Whitehawk
Encyclopedia
Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton
, part of the English
city of Brighton and Hove.
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 authority between 1933 and 1937 and included nearly 1,200 residences. Subsequently, the Swanborough flats were built in 1967, and during the 1970s and 1980s much of the estate was rebuilt by altering the road layouts and increasing the number of houses.
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 and Whitehawk residents. It was recently renovated by the FSV, local scouts, community workers, council rangers and residents.
Whitehawk is part of the East Brighton ward of Brighton and Hove City Council, represented by three Labour councillors: Gill Mitchell, Warren Morgan and Craig Turton.
is a Neolithic
causewayed camp of the Windmill Hill culture
inhabited sometime around 2700 BC. It is 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".
Horse racing started on Whitehawk Down in the late 18th century. Brighton Race Course is still on the site.
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.
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 developed with a large building scheme. By 1937 there were nearly 1,200 houses in Whitehawk.
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
, a short distance from Whitehawk (via the eastern extremities of Brighton's Kemp Town
seafront development).
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 in North Whitehawk in 1967.
By 1969 the library site was needed by the school for classrooms and so a temporary library was opened in Rugby House, Rugby Place.
in November 1973 in Whitehawk Road. At the time it was the largest in Brighton.
From 1975, the Council started a remodelling exercise in Whitehawk. Initially, houses were left empty as they became vacant, and were boarded up. Huge areas of drab housing were demolished. Many of the long roads in Whitehawk were removed and replaced with smaller cul-de-sac
s. 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.
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.
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 Esate, 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.
) 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. 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.
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.
St. John the Baptist Catholic School caters for children aged between 4 and 11 years old.
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.
The buildings of the former secondary school are leased to City College Brighton & Hove
, which runs courses in construction skills and in media studies in them.
maintains a depot at the south end of Whitehawk.
One of the Company's five high-frequency METRO branded routes, Route 1, runs from Swanborough Drive to Mile Oak
via the city centre and Portslade
, serving most of the Whitehawk estate. The route operates every 6–7 minutes during the day and 15–20 minutes in the early morning and late evening (Mondays to Saturdays), and less frequently on Sundays.
Route 21 connects Whitehawk with Brighton Marina
and the London Road shopping area, running every 20 minutes (hourly on Sundays).
On weekdays, four peak-hour buses run through Whitehawk on their way to and from the Falmer campuses of Sussex
and Brighton Universities
.
Special flat-fare night buses are run on Friday and Saturday nights from locations close to various nightclubs and music venues in the city centre to outlying areas, both within and outside the city boundaries. The N99 bus, which serves Peacehaven and Newhaven, goes through the Whitehawk estate on both its 1.10am and 2.30am journeys.
Many other bus routes, including METRO Route 7 to the Marina, run along Eastern Road close to the south end of the Whitehawk area.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, part of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
city of Brighton and Hove.
The area is a large, modern housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
built in a downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originally developed by the local authority between 1933 and 1937 and included nearly 1,200 residences. Subsequently, the Swanborough flats were built in 1967, and during the 1970s and 1980s much of the estate was rebuilt by altering the road layouts and increasing the number of houses.
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 and Whitehawk residents. It was recently renovated by the FSV, local scouts, community workers, council rangers and residents.
Whitehawk is part of the East Brighton ward of Brighton and Hove City Council, represented by three Labour councillors: Gill Mitchell, Warren Morgan and Craig Turton.
Pre-1920
Whitehawk CampWhitehawk Camp
Whitehawk Camp is one of the earliest signs of human habitation in Brighton and Hove, Sussex, England. It is the remains of a Neolithic causewayed camp inhabited sometime around 2700 BCE and is a scheduled ancient monument...
is a Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
causewayed camp of the Windmill Hill culture
Windmill Hill culture
The Windmill Hill culture was a name given to a people inhabiting southern Britain, in particular in the Salisbury Plain area close to Stonehenge, around approximately 3000BC. They were an agrarian Neolithic people; their name comes from Windmill Hill, a causewayed camp...
inhabited sometime around 2700 BC. It is a scheduled ancient monument and is one of three causewayed camps known to have existed in the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
.
The name Whitehawk is believed to be a corruption of "Vied Ac", the Saxon for "holy oak".
Horse racing started on Whitehawk Down in the late 18th century. Brighton Race Course is still on the site.
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.
1920 to World War II
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. Whitehawk was one of the areas used for new homes to house the residents. 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 backBack-to-back houses
Usually of low quality and high density, they were built for working class people and because three of the four walls of the house were shared with other buildings and therefore contained no doors or windows, back-to-back houses were notoriously ill-lit and poorly ventilated and sanitation was of...
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
Rag and bone man
Rag and bone man is a British phrase for a junk dealer. Historically the phrase referred to an individual who would travel the streets of a city with a horsedrawn cart, and would collect old rags for making fabric and paper, bones for making glue, scrap iron for recycling, and assorted miscellany...
, 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 developed with a large building scheme. By 1937 there were nearly 1,200 houses in Whitehawk.
