- View from Whitehawk Hill to the north of the housing estate
- Whitehawk F.C. supporters
- Pedestrian tunnel beneath Brighton Racecourse
- Whitehawk library and community hub
- Seesaw Way
Whitehawk | |
---|---|
Whitehawk, viewed from the Neolithic causewayed camp above the estate, 2005 | |
Location within East Sussex | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BRIGHTON |
Postcode district | BN2 |
Dialling code | 01273 |
Police | Sussex |
Fire | East Sussex |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
UK Parliament | |
Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originally developed by the local council between 1933 and 1937 and included nearly 1,200 residences. Subsequently, the Swanborough flats were built in 1967, and in the 1970s and 1980s much of the estate was rebuilt by altering the road layouts and increasing the number of houses. Whitehawk is part of the East Brighton ward of Brighton and Hove City Council.
Before being developed, Whitehawk was chalk downland. At the top of Whitehawk Hill, Whitehawk Camp was a Neolithic causewayed camp of the Windmill Hill culture inhabited around 5500 years ago. [1] It is now a scheduled ancient monument and is one of three causewayed camps known to have existed in the South Downs. The name Whitehawk is believed to be a corruption of "Vied Ac", the Saxon for "holy oak", named after a wooden pole which stood on the hill. [2]
Horse racing started on Whitehawk Down in the late 18th century next to the causewayed camp and connected to the White Hawk Fair. Brighton Race Course is still on the site, which became known as Race Hill. [3] By 1870, the neighbouring Sheepcote Valley was being used as a rifle range to train volunteer soldiers. By 1916 it had begun to be used as a refuse tip. A site at Sheepcote close to the edge of the Whitehawk housing is still used as a Council waste centre for domestic users. [2]
Whitehawk Road, as it then was, came to demarcate the eastern parish boundary of Brighton. In 1818 gas works were built at Black Rock, between Whitehawk and the sea. By virtue of being built there, the works avoided paying taxes in Brighton. [3]
By the beginning of the 1920s, the Whitehawk area consisted mainly of pig farms, smallholdings and allotments. This would all change between 1920 and 1931 when Brighton Corporation, in common with local government authorities all over the country, began a program of slum clearances. Alongside Manor Farm, Whitehawk was one of the areas used for new homes to house the residents. [4] The homes were designed to have "all modern conveniences" including electricity, gas and running water. They also had gardens. This was a huge contrast to the small, back to back terraces in the town centre, which they replaced. Some people found it very difficult to adjust. This was partly because many of those moved earned their living as rag and bone men, conducting their business by horse and cart. This was hard to do from so far out of town.
Between 1933 and 1937 the council estate was built. By 1937 there were nearly 1,200 houses in Whitehawk, all with gardens. [5]
East Brighton Park, at the Eastern extremity of Whitehawk, was home to the first Municipal Camping Ground, opened by the mayor of Brighton, Herbert Hone, in May 1938. It utilised buildings already at the site, formerly belonging to the Newhouse Farm. These buildings are thought to date from the late 18th century.
The first Whitehawk Library opened in 1934 in front of the Primary School. In 1935 a lido was built on the seafront at Black Rock, [6] [7] a short distance from Whitehawk (via the eastern extremities of Brighton's Kemp Town seafront development).
Post-war Brighton suffered a housing shortage and so further building work was carried out in the Whitehawk area. New low- and high-rise flats were built to the west of Whitehawk (known as the Bristol Estate) and private housing was also started, most notably a large self-build scheme in Wilson Avenue at the far east of the estate. The high rise Swanborough Flats were built by Brighton Corporation at the northern tip of Whitehawk in 1967. [8] By 1969 the library site was needed by the school for classrooms and so a temporary library was opened in Rugby House, Rugby Place.
