A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY...

Lansdowne Place, known before 1834 as Wick Lane, was originally a path which led down to the sea from Wick Farm. It was renamed after the 3rd Marquis of Lansdowne, who had helped Jewish emancipation. Isaac Lyon Goldsmid acquired the Wick Estate (later known as the Goldsmid Estate) from the Reverend Scutts.

In 1827 Charles Augustin Busby designed a number of unique houses at the bottom of Lansdowne Place. On the west these have pillars holding the head of Hermes. On the east these are bow-fronted and are named Stanhope Place, after Busby's son. Busby died penniless but was allowed to live out his life at 2 Lansdowne Place (1 Stanhope Place). This building had a connecting passage to his drawing office, Brunswick Cottage, round the corner in Brunswick Street West.

There were 11 private schools in the whole of Lansdowne Place, mainly catering for children whose parents were in the colonial service. The Dudley Hotel, originally a school, was converted around 1866 into a boarding house. In 1878 it was known as the Dudley Mansion Boarding House. At this time it was at No. 57 but expanded to include 55 and 52.

FAMOUS PAST RESIDENTS

Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding (1787-1855) - artist who resided at No. 2. Hove Museum has two of his works. The British Museum, Tate and Victoria & Albert all have copies of his water colours. He is buried in St Andrew's Old Church, Hove.

John Leech - illustrator for Charles Dickens, resided at No. 16 when it was a lodging house. They both had to leave in the middle of the night due to the landlord and his daughter suffering a severe mental breakdown. They moved on to the (original) Bedford Hotel.

Captain O'Shea - husband of Kathleen, later wife of the MP Charles Stewart Parnell, resided at No. 19, which was then a nursing home, and died there in 1905, aged 65.

Bill Pertwee - actor, lived at 65 Lansdowne Place, when he first got married in the early 60's.

And those who refuse to leave:

The Wick Woman - when Lansdowne Place was just a rough track, this ghost terrorised little boys venturing down to the beach at night.

Bow Street Runner - the old police station/jail at the top of Brunswick Street West is purported to be haunted by a woman who was arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour.

The Brunswick Pub - a poltergeist who threw bottles around in the cellar and turned the lights on and off.