Beach & River landmarks

Initially called Cudlow Mill (later Arun Mill) when it was built in 1831 by Henry Martin – a millwright from Bognor – it was a landmark used by mariners navigating to the port for many years. The mill was sold in 1832 and a dwelling, storeroom, two cottages and other outbuildings were built on the land. The mill was run as a very successful milling and corn merchant. At the time, Littlehampton Station had not yet been built so cartage was done to the former station of Lyminster.

By 1930, the windmill had become derelict and in December 1932 it was demolished. The land was acquired from the Duke of Norfolk by Billy Butlin and work began building Butlin’s Park.

The Beach Hotel was originally built around 1775 as The Beach Coffee House and represents the earliest form of resort development in the town. The business later expanded with the addition of a single storey in 1818, which was later demolished in 1887/1888. The newer building was built by the side of the original building, at the time called The Beach House Hotel. The imposing building offered spectacular sea views and was an important social hub in the town that was enjoyed by wealthy families that owned holiday homes nearby. It offered facilities to host major social events and conferences that attracted many famous visitors over the years. Notably, Sir Hubert Parry, the composer of the hymn Jerusalem, first visited with his wife in 1876. Margaret Rutherford, a keen swimmer, was a regular visitor in the 1940s and 1950s

The hotel closed in the late 1980s following extensive damage to its roof in the 1987 great storm and was subsequently demolished. Beach Crescent flats were built on the land. The Kingmere and Channel Keep flats were built opposite on its former tennis courts.

Littlehampton originally had two piers – distinguished as ‘East’ and ‘West’ piers – one either side the river mouth. They were built in the early 1730s to improve access to the harbour by preventing shingle from silting up the river and were extended in 1793.

Friend of William Turner, Sir Augustus Wal Callcott, painted the piers in 1810, giving us a good idea of how the landscape used to look. He enjoyed capturing dramatic scenes.

West Pier has long since been lost but East Pier has survived – no longer needing the distinction. Technically not a pier but a breakwater, it was a built to a simple, jetty design, with wooden platforms supported by iron girders. Like many others around the country, it was enjoyed as a places where people could walk out over the sea to enjoy the sea air. Many piers were built in the nineteenth century to allow pleasure steamers to pick up passengers, but Littlehampton was already a harbour and had no need of an extensive pier as such.

A fort was built by Rope Walk in 1854 to protect the mouth of the river against the threat of Napoleon III of France. It was unique, being the first of its kind which replaced the Gun Battery (built around 1759) on the eastern bank of the river. It was believed that a force could land at Littlehampton and attack the naval base at Portsmouth from the land.

Designed with 12 feet tall Carnot walls (a high wall built to the edge of the ditch with narrow openings for defenders to fire through), it had a platform for guns with ramparts (walls) surrounded by a nine-yard ditch, and bastions/bulwarks (structures jutting outwards) in the corners of the platform for open fire.

The fort would have been manned by 75 men armed with three 68-pound guns, and two 32-pound guns, capable of firing almost a mile. The underground magazines (munitions stores) could house 126 barrels of gunpowder and would have had enough supplies to withstand a siege until help arrived. Small passages were next to the magazines where fuses were prepared.

The redoubt (fort) was decommissioned in 1873 but was re-fortified for the Second World War with an observation post being built nearby between 1940 and 1941.

A local group named Littlehampton Fort Restoration Project is set up as a charity invested in the preservation of the site.

The road now extends from the river to Norfolk Gardens.

The eastern most section running from the Beach Hotel to north of Norfolk Gardens was the first to be built and was at the heart of the early nineteenth century development of the town as a resort. There are excellent examples of Regency architecture and include some of the oldest buildings in Littlehampton. Many of the buildings still retain their original Waterloo Balconies. The area south and east of Norfolk Road is protected as a conservation area due to its special character.

The Western part of the road from the river was developed late in the nineteenth century and was originally called Empress Maud Road in recognition of her twelfth century landing with troops to contest the succession to the throne.