Felpham - Lobster Pot

What were you doing last Sunday morning? I went for coffee at the Lobster Pot, Felpham and stopped for fish and chips, the fish had been swimming off Felpham beach about 6 hours previously. It is just a busy corner, or is it?

I was surprised to learn that it is also historical....

There was a building on the site in 1894 but eventually in the mid 1920s Mr. Garfield had a tea cabin constructed – I wonder if he know what he was starting. One of the early pictures shows various sales items included bathing costumes, postcards, kite’s etc. and it is known that in the early days it was possible to buy tobacco here.

The hotel behind was constructed in the mid 1920’s and actually butted directly onto the cabin and still today the chimney breast of the hotel is almost within the Lobster Pot. Today the hotel has been converted into four flats.

During the Second World War, service men were billeted in the area and it was Canadian service personnel who were in this particular area and resided at the hotel that situated immediately behind; there was a walk through to the tea room which was used for their meals.

There have been a number of owners one of whom during the early 1960’s named it Perdigo and it opened in evenings. During this time it had a juke box, pinball machines and a small bar. This only lasted a short period of time until new owners took over and stayed for about 4/5 years.

I came across an article written of a couple’s memories of the area in the 1930s where they could remember buying “coconut tobacco” and sherbet in a yellow card tube which you sucked through a liquorices pipe. These cost a 1d.

It was not until the early 1980’s that it was named today’s popular Lobster Pot, for the obvious reason that the fishermen used to keep their lobster pots at the top of the beach. This little corner of Felpham is so busy, when we went on Sunday there were a number of motor bikers who meet there quietly every Sunday to enjoy the view and the banter. A hidden piece of enjoyable history, however if you have any pictures or information we would be very interested to see them, to build the story.

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