The Community Centre, along with a new library, including a toy library for children was opened by Princess Alexandra in November 1973 in Whitehawk Road. At the time it was the largest in Brighton.[ citation needed ]
From 1975, the Council started a remodelling exercise in Whitehawk. Initially, houses were left empty as they became vacant, and were boarded up. Many of the long roads in Whitehawk were removed and replaced with smaller cul-de-sacs. This allowed larger numbers of houses to fit into the same space and by the end of the scheme the number of houses in Whitehawk had increased to over 1,400. The last part of the scheme, Lintott Avenue (South) was completed in 1988. [5]
In 1979, the Black Rock lido was demolished in conjunction with the development of Brighton Marina. Construction of the marina had already started in 1971. [9]
The population of Whitehawk (and Manor Farm) was nearly 8,000 in 1981. [5]
In April 2000, The East Brighton New Deal for Communities (EBNDC) Partnership was awarded £47.2m from the government's pilot NDC programme aimed at social regeneration of the area covering Bate's Estate, Higher Bevendean, Manor Farm, Moulsecoomb, Saunders Park and Whitehawk. Money was spent in Whitehawk on various community projects, the most notable being the Crew Club youth centre and The Whitehawk Inn Community Hub.[ citation needed ] 41 pedestrian alleys were remodelled because they were seen as "havens for anti-social behaviour". [10]
Whitehawk is overlooked by the White Hawk, a chalk carving in the hill at Sheepcote Valley. The White Hawk was carved in 2001 by local artists with support from the Friends of Sheepcote Valley (FSV) and Whitehawk residents. It was recently renovated by the FSV, local scouts, community workers, council rangers and residents.[ citation needed ]
Whitehawk was noted in 2010 to be in the 5% of most deprived areas in Great Britain. Funding of £7.4m was provided by the state and the local council to create a 'community hub'. [11]
After a consultation by two groups not based in Whitehawk, Racehill Community Orchard was built at the top of Whitehawk in 2012. [12] Over 60 fruit trees and 1000 native hedgerow plants were installed. [13] In 2018, the orchard won a Britain in Bloom award. [14]
Over 100 people attended a protest on Whitehawk Hill in 2018, to beat the bounds of the common land. They were angered by plans to build 217 homes on the conservation area. Local environmentalist Dave Bangs said "Whitehawk Hill is more precious than the Brighton Pavilion because of its public value, its ancient history." [15] The plans were definitively discarded by the Council in January 2019. [16]
Following local elections in May 2019, Whitehawk is part of the East Brighton ward represented at Brighton and Hove City Council by Nancy Platts (Labour), Nichole Brennan (Labour) and Gill Williams (Labour). [17]
St. Cuthman's (Church of England) Church was built in the 1930s and completely destroyed by bombing in World War II. It was rebuilt after the war, being completed in 1952 to the design of local architect John Leopold Denman. It is sometimes called "the Children's Church" because local children famously saved their pennies to help fund the rebuilding. The church hall was sold to the local Community Association in 1982. St. Cuthmans (Church of England) is situated on Whitehawk Way next door to the Valley Social Centre. The church also runs a drop-in centre. [18]
The Valley Social Centre, previously known as St. David's Mission Hall (also Church of England) is now used as a community centre, and also runs a drop-in centre.
The Roman Catholic Church of St. Louis, King of France opened in 1964 and was demolished in 1982 after being declared unsafe. A block of flats now stands on the site. [4]
Whitehawk Primary School caters for children aged between 3 and 11 years old. It was formed by the amalgamation of the old separate Infant and Junior Schools. In May 2006, the 3- and 4-year-olds separated from the primary school and became part of Roundabout Children's Centre for 0- to 5-year-olds which was visited by the Queen in March 2007. Despite its best ever SATS results in 2012 it is going to be the first primary Academy school in the city run by City College.[ citation needed ]
St. John the Baptist Catholic School caters for children aged between 4 and 11 years old.
St. Mark's Primary School is situated on Manor Road and serves the Whitehawk, Manor and Bristol estates, originally situated by the gasworks, it was moved to its present location in the 1970s. It is a one form of entry school and well known for its nurturing approach and partnership working with families
Stanley Deason Secondary School was opened in 1976. The name was changed to Marina High in September 1997 and East Brighton College of Media Arts (often abbreviated to COMART) in September 1999. It closed in August 2005. It catered for children aged between 11 and 16 years old. When the school closed the pupils were enrolled in the various other schools in Brighton and Hove. [19] [20]
Whitehawk Inn is a community learning centre in South Whitehawk, occupying a former pub. It was founded in 2001. It provides various long and short term, full- and part-time courses in a wide range of subjects as well as providing advice on gaining employment.
The buildings of the former secondary school are leased to Greater Brighton Metropolitan College, which runs courses in construction skills and in media studies in them.
Class Divide is a grassroots campaign group based in Brighton and Hove, England, focused on addressing educational inequalities in the city, particularly in the East Brighton communities of Whitehawk, Manor Farm, and Bristol Estate. Initially started as an offshoot of The Crew Club, a youth and community centre, Class Divide aims to create a more socially inclusive education system by challenging stereotypes, building a movement for change, and advocating for policy reforms.
Brighton and Hove, despite its reputation as an inclusive and progressive city, faces significant educational disparities. Data obtained by Class Divide through Freedom of Information requests revealed stark contrasts in educational outcomes between different areas of the city. For example:
In 2019, Only 37% of students in Whitehawk, Manor Farm, and Bristol Estate achieved GCSE English and Maths, compared to the city average of 69%.
