Meads
Meads | |
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East Sussex | |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
UK Parliament | |
Website | http://www.meadsvillage.com/ |
Meads is an area of the town of Eastbourne in the English county of East Sussex. It is situated at the westerly end of the town below the South Downs.
Boundaries
The local government ward of Meads is extensive, stretching from
Councillors
The ward is currently represented on Eastbourne Borough Council by three councillors – all of whom are Conservative. One of the councillors also represents the Meads division on East Sussex County Council.[5]
History
A 1783 map of Eastbourne shows but a couple of farms in what was then the hamlet of Meads.
By 1890, imposing houses in neat tree-lined roads stood on what had been grazing land and cornfields – Meads had become the smart end of town. Its residents were the well to do, and included professionals, self-made men, retired officers and former members of the Colonial Civil Service.[6]
The absence today of street directories, makes it hard to determine the social standing of householders but even the 1940 street directory of Eastbourne (prepared in 1939) lists Lady Foley, Sir John Alexander Hammerton and Admiral Sir Robert John Prendergast KCB all living within 100 metres of each other at the top of Meads hill.[8]
Many domestic servants lived in; others made their way to work from other parts of the town, or occupied cottages clustered around the three pubs – the Pilot, the Ship and the Blacksmith’s Arms, the latter demolished before the turn of the century.
In 1894, a small square of cottages was built for working class occupation. Originally known as Wallis’s Cottages, the square was subsequently named The Village. Coachmen and grooms, followed in due course by chauffeurs, lived above the stables of De Walden Mews, the property of Lady Howard de Walden. Her mansion, De Walden Court (1884), in Meads Road is now a listed building.[9] The inhabitants of Meads were traditionally known as ‘Meadsites’, the term remaining in current use until at least the 1950s.[10]
All Saints Hospital was built between 1867 and 1869 on land given by the
The street names of Meads
Many of the roads in Meads owe their names to towns and villages in Derbyshire around
Meads during World War Two
Little of significance occurred in Meads during the period of the Phoney War, but with the fall of France in June 1940, many people departed for safety further north. Large houses were shut up as their owners left the anticipated invasion zone and schools were closed.[12] Eastbourne College was evacuated to Radley College in Oxfordshire on 20 June.[13]
Air raids
On 4 May 1942, the first raid on Eastbourne by fighter-bombers took place. One of the casualties was the Meads parish church of St John, which was set ablaze and severely damaged.[15] Until the church was rebuilt in 1957, services were held at the parish hall in Meads Street. The tower, which originally had a steeple, survived the raid but was not attached to the nave when the latter was rebuilt.[7]
At lunchtime on Sunday 7 March 1943, a raid by
Canucks in Meads
As far as Meads was concerned, The Black Watch arrived from
The Canadians were welcomed by the locals, who invited them into their homes and organised entertainment. By the same token, the troops left with happy memories. Approximately 150 Eastbourne girls sailed to Canada as
Conservation and change
Meads Street still has its shops, but there have been considerable changes to the trades in recent years. The sub-post office has returned to the premises it formerly occupied in the 1950s when the shop was a traditional grocer's — today it is a self-service store. For comparison, the 1940 street directory lists 21 types of business premises in Meads Street: a baker, three banks, two boot repairers, two builders, two butchers, three garages, two grocers (one with sub-post office), a car hire firm, a chemist, a confectioner, two dairies, a fishmonger, a fruiterer, a greengrocer, a hairdresser, an ironmonger, two pubs, a stationer, a tobacconist, a wine merchant and a wool shop.[8]
In 1965, the 19-storey South Cliff Tower was built on the seafront at the junction of Bolsover Road and South Cliff. The storm of protest which followed led to the formation of The Eastbourne and District Preservation Committee, which in due course became Eastbourne Civic Society and has subsequently been renamed The Eastbourne Society.[7]
Despite demolitions over the years, Meads still retains many of its large Victorian and Edwardian houses, most of which have been converted into flats. A powerful lobby in the latter regard is The Meads Community Association, which was created in 1990. With some 700 members, its two principal aims are ‘to preserve the unique character of the Meads area of Eastbourne consistent with change which does not interfere with this aim’, and ‘to alert the residents of Meads to plans for development or redevelopment of property which the Committee are of the opinion should be resisted’. The association also organizes social activities to foster a community spirit and liaises with local traders.[16]
The former All Saints Hospital, a Grade II listed building, was converted into 53 flats, with a further 52 newly built apartments within three separate buildings in the grounds.[17] The listed chapel, however, was retained.[18]
Population
The total population of Meads is 11,769.[19]
Demographics
Population by age | Total | 0-14 yrs | 15-29 yrs | 30-44 yrs | 45-64 yrs | 65-74 yrs | 74-84 yrs | 85+ yrs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastbourne | 94,816 | 16.0% | 17.3% | 18.4% | 24.8% | 10.2% | 8.9% | 4.3% |
Meads | 10,867 | 6.8% | 19.4% | 10.2% | 21.0% | 14.3% | 18.5% | 9.9% |
Meads has an average age of 54.1 and the national average is 39.8, that is a difference of 14.3 years.[20]
Ethnicity | All people | White | Mixed | Asian or Asian British | Black or Black British | Other ethnic group |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastbourne | 94,412 | 94.1% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
Meads | 10,725 | 93.0% | 1.7% | 3.8% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
Year | 2001 | 2011 |
---|---|---|
Eastbourne | 20.3% | 22.5% |
Meads | 7.8% | 8.6% |
Educational establishments
University of Brighton
In 1947, a teacher training college opened in Meads, the first students being troops who had recently returned to civilian life.