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
Black Rock (Brighton and Hove)
Black Rock is an area of wasteland located near Brighton Marina in the city of Brighton and Hove.-History:From at least the early 19th Century , Black Rock was the site of an inn and a few houses overlooking cliffs to the east of the then town of Brighton....
, a short distance from Whitehawk (via the eastern extremities of Brighton's Kemp Town
Kemp Town
Kemp Town is a 19th Century residential estate in the east of Brighton in East Sussex, England, UK. Kemp Town was conceived and financed by Thomas Read Kemp. It has given its name to the larger Kemptown region of Brighton....
seafront development).
1950s and 1960s
Post-war Brighton suffered a housing shortage and so further building work was carried out in the Whitehawk area. New low- and high-riseTower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
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 in North Whitehawk in 1967.
By 1969 the library site was needed by the school for classrooms and so a temporary library was opened in Rugby House, Rugby Place.
1970s to 2000s
The Community Centre, along with a new library, including a toy library for children was opened by Princess AlexandraPrincess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
in November 1973 in Whitehawk Road. At the time it was the largest in Brighton.
From 1975, the Council started a remodelling exercise in Whitehawk. Initially, houses were left empty as they became vacant, and were boarded up. Huge areas of drab housing were demolished. Many of the long roads in Whitehawk were removed and replaced with smaller cul-de-sac
Cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
s. 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.
In 1979, the Black Rock lido was demolished in conjunction with the development of Brighton Marina
Brighton Marina
Brighton Marina is an artificial marina situated in Brighton, England. The construction of the marina itself took place between 1971 and 1979, although developments within it have continued ever since. The marina covers an area of approximately...
. Construction of the marina had already started in 1971.
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 Esate, 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.
Places of worship
St. Cuthman's (Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) Church was built in the 1930s and completely destroyed by bombing in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was rebuilt after the war, being completed in 1952. 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
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) is situated on Whitehawk Way next door to the Valley Social Centre. The church also runs a drop-in centre.
The Valley Social Centre, previously known as St. David's Mission Hall (also Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) is now used as a community centre, and also runs a drop-in centre.
The Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
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.
Primary
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.St. John the Baptist Catholic School caters for children aged between 4 and 11 years old.
Secondary
Stanley Deason Secondary SchoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
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.
Post 16 and adult
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 City College Brighton & Hove
City College Brighton & Hove
City College Brighton & Hove is a large general further education college in Brighton and Hove. Its main campus is at Pelham Street, Brighton. It was formerly known as Brighton College of Technology and before that Brighton Technical College....
, which runs courses in construction skills and in media studies in them.
Transport
The Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach CompanyBrighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company
Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company operates almost all bus services in the city of Brighton and Hove in southern England. The company was established in 1884 as Brighton, Hove and Preston United Omnibus Company and has been part of the Go-Ahead Group since 1993.The company currently operates a...
maintains a depot at the south end of Whitehawk.
One of the Company's five high-frequency METRO branded routes, Route 1, runs from Swanborough Drive to Mile Oak
Mile Oak
Mile Oak is a locality forming the northern part of the former parish of Portslade in the north-west corner of the city of Brighton and Hove, England....
via the city centre and Portslade
Portslade
Portslade is the name of an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Portslade Village, the original settlement a mile inland to the north, was built up in the 16th century...
, serving most of the Whitehawk estate. The route operates every 6–7 minutes during the day and 15–20 minutes in the early morning and late evening (Mondays to Saturdays), and less frequently on Sundays.
Route 21 connects Whitehawk with Brighton Marina
Brighton Marina
Brighton Marina is an artificial marina situated in Brighton, England. The construction of the marina itself took place between 1971 and 1979, although developments within it have continued ever since. The marina covers an area of approximately...
and the London Road shopping area, running every 20 minutes (hourly on Sundays).
On weekdays, four peak-hour buses run through Whitehawk on their way to and from the Falmer campuses of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
and Brighton Universities
University of Brighton
The University of Brighton is an English university of the United Kingdom, with a community of over 23,000 students and 2,600 staff based on campuses in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings. It has one of the best teaching quality ratings in the UK and a strong research record, factors which...
.
Special flat-fare night buses are run on Friday and Saturday nights from locations close to various nightclubs and music venues in the city centre to outlying areas, both within and outside the city boundaries. The N99 bus, which serves Peacehaven and Newhaven, goes through the Whitehawk estate on both its 1.10am and 2.30am journeys.
Many other bus routes, including METRO Route 7 to the Marina, run along Eastern Road close to the south end of the Whitehawk area.
Cultural references
- Whitehawk is referenced in the chapter "The Birdman of Whitehawk" of the fantasy novel The BrightonomiconThe BrightonomiconThe Brightonomicon is a novel by British Fantasy author Robert Rankin, the title parodying that of the fictional grimoire the Necronomicon from the Cthulhu Mythos. The author lives in Brighton and the book is set in an accurate depiction of the city...
by Robert RankinRobert RankinRobert Fleming Rankin is a prolific British humorous novelist. Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with Snuff Fiction in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies...
.