Tuesday, 31 July 2012

Pavilion Gardens litter


The scene at 10 am.

Two hours later some of the litter was in the process of being cleared away by two individuals with black bags and a litter picker. They were not identifiable as Council workmen. One surmises they were simply public-spirited residents.

Saturday, 28 July 2012

Christian group targets Sussex schools

The notorious Broadbridge Heath crucifix
Lovewise has been telling pupils in religious and community schools that abortion causes holes in the womb, depression and infection and that women who have abortions are twice as likely to get breast cancer.
Lovewise is based in Tyneside and has branches around the country. Its Director, Dr Chris Richards, said that the group had run "a handful" of sessions in schools around Sussex. He declined to say which ones.
But he told the Brighton Argus: "I'm not going to pretend we are morally neutral because we are Christians teaching Christian values."
Schools invite the group to give presentation of up to an hour to children from year 5 to 11.
Bill McIlroy from the Brighton and Hove Humanist group told the paper: "Preaching in Christian schools is one thing because parents know what their children are going to be taught. But teaching such stuff in community schools is disgraceful.
Kate Smurthwaite, the vice chair of the Abortion Rights group, said: With this move towards free and faith schools, the Government has less and less control over the curriculum and what goes on in our schools. To teach this stuff to children who are extremely impressionable is just plain wrong."
Dr Richards added: "Schools are no longer educating children about marriage and relationships, so that's where we come in."
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, commented: "More and more of these extremist religious groups are targeting schools. At the NSS we receive a constant stream of complaints about their activities. Surely schools are capable of exercising some kind of quality control over who they expose their pupils to. A quick look at the websites of some of these groups should ring alarm bells – even though they sometimes very cleverly conceal their real agenda."

National Secular Society - Christian group targets schools with frightening and dubious anti-abortion message

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

The White Horse Hotel - then & now

c.1906
The front door of this Rottingdean hotel was then on its south side. The cliff-top road from Brighton passed in front of the hotel and then turned sharp left up the High Street. After a short distance it then made a right turn to resume its easterly progress to Newhaven.

2010
The hotel was rebuilt in 1934 to the south and west of the old hotel, and the coast road now passes to the north of it. Some of the properties on the near right are substantially unaltered from the date of the earlier picture, but the red-brick properties, on the NE corner of Marine Drive (the coast road), also date from the 1930's.

Some other posts on Rottingdean:-
Rottingdean
Rottingdean High Street - then & now
Rottingdean from the east - then & now

Summer beach

Low tide
See also:-

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

The Clock Tower - then & now 2

c.1911
The White Lion Hotel, said by Timothy Carder to have originated in the 16th century, was rebuilt several times in its life, the last in 1900. The entrance to the hotel can be seen in Queens Road. The entrance on the corner led at one time to a public house and later to a bank. In 1958 it was a branch of Barclays. A modest 'Boots the Chemist' occupied a shop a few doors down North Street. 

2012
The whole corner including the superb inter-war Regent cinema & ballroom (not visible) was demolished in 1974 and replaced with the present Boots building. As originally built this had a visible structural frame which at least had a degree of 20th. century architectural integrity. Sadly this was later messed about with so we ended up with the rather bland shed-like structure we see today.

Barclays Bank went down North Street to the 1960's building it still occupies. This was built in portland stone in imposing classical style. No doubt this was intended to inspire confidence; somewhat ironical in view of recent banking scandals.

Related posts:-