Schools
Private sector
In Victorian times, Meads became a favoured area for private boarding schools — a tradition which persisted until economic factors brought about their gradual demise. Examples of the latter include Clovelly-Kepplestone girls' school which closed in Meads in 1934[23] and St. Christopher's Girls School which closed the same year.[24]
Pike's Eastbourne Directory of 1911-12[25] shows five 'Ladies' Schools located in Bolsover Road, together with Hill Brow boys' school which subsequently took over the premises of St. Christopher's girls school in Denton Road when that school closed in 1934.
A street directory for 1940 (prepared in 1939) lists ten private schools in 'Upper Meads' alone.[8] However, the war signalled the final phase for private schools, and only eight of those which evacuated from the town returned to Eastbourne.[6] One of the post-war returners was Ascham St Vincent's School, a preparatory school for boys in Meads which subsequently closed in 1977. The site was sold for property development and a merger with St. Andrew's took place. The 'Ascham Memorial Arch' in Carlisle Road commemorates former pupils who lost their lives in the First World War.[26]
Two independent schools now remain in 'Upper Meads' - St Andrew's Prep and
State sector
St. John's Meads is a Church of England Aided Primary School, with approximately 215 children on its roll. Undergoing many additions and changes over the years, the school has been located on its present site for over a century.[27]
References
- ^ "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
- ^ "Eastbourne Ward population 2011". Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ Eastbourne Town Centre Ward Map, Eastbourne Borough Council, archived from the original on 28 March 2009, retrieved 17 April 2009
- ^ Meads Conservation Area Map, Eastbourne Borough Council
- ^ "Find a Ward Councillor". Eastbourne Borough Council. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ ISBN 1-85770-298-0
- ^ a b c d e Spears, Harold; Stevens, Lawrence; Crook, Richard; Hodsoll, Vera (1981), Eight Town Walks in Eastbourne, Eastbourne: Eastbourne Civic Society
- ^ a b c Kelly's Directory of Eastbourne, London: Kelly’s Directories Limited, 1940
- ^ Listed Buildings-Eastbourne, Eastbourne Borough Council, retrieved 17 April 2009
- ^ Eastbourne Society Newsletter (140)
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: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ISBN 0-9504560-6-3
- ^ ISBN 0-9547647-1-4
- ^ Allom, V M (1966), Ex Oriente Salus – A Centenary History of Eastbourne College, Eastbourne: Eastbourne College
- ^ "Black Friday", Sussex Life, August 1980
- ^ ISBN 1-871986-00-1
- ^ Meads Community Association, Meads Digital Arts, archived from the original on 9 May 2008, retrieved 30 May 2008
- ^ Berkeley Homes News, Berkeley Homes, retrieved 5 June 2008
- ^ All Saints Hospital Site, Eastbourne Borough Council[permanent dead link]
- ^ "East Sussex in Figures Population". 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "East Sussex in Figures Median age". 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "East Sussex in Figures". 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ University of Brighton Prospectus 2009 (PDF), University of Brighton, archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011, retrieved 5 June 2008
- ^ Eastbourne Local History Society Newsletter (179)
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: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ISBN 0-9553556-0-5
- ^ Pike's Eastbourne, Hailsham and District, Blue Book and Local Directory, 1911-12, Garnett, Mepham & Fisher, Limited, 112 Gloster Road, Brighton
- ^ History – Lost Generation – Find a Memorial, Channel 4, retrieved 1 June 2008
- ^ Meads CE Primary School, Meads CE Primary School, archived from the original on 4 June 2008, retrieved 30 May 2008