Latest Homes Sussex magazine

The Dome in Worthing is a very different building to the Dome in Brighton…

…which is unsurprising considering that it was built over one hundred years later. The Dome on Church Street in Brighton was originally built as stables for The Prince of Wales, lying behind his Marine Pavilion. Originally built in 1803-08 by William Porden it was converted into a concert hall in 1867. The Dome on the Worthing seafront – on the other hand – was originally built as a roller-skating rink in 1909 by T. A. Allen for the Swiss entrepreneur Carl A. Seebold. It was called the Kursaal at first but was renamed the Dome during the First World War because Kursaal sounded a little bit too Germanic.

Worthing’s Dome was converted into a 950 seat cinema in 1921 by Seebold. The town’s first cinema has unfortunately been demolished but its second, the Dome, is still going strong. It’s a funny-looking building actually. The tall domed octagonal tower is considered by English Heritage to be ‘one of the most complete surviving examples of an early cinema in the country’. The opulent Edwardian ceiling is studded with domes and cupolas and it is one of only a few cinemas still using carbon projectors – the original method of showing films. I was lucky enough to see Richard Attenborough’s Oh! What A Lovely War there, complete with ice-cream break, several years ago.

“It was called the Kursaal at first but was renamed the Dome during the First World War because Kursaal sounded a little bit too Germanic”

After being operated by a series of companies, the Dome was bought by Worthing Borough Council in 1963. In 1993, it suddenly closed following its failure to pass an electrical safety test. Many feared that it would never open again. It was rewired at a cost of £26,500 by Seeboard, regained its cinema licence and reopened to the relief of many. In 1994, the tower was demolished and rebuilt at a cost of over £300,000 when it was found that virtually all the steelwork above first floor level showed signs of bad corrosion and had to be replaced. Some 35,000 locals then signed a petition to save it from being sold by the Council to the Chapman Leisure Group. In 1996, it was upgraded from Grade II to II* Listed status amidst battles between various prospective buyers including Charlie Chaplin’s son, Eugene.

In 1999, the council sold the Dome to the Worthing Dome & Regeneration Trust Ltd for just £10 as part of a grand scheme to get the building back in shape. I can’t wait to see the project completed. For more information go to www.worthingdome.com.

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!

Andrew Kay finds vision and versatility in this stunning country town house with a difference

Like so many other people,I thought that Steyning was a village. That is until my Goddaughter moved there and I discovered that it is indeed a busy little town with its own farmers’ market, excellent local shops and community facilities that would make most Sussex residents look on with envy. It’s a town with spirit, a sense of place and pride.

I ponder this as I drive along Goring Road in search of the property I’m going to see. It’s a wide, leafy road, quiet and well tended. It’s easy to see why it is one of the town’s most desirable addresses.

I find the house. Sitting beyond a giant, protected copper beech that gives it its name. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had been told that this was a modern home but from the front the large arched Victorian windows and gigantic wooden stable doors give it the look of a period coach house.

Inside I meet the owners, Bob and Penny, who explain how this extraordinary property came to be. They had bought the plot and a very run down house three years ago. They
clearly had a vision of how to make what was a tired 1960s property into a gorgeous modern home and it was a vision that they have realised with a great deal of style.

“A stylish modern home that would suit a professional couple who need home offices and love entertaining on a large scale or, differently configured, a large four-bedroom home”

Before Bob and Penny got stuck in outside was dull: modern windows, no style. Inside was an encyclopedia of bad taste: glass bricks used badly, crazy paving up the walls, heavy patterned papers. There’s no sign of that now, Today from the outside, this is a well maintained Victorian-style property. Inside, it is a contemporary home of immense charm and lavish space.

The front door opens into a large stonefloored hallway. To the left, double doors open into the main living area. The best way to describe this is a suite of spaces – mainly open-plan – that lead into each other and eventually come full circle. The first space is a lounge, a room on a grand scale that Bob and Penny have taken full advantage of. Here, they have balanced a collection of smart contemporary furniture against antiques and ethnic pieces. The effect is dramatic, but at the same time comfortable. Ahead, steps lead up to a wood-floored second space and a huge picture window that overlooks a very mature garden. This is the dining area, but that hardly uses half of the space and there are places to sit quietly to read or simply just relax and look out over the garden beyond. Double doors lead onto a patio, after which there is a lawn surrounded by dense planting. Beyond that is a stately row of mature yuccas and finally a Victorian hot-house in need of repair but full of sensational period design and engineering.