Children from these communities are twice as likely to be excluded from school and three times more likely to be placed in non-mainstream schools, including pupil referral units.
The primary goals of Class Divide include:
Highlighting persistent educational inequalities in Brighton & Hove Challenging unjust stereotypes Building a broad movement for change Changing policies and structures that maintain the status quo
The group is independent of political affiliations and works with various stakeholders to improve educational opportunities for low-income children.
Class Divide has made several notable achievements since its inception:
Raising awareness about the educational divide in Brighton & Hove Influencing local education policies Improving affordability of school uniforms and travel Implementing policies to give children on Free School Meals (FSM) more choice in secondary education Supporting community participation in democratic processes
In a significant development, Class Divide supported a proposal to create a new priority category for FSM children in secondary school admissions, which was approved by Brighton & Hove City Council's Children, Young People and Schools committee. The proposal aims to:
Provide more school choice for FSM-eligible children Ensure all secondary schools in the city teach at least the average percentage of FSM-eligible pupils Promote socio-economic integration in schools
The proposal has garnered support from various stakeholders, including headteachers, policymakers, and researchers.
In 2023, Class Divide released a documentary podcast series following the lives of a family from Whitehawk. The series explores the impact of education on life chances and features discussions with experts on the UK's education system, segregation, and attainment gaps. Notable guests include Darren McGarvey, Professor Diane Reay, and Fiona Millar.
Class Divide continues to build on its success in Brighton and Hove, with plans to focus on:
Catchment areas Published Admission Numbers (PANs) Promoting their ideas across the UK
The Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company maintains a depot at the south end of Whitehawk. As of 2019, Whitehawk was served by buses 1, 1A, 21, 21A, 21E and night bus N21, as well as School buses 71,72, 72A and 73. [21]
Whitehawk F.C. is a semi-professional football club playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. Founded in 1945, The Hawks reached National League South having won promotion three times in the space of four years between 2009 and 2013 as well as the second round of the FA Cup in 2015. Whitehawk play their games at The Enclosed Ground, a stadium in East Brighton Park.
Brighton is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the city of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located 47 miles (76 km) south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the Domesday Book (1086). The town's importance grew in the Middle Ages as the Old Town developed, but it languished in the early modern period, affected by foreign attacks, storms, a suffering economy and a declining population. Brighton began to attract more visitors following improved road transport to London and becoming a boarding point for boats travelling to France. The town also developed in popularity as a health resort for sea bathing as a purported cure for illnesses.
Hove is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove.
Brighton and Hove is a city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administered by Brighton and Hove City Council, which is currently under Labour majority control.
Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, 39 mi (63 km) south of London, 10 mi (16 km) north of Brighton and Hove, and 29 mi (47 km) northeast of the county town, Chichester. It had an area of 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) and a population of 30,635 at the 2011 Census, making it the fourth most populous parish in the county and the most populous in the Mid Sussex District. Other nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the northeast and Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, to the southeast.
Southwick is a town in the Adur district of West Sussex, England located five miles (8 km) west of Brighton. It covers an area of 863.7 ha. In 2001 it had a population of 13,195.
Bevendean is a district of the city of Brighton and Hove, in East Sussex, England.
Whitehawk F.C. is a semi-professional football club in Whitehawk, a suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, England, which plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Whitehawk's home is the 3,126-capacity McLaren Enclosed Ground within East Brighton Park. Nicknamed The Hawks, the club's traditional playing colours are red and white. Before 2010, the club had never played above County League level, but after three promotions in four seasons reached Conference South in 2013, and the second round of the FA Cup in 2015.
Moulsecoomb is a suburb of Brighton, Sussex, England, on the northeast side around the A270 Lewes Road, between Coldean and Bevendean, 2+1⁄4 miles (3.6 km) north of the seafront. The eastern edge adjoins Falmer Hill on the South Downs. It is often divided into smaller sections on maps: North Moulsecoomb, East Moulsecoomb and South Moulsecoomb.
Coldean is a suburb of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Located in the northeast corner of the urban area, it was developed by Brighton Corporation in the 1950s as one of several postwar council estates necessitated by the acute housing shortage in the area after World War II.
Hangleton is a suburb of Brighton and Hove, in the ceremonial county of East Sussex, England. The area was developed in the 1930s after it was incorporated into the Borough of Hove, but has ancient origins: its parish church was founded in the 11th century and retains 12th-century fabric; the medieval manor house is Hove's oldest secular building. The village became depopulated in the medieval era and the church fell into ruins, and the population in the isolated hilltop parish only reached 100 in the early 20th century; but rapid 20th-century development resulted in more than 6,000 people living in Hangleton in 1951 and over 9,000 in 1961. By 2013, the population exceeded 14,000.
