Buildings of significance
Changing Townscape
Much of the town you see today is easily recognisable when looking back at old photos as most of the precinct is Victorian in character. Today, there are some 83 ‘listed’ buildings in Littlehampton, some areas also being protected as conservation areas due to their special character.
The most obvious difference is the pedestrianised High Street – a relatively recent change that was made in 1981. Before then, traffic freely went along the main shopping area.
Railway Station
The first railway station to serve Littlehampton opened in 1846. It was named Arundel & Littlehampton and was situated to the north of the town on the West Coast mainline. The station closed in 1863 when a branch line was created to the town in its current location. The new station made Littlehampton accessible to visitors and made it a popular resort town, and improved infrastructure for trade.
On 4th August 1920 a major accident occurred when an inbound train’s brakes failed. The train came to a halt in Albert Road after careering into buffer stops and the brick boundary wall behind. Around 30 passengers were onboard at the time, 13 people suffered minor injuries. The driver and firemen jumped from the train just before it crashed.
Question:
When did the branch line station open?
1846
Green Lady Hostel
Prominent suffragettes at the turn of the century, Emmeline Pethick and Mary Neal, ran the Green Lady Hostel off East Street between 1901 and 1940. Mary Neal (1860–1944) lived in Littlehampton between 1925 until her death in 1944. The hostel offered lodgings for up to 52 women as a retreat for female factory workers a place to go on holiday. It is referenced in the book Suffragette Sally but is now a nursing home for the elderly.
Question:
Who founded the hostel?
Emmeline Pethick and Mary Neal
Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Littlehampton
Dating back to 1890, Mary Patrick Brennan began a mission in the town – under instruction from Canon Neave (at the time the Parish Priest of St Catherine’s) – to look after children. Her initial budget of £5 established an independent religious congregation known as ‘Franciscan Sisters for Home Missions’ in 1911 caring for boys and girls. The sisters stopped caring for children in the 1970s following a change of Government legislation, instead focussing on nursing for the elderly at a newly built St Joseph’s Nursing Home. They remain active members of the community to this day.
Question:
Who set up the congregation in 1911?
Mary Patrick Brennan
Library
Littlehampton Library was the first purpose-built library in West Sussex, opening in 1906. It was funded by the Carnegie Foundation, set up by Scottish-American industrialist and multi-millionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie at a cost of £2,607, 9 shillings, and 3 pence, and built on land owned and donated by the Duke of Norfolk. The library remains open to this day and has a covenant protecting its use.
Question:
Which famous philanthropist funded the building of the library?
Andrew Carnegie
Manor House
Now owned and occupied as offices by Littlehampton Town Council and Littlehampton Museum, Manor House was originally built in 1827 by the Duke of Norfolk. It was leased by Thomas Olliver who also leased the adjoining home farm from the Duke.
Manor House was later leased to Dr Candy who lived there for many years. He was the first chairman of the local Board of Health. Boards of health were mandated by the government to look after sanitation and related public health matters. The board was the first form of local government and was superseded in 1894 by the Littlehampton Urban District Council.
By 1912 the Murray family leased the Manor House. Capt Murray died in combat in 1914 but his wife resided here until 1932. In this time she became an important figure involved in local politics. In 1925 she became the first female district councillor. The Urban District Council (now Littlehampton Town Council) bought the property from the Duke of Norfolk in 1934 and extended it and remain custodians, today.
The first museum in Littlehampton opened in 1928 ultimately moving to the Manor House in 1991.
Question:
Manor House was occupied on two separate occasions by men of which profession?
Doctors
Clock Tower
Littlehampton Clock Tower that stands in High Street is an iconic landmark in the town. It was constructed to commemorate the turning of the millennium in 2000 and has stood here ever since.
Question:
When did the Clock Tower first appear?
2000
Littlehampton Town Centre
Explore the history and stories of Littlehampton town centre
