Brighton
In 1874 the Mowatts moved to Withdeane Hall - now surrounded by Varndean Gardens. Though Eric soon went to board at a school in Germany the house in Brighton remained the family home for the remainder of his life.
Withdeane Hall was built in 1861 of red brick in a Victorian Gothic style. Flint decoration was added in deference to local style. According to the complex purchase documents (AMS 837 held at the Sussex Record Office) the house was built on "...part of a field known as Great Laine..." originally owned by Sir Charles Ogle. The plot was 500 feet long and 700 feet wide and backed onto land owned by Sir Edward Cholmeley Dering and Julius Deedes. It is unclear who the original occupants were but according to directories of 1869 a Mrs Lacy was living there. Susannah Lacy died in 1869 and the house, its stables and coach house were rented by a Mr Edward Hamshaw.
By 1875 Mrs. Lacy's executors were looking to sell the property. Frank Mowatt, then dividing his time between Cheltenham and his city house at 61 Lowndes Square in London took over the lease for £6100 and 99 year rent of £63 p.a.
The
house, seen here in the 1920's, with its unusual domed palm house,
stood at the end of a long drive guarded by a lodge.
Its central tower contained a viewing platform and both the chimneys
and roof were extravagantly patterned.
With its large garden, proximity to Preston Park with it's society polo matches and central position in the fashionable suburb
of Patcham, Withdeane Hall was an ideal place for a career minded senior civil servant to bring up his large family. On the main road between London and Brighton and close to the newly built Preston Park Station met the Victorian needs for status, fashion and convenience.
Brighton was in its heyday in the 1870's, attracting society gentlefolk who had their pictures taken by Monsieur A Boucher at his King's Road studio and who visited the Tivoli Gardens and Royal Pavilion Estate. But, it was also the home of bohemians, artists and it attracted London day-trippers seduced by sun, sea, sand and cheap train fares. Eric too seems to have appreciated this uniqueness and spent much time in Brighton or with Brighton connected people such as Aubrey Beardsley.
At the turn of the century the Mowatts left Withdeane Hall. and there followed a long succession of different owners until the 1930's. The house then became K. F. Robinson's Preparatory School for Boys. Land around the house was sold and varndean Gardens and Withdean Crescent were built curving round the house like a cup.
Like
many large houses Withdeane Hall became a billet for troops during
the Second
World War and then stood empty before being converted, fairly unsynpathetically,
into flats in the 1950's.
Though the building is much changed it has survived, unlike most of the large Victorian Houses along London Road. The lodge too has survived and is now a private house surrounded by a high wall.
