History of 1 Wellington Road – a halfway house!
Having moved to our new offices at 1 Wellington Road, BN41 1ND, we researched the site’s history and were surprised to find that it was once the home to the Halfway House.
The pub was built around 1850 and was so-called because it was ‘halfway between Shoreham and Brighton.’ It called time 125 years later in 2005, and the premises became Waggie Tails, a dog grooming salon, and in 2011 Phase Photography studio. In 2014, it was demolished to build the shops and flats you see today.
The vehicle on the left of the first photo is a double-deck horse tram of the Brighton and Shoreham Tramway, which dates the photograph to between 1893 and 1913 when the trams were horse-drawn.
The second photo is just a few years ago before the pub was sold and demolished.
Its proximity to the port attracted dock workers and stevedores. We discovered that these men held races, carrying 12-foot lengths of 3-inch x 9-inch timber on their shoulders from the pub to Shoreham—the prize being free beer!
The Halfway House attracted an element of dock workers who enjoyed a pint. We’re not sure whether that had any bearing on the fact that many landlords only stayed two or three years before moving on, but there were success stories. In 1981, the Halfway House won a Watney’s competition for the best beer garden, and the landlord and his family’s prize was a holiday in Florida.
One story tells of a hole appearing in the road outside the pub in 1940, into which a man sweeping the road disappeared. It was thought to be an underground passage, but as the war was on, the hole was quickly filled in. There were many mentions of a secret underground passage… perhaps used by smugglers, but it was never explored at the time, so we will never know.
Wellington Road history and name changes
When the pub was first built, the occupants did not think of themselves as living in Portslade, but in Copperas Gap, and there has always been confusion over this corner address.
In 1891, it was 1 Station Road, but when the road was renumbered in 1901, it became 88 Station Road. It was later numbered 1 Wellington Road.
Both sides of the street were once called Station Road, but in 1903 Hove Council renamed their portion (on the east side), Boundary Road. This came about because there was confusion over the station names. People thought Hove Station was situated at the top of Station Road, Hove.
The division between the two authorities having a border down the centre of the road, meant that for many years, the lamp-posts were painted Cambridge blue (Portslade) on the west side of the road, and leaf green – for Hove on the east side.
1 Wellington Road is in Portslade-by-Sea a western suburb of Brighton and Hove. So we are located in Hove, actually – even if a suburb!
You are welcome to visit our new offices at 1 Wellington Road, BN14 1ND – we’d love to see you, or contact us via our website form.
Photograph thanks to the private collection of Peter Gillies, photographer Simon Carey and the private collection of Mr G Osborne.