Back inside and to the left of the dining area is a large and fairly traditional modern kitchen, the space separated by a huge slab of black granite that forms a less formal dining area. Off here is a small lobby and steps down to another space – a combined pantry and utility room. Left again and you enter a smart home office but looking right you realise that this is another sitting room, used at present as a library and reading room and off here is a WC and cloakroom. Leaving through a second door you find yourself back in the sitting room.

I return to the hall and discover that a suite of rooms including a bathroom is currently used by Penny as her studio. Here she works on her striking charcoal life studies and smaller nature-inspired images. Of course I immediately see that this is a very fine and generous double bedroom suite in another family’s hands.

The stairs lead from the hall and then divide. To the right there is a large double bedroom with a very large en-suite bathroom. The window has pretty downs views to the east and there is no shortage of space. The second branch of the stairs leads up to a pretty landing which is home to an antique writing desk and would easily accommodate a modern home office if needed.

Off the landing is the master bedroom, again huge and with a vast picture window opposite the bed which looks out over the garden, hothouse and the fruit trees next door. Opposite the door is a door-lined corridor, and these doors open onto his-and-hers walk-in wardrobes. At the end of the corridor, a step down and you are in a luxuriously large bathroom with a vast Jacuzzi-style bath tub, twin sinks, WC and vast shower. The look is contemporary boutique hotel chic, and done brilliantly.

Bob and Jenny have done a brilliant job of creating a stylish modern home that would suit a busy working professional couple who need home offices and have a love of entertaining on a large scale. That said, they have also cunningly disguised that, differently configured this is a large four-bedroom home, three of which have en-suite bathrooms and one of which has an en-suite WC.

Whichever way you look at this, it is a large property in a very desirable location in what has become a very fashionable small town. Try finding anything of this size and quality in the city and you would be looking at almost double the price. It takes me only 20 minutes to get back to central Brighton and that is at the busiest time of the afternoon. You could have all that the city has to offer at the same time as living a thoroughly rural lifestyle, but with modern facilities to hand at all times. Copper Beech House is a versatile home that has been brilliantly conceived to suit a wide range of occupants.

Copper Beech House
£770,000 Freehold
Halifax
4–6 East Street,
Shoreham
01273 361866

St George’s Park is creating a thriving community for the over 60s at Ditchling

The first residents have been moving into the multi-million pound St. George’s Park development near Ditchling in East Sussex and have wasted no time in creating a genuine retirement community.

To date, all 69 apartments have been reserved in the first two phases of this major scheme, with people now living in their new homes. Set in 250 acres of outstanding natural beauty, in the heart of Sussex, it’s probably one of the most exquisite and visionary developments for the over 60s available on the market today. A total of 235 two bed, two bath apartments will be built over the next three years, with prices currently starting at £335,000. Facilities at St. George’s Park include; a concierge service, low-cost car pool and mini bus, guest suite and a telecommunications network providing free calls within the park. The community building Maes Court, at the heart of the development, is a real hive of activity with residents using the restaurant, bar, café, games room, hairdresser, library and function rooms.

There will also be excellent outdoor facilities available including; a bowling green, tennis court and extensive footpaths within the estate. Philip Smith, the sales and marketing director at St. George’s, says: “Considering that the first residents have only been living here for a few months, it’s incredible to see how quickly they’ve created a vibrant, closeknit community.” Many people have taken it upon themselves to organise outings and activities. Trips have been organised to the ballet and theatre in Brighton, there’s also a dining and wine appreciation society as well as an arts club, music and quiz nights, even scrabble evenings.

Alex Becker who recently moved onto the estate with his wife said: “The facilities at St George’s Park were a real pull for us, we’re both very active people and are really looking forward to taking full advantage of the indoor swimming pool, spa and multipurpose gym.” Mrs Becker goes on to add: “When you buy at St George’s you invest in a new lease of life. You instantly become a member of a bustling community which is a wonderful aspect of living longer, staying healthier and getting greater enjoyment from years of retirement.”

For further information please contact the Sales and Marketing Director, Philip Smith on 01444 259 732 or philip@stgeorgespark.co.uk