A sweeping view from a tall house?

The one useful guide is the massive concrete mixer at the far end of East Quay in the area of Monkey Island, a scene of much activity in the Great War, but at the time of this photo, the concrete mixer was very much engaged in providing the necessary mix for making the foundations of the breakwater.

Moving across to the right of the harbour entrance, the grass slope from the Fort drops down to the road, just as today, a tall lighthouse stands about opposite the invisible Hope Inn, but beyond it appears the base work of the real west pier lighthouse which lasted into the 1970s.

There are several chalk heaps in the area of the Fort and a long strip of it where now the public car park, everything looks rather new and several little buildings in the area later of the drill hall.

The Ark House can just be seen way beyond the far roof corner of the little barn like building which would now be in Hillcrest Road.

The large flint building near to the camera would have been Meeching Court Farm, at the time the home of Mr Colgate, partner with Josiah Gray (Gray's Infants School), they jointly operated the Meeching Chalk Quarry behind Gibbon Road.

Colgate was the last to hold the manorial rights of the Parish of Meeching.

There are tentative connections with of course Lord Sheffield, the presentation of our recreation ground, Hester Gibbon too, owning other land here - Gibbon, author of the Rise and Decline of the Roman Empire, he being entombed at Fletching Church.

So this old farmhouse had some interesting connections, notice the facing dove cote.

Its final short claim to any fame was as an air raids precaution headquarters during the last war.

Some time after it was demolished and eventually the present block of flats was erected on the site.

It seems an extraordinarily long chalk drive to link with an undeveloped Fort Road, but south of the block including Meeching Hall was access through a stables yard to the house, much as today with the flats.

So jumping over a chalky Fort Road, with no houses, we come to the rail track going straight to the Hope Inn, after which it turned under the cliffs to eventually reach the far end of the breakwater.

Return to the undeveloped west bank, no more than a chalk path leading to the Customs watch house at Blackmans Head.

Beyond is the Lifeboat House, before the roof was raised for the Cecil and Lillian Philpot of 1930.

Efforts were made to try and get the building listed a few years ago, but the story goes that this alteration to the roof prevented this happening.

This craft with its little buff coloured funnel was christened by Prince George, the Duke of Kent.

A little bit of shunting around during the last war, but she did feature in the film For Those In Peril, which concerned the need for the Sea Rescue Service, proving its need, and most of the story was filmed here giving some interesting wartime scenes.

In the photo the self loading dredger Neptune is at work, but a drifting filled barge would have come from the wooden dumb dredger Hercules of 1842 but out of the picture.

PETER BAILEY

Peter Bailey is curator of the Newhaven Local and Maritime Museum based in its own fascinating premises in the grounds of Paradise Park in Avis Road, Newhaven. Winter opening hours are 2-5pm Saturdays and Sundays or by arrangement. Admission 1 (accompanied children free). Contact the curator on 01273 514760. Log on to the website at www.newhavenmuseum.co.uk