Queensway

During the recent Sands of Time on the Open Topped Bus Tour we shared a variety of memories and as we turned into the Queensway we become engaged in discussions on the merits or otherwise of one particular development area.

This complete area was for many years the site of the Merchant Taylor’s Convalescent Home and was just one of the many such homes that were available in the town.  As people’s health improved the need for these large constructions declined, also the need for people to leave places like London to recuperate declined.  It was therefore inevitable that the Merchant Taylor’s and others closed.

The area occupied by the Merchant Taylor’s Convalescent Home was large and had a boundary of high walls and trees, but as can be seen by the map, covered a major central area of the town. Over the years I have met numerous people who have had relatives stay at the home,

and also recently I met a lady who had relatives who married in the chapel connected with the home.  Demolition took place during the 1950’s, at a time when there was great optimism about the future. Nationally, building projects were taking place and therefore Bognor Regis was not to be left out.

According to the press in 1959 the new development was going to provide “Seaside bed-sitters, 15 storeys high.” In a London paper it was suggested that in 1960 thousands of people would visit Bognor Regis and find work started on “the new town” being constructed.  It was described as being more than a shopping centre, and it was to provide homes as well.

The new development was to be named The Queensway and work commenced in 1960. It consisted of 143 flats and 31 shops. Did you know that when the flats were first available the rent cost £4 per week? I suspect the people renting there today would like to pay that amount! There was also to be a Departmental Store on the corner, which actually became Sainsbury’s and today is The Hatters.

It makes quite interesting reading to see the views of the time, as reported in the press, such as:

“You cannot live in the past.  If you attempt to do so, you are bound to slide backwards … I look at it as the pattern for the future of Bognor Regis.”

The Company which ultimately was involved in the building produced a press release at the time, which read: “Apart from instances of isolated buildings, Bognor has not changed for many years, and for this reason great attention has been paid to the character and aesthetics of the development to ensure that it will blend in with the more extensive redevelopment at the centre of Bognor that is destined to follow.”

The commemorative plaque was unveiled on Saturday 11th June 1960 by the Duke of Richmond. There were over 100 guests present to see the commencement of this “thrilling development” of the times. It was believed that the most modern design took great courage on the part of the developers, but it was also felt that “the design of the building was likely to make people take a deep breath.”  The Duke commented that this particular construction was how we would live in the future!  The Duke also mentioned that he was pleased to say that he would be able to see the new flats from his home in Goodwood – I wonder if the present Duke feels the same today!

The Chairman of the ‘Fitzleet Estates’ at that time remarked that “I think you will agree with me that it is high time England had some very fine seaside towns.  We decided that when we came to

Bognor, if we could not rebuild the town, we would like to rebuild part of it.  Here we are going to build a sort of town within a town, a very fine town in a very fine setting.”

By the 1980’s changes were beginning to take place within the Queensway to the extent that a petition attracted over 300 signatures as shopkeepers protested at the proposed change of use into offices that had been requested for one of the shops.  One person who was interviewed stated that the area “was a nice little shopping area, with a busy thoroughfare.  We have a nice mix of shops, and if we start losing shops to offices it is obvious we are going to start losing customers." The advertising promoted the convenience of the area with a wide range of shops available, including foreign and English restaurants, gift shops, photographic shop, florist and a garage.

Also situated in this vicinity was the Pavilion remembered by so many. It was situated at the northern end of Waterloo Square and was for numerous years adjacent to the Merchant Taylor’s Convalescent Home.  There was in fact a small road linking West St. and Crescent Road in this area. It would appear that at the end of the First World War seaplanes were no longer required in such numbers, and because of a number of cancelled orders the Norman Thompson Seaplane Factory in Middleton on sea, became unnecessary. As a result the hangers became available for purchase.

I recently came across a report of a Mr. Gibbs who reported that he went to look at ‘aeroplane sheds belonging to the Norman Thompson Flight Company, and there was a particular one for sale at £1,000.”  In 1921 the Bognor Urban District Council purchased the largest and had it re-erected at the north of Waterloo Square and this was to become the very popular Pavilion.  When it was confirmed that the Pavilion was purchased and would be erected on this site, there was great opposition to its proposed site.

In the Observer & West Sussex Recorder, April 1923, there is a detailed description of the ‘new’ Pavilion by Oswald A. Bridges, the Engineer &

 Surveyor of the Bognor Urban district Council, in which he recalls that “Bognor is one of the few towns which have benefited by the purchase and adaptation of buildings used in the Great War.”   This building ultimately was demolished in the 1940’s.

Since then there have been many changes to the area, from supermarkets to licensed premises; we still have restaurants. 

Today we have a ‘wind tunnel’ to some, during stormy weather, and an eyesore to others, but how interesting it is to see the views of local people when this construction first commenced.

Fitzleet House itself is one of the few individual buildings in the town that has been specifically depicted on postcards, as part of the town’s encouragement to visitors.

Also the views from the top, for those lucky enough to experience them, provide excellent views of both the sea and the
South Down’s.

The top of the building is well used; for many years Mr Todd Sweeney has collected sunshine statistics from the roof of Fitzleet House, which are then forwarded to the Met. Office in London as well as the Visitor Information Centre here in Bognor Regis to assist with the national Sunshine statistics. In 1983 one group of Cubs arranged a special tea party on the roof of the building as part of the National Tea making Fortnight.  Today the roof is home to many aerials and masts for tele communications and is therefore not accessible to the general public.

It would be interesting to read the views of the town residents in the year 2030 on the redevelopment of the Bognor Regis of today, when taking a historical look at the town.

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