Mile Oak is a locality forming the northern part of the former parish of Portslade in the northwest corner of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Now mostly residential, but originally an area of good-quality agricultural land, it covers the area north of Portslade village as far as the urban boundary.
Saltdean is a coastal village in the city of Brighton and Hove, with part outside the city boundary in Lewes district. Saltdean is approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of central Brighton, 5 miles (8 km) west of Newhaven, and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Lewes. It is bordered by farmland and the South Downs National Park.
Brighton and Hove, a city on the English Channel coast in southeast England, has a large and diverse stock of buildings "unrivalled architecturally" among the country's seaside resorts. The urban area, designated a city in 2000, is made up of the formerly separate towns of Brighton and Hove, nearby villages such as Portslade, Patcham and Rottingdean, and 20th-century estates such as Moulsecoomb and Mile Oak. The conurbation was first united in 1997 as a unitary authority and has a population of about 253,000. About half of the 20,430-acre (8,270 ha) geographical area is classed as built up.
Carlton Hill is an inner-city area of Brighton, part of the English city and seaside resort of Brighton and Hove. First developed in the early and mid-19th century on steeply sloping farmland east of central Brighton, it grew rapidly as the town became a fashionable, high-class destination. Carlton Hill's population was always poor, though, and by the early 20th century the area was Brighton's worst slum: overcrowding, crime and disease were rife. Extensive slum clearance in the mid-20th century introduced high-density tower blocks, but some old buildings remain: in 2008, Brighton and Hove City Council designated part of Carlton Hill as the city's 34th conservation area. The area now has housing of various styles and ages, large offices and small-scale industry; there are also churches, a school and some open space.
The Bear Road area is a largely residential area in the east of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Centred on the steep west–east road of that name, it is characterised by terraced houses of the early 20th century, but Brighton's main cemeteries were established here in the 19th century and there is also some industry.
Prestonville is a largely residential area in the northwest of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It covers a long, narrow and steeply sloping ridge of land between the Brighton Main Line and Dyke Road, two major transport corridors which run north-northwestwards from the centre of Brighton. Residential development started in the 1860s and spread northwards, further from central Brighton, over the next six decades. The area is characterised by middle-class and upper-middle-class housing in various styles, small-scale commercial development and long eastward views across the city. Two Anglican churches serve Prestonville—one at each end of the area—and there are several listed buildings.
Elm Grove is a mainly residential area of Brighton, part of the English coastal city of Brighton and Hove. The densely populated district lies on a steep hill northeast of the city centre and developed in the second half of the 19th century after the laying out of a major west–east road, also called Elm Grove. Terraced houses, small shops and architecturally impressive public buildings characterise the streetscape: within the area are a major hospital, two churches and a former board school, as well as Brighton's oldest council houses and an interwar council estate.
The English coastal city of Brighton and Hove has a long and varied history of libraries going back over 250 years. Subscription libraries were among the earliest buildings in the resort of Brighton, which developed in the late 18th century; by the 1780s these facilities, which were more like social clubs than conventional book-borrowing venues, were at the heart of the town's social scene. The Brighton Literary Society, its successor the Brighton Royal Literary and Scientific Institution and its rival the Sussex Scientific Institution between them established a "very fine collection" of publications by the mid-19th century, and these books were donated to the town when a public library was founded in 1871. Neighbouring Hove, originally a separate village, established its own public library in 1890.
East Brighton Park is located on the eastern edge of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Bounded by Wilson Avenue and East Brighton golf course, the park extends into Sheepcote Valley and covers around 60 acres. Within the park, there are pitches for football and cricket, tennis courts, a café and a children's playground, beyond it is the South Downs National Park. It was created in 1925.
Brighton and Hove, a city and unitary authority in the English county of East Sussex, has a wide range of public services funded by national government, East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and other public-sector bodies. Revenue to fund these services comes partly from Council Tax, which is paid annually by residents: this tax provides the city council with nearly 20% of its income and also helps to fund the local police force, Sussex Police, and the county's fire service, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. Some of Brighton and Hove's utilities and infrastructure are provided by outside parties, such as utility companies, rather than by the city council.
It was a bad day at Black Rock when the famous open-air swimming pool closed in 1978 ... It was built in 1936 ...
Brighton Black Rock Lido: Built 1936. Closed 1978.