Readers' History Memories

Comments re
Parker Road
Ashford Road
Blacklands Boundary
Blacklands Estate
Church House, Hughenden Road

 Thameslass

"I love local history and have an old map showing the very first terrace of houses in Parker Road at the end of the 19th century - this was built before several of the houses in Beaconsfield Road. I have even tracked the occupants through the censuses from 1901. So please add nos. 1-15 Parker Road to the list of streets in Blacklands."

Nicholasofcanterbury

"My house, built in 1972, is in Ashford Road, between Park View and Thanet Way. My late father-in-law, as well as a good friend of my wife, both spoke of remembering a field of cattle and a pond, somwhere around the end of Pegwell Close, I'm assuming some time in the 1960's. While landscaping my back garden I routinely uncover the remains of foundations and old bricks, probably a cowshed, I imagine"

Alison Purdy

"Ian Shiner from the Historical Hastings facebook group found this info which may be of interest...

Hastings and St Leonards Observer - Saturday 19 February 1938

STEPS are being taken to make some slight revision of parish boundaries in the Hastings Rural Deanery. It is expected that this will comprise a slight addition to Christ Church, Blacklands, of two portions which, by a private arrangement with the incumbents, are at present supervised by the Vicar of Blacklands (the Rev. Dr. James Morgan).

These districts comprise the lower end of Parker-road to No. 65, Elphinstone-avenue, and the houses in Elphinstone-road on the frontage of the avenue with a few additional houses in Downs-road as far "Abbotsford." These, at present, are in Ore parish. It is also proposed to add a portion from the parish of St. John's, Holllngton, namely, the upper portions of Parkview and Park-drive. Half of the Parkview estate is already included in Blacklands, and the new boundary would include the whole of the estate and the houses in St. Helen's-road up to No. 155.

The written permission of the various incumbents and also that of the patrons of the several livings has been given, and the proposal is recommended by the diocesan authorities, and if it meets with the approval the Ecclesiastical Commissioners an " Order in Council" will be made sanctioning the alteration."

Graham Seaton

"While today "Blacklands" exists as an Estate Agent's term and as part of the parish of Christ Church Blacklands and St Andrews, is was originally a farm estate. For some reason, that I have not discovered, the Blacklands estate came into the ownership of John Collier (1685-1760). Kent Baker has writen a biography of Collier entitled "Mister Hastings".

When Collier died he had no sons and his estate was divided between his daughters. Sarah Sayer (nee Collier) inherited the Blacklands estate and it passed down the Sayer family.

In 1845 Maria Lane Sayer inherited Balcklands. In 1861 she sold the entire Blacklands estate (less a plot that had been sold to the Railway Company) to the one time MP and anti-catholic campaigner, Charles Hay Frewen (1813-1878). Frewen built the Blacklands Church and sold off the estate for housing development. The 1861 conveyance between Lane Sayer and Frewen is available to see at the County Archive Office (The Keep Falmer). The coveyance includes a plan showing exactly the boundaries of the Blackland estate. I suggest that this plan shows the true boundaries of Blacklands.

My house is build on land bought from Frewen in a deal dated 1875 and, as part of researching my house's history, I went and saw the 1861 conveyance."

Anonymous

[re Church House]

"It was still a hall in the late 1980s, I remember going to a performance of 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' there!"