ is to Portslade what Southwick Square is to Southwick…

…and Old Shoreham is to, well, Shoreham. It’s tucked away off the main road and is a delight to the eye, but knowing where to look and how to find it is essential.

Leading up from the Old Shoreham Road, substantial properties quickly appear on the right-hand side of Locks Hill starting with Loxdale and Portslade Lodge. Locks Hill becomes South Street where Whychcote and the brewery (today occupied by Le Carbone) come next. Easthill House, Portslade Manor and St. Nicolas’s Church are all just a stone’s throw away.

Whychcote would never have been built had it not been for the brewery. The brewery, covering almost one acre, was built in 1881 (as is clearly stated on its grand chimney) for John Dudney. When Dudney was its proprietor, it was capable of producing one thousand barrels per week. Two brothers – Walter and Herbert Mews (aged 27 and 25 respectively) – bought it from him in 1884 for £17,000. Each brother then built a substantial residence in its close vicinity – Whychcote for Herbert in 1895 and Loxdale for Walter in 1899.

"Whychcote would never have been built had it not been for the brewery, built in 1881"

The reason for the choice of the name ‘Whychcote’, meaning ‘the home of the witch’, is uncertain. It is certainly an imposing building but not exactly a witch’s home. A woman thought to be a witch, however, did live in the area not long before the Mews brothers arrived.

Timbers (both inside and out), gables and chimneys characterise Whychcote, though its greatest attribute is perhaps its prime location on the village green. Interestingly, Andrew Melville, the owner of Whychcote during the 1930s, also owned the green and attempted to develop it. Another controversy took place in 1989 when it was discovered that Adur District Council wanted to turn Whychcote into a homeless hostel. Whychcote was bought for £357,000 in 2000 and the then owners carried out substantial works. It subsequently sold for a bargain £465,000 in 2002.

As Brighton and Hove feels the pinch of a national housing shortage, Portslade will one day have to take on a share of new residents. The replacement of dreary 1950s structures should provide an excellent opportunity to reintroduce flint, timber and other original materials using modern construction techniques. Let’s just hope that the developers know how to find their way to the Old Village for inspiration when the inevitable time comes.

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