Whenever I walk along Lewes Road I am reminded of my younger days, when on occasion I would stop and play for a while in Saunders Park and later on when my own children were small seeing them enjoying themselves there too. That part of Brighton was also in the past where the army barracks were situated just a little further north along Lewes Road. Preston Barracks had been there for centuries on the land now occupied by the Retail Park and has an interesting history. I still remember during the last war, the soldiers being there with their lorries, field guns and other military paraphernalia. In the war years of course us youngsters were fascinated by military memorabilia, often collecting things like Regimental Badges as well as other souvenirs. Across the road from the barracks was a little shop which sold that kind of stuff. So I have some cause to remember that part of town just along from the bus depot, I think they were trolley buses then.

Of course the area that I am writing about, like most other places has changed quite a lot over the years since Saunders Park was laid out and established in 1924 on the site of what had previously been the Lewes Road waterworks. At the time the park was founded the Parks Department was using the land, which consisted of some 4.2 acres, as a nursery, also the park was constructed by unemployed labour. On 17th of September 1924 Hugh Milner Black, the Mayor of Brighton, formally opened the completed park. Around about that time in the same year the land at the back of the pumping station was offered to the corporation for £1000 by Arthur and Benjamin Saunders whom the park was subsequently named after. The land, which at the time was occupied by the War Office was later sold to that department for £2000 and the money was used to finance the Preston Park cycling track stand. Nowadays of course the name of Saunders Park is synonymous with the council estate on the land behind the park and the former site of the barracks.

The Preston Barracks, which was situated on the site of what is now the Retail Park, was built at a time when Europe was on the brink of war in 1795. It was established as a cavalry barracks alongside the Lewes Road in the parish of Preston, hence the name. The original barracks included a hospital, a riding school and a smithy as well as the accommodation for about 200 soldiers. It was a major part of the Brighton garrison for a very long time and a small community grew up on the other side of the road. Some 200 years later it became redundant, however when the land was sold off about 5 acres of the 17 acre site was retained for the Territorial Army. The T.A. Somme Centre was opened in October 1988 and the superstores in 1989.

There is a great deal of history to this area of Brighton and if any readers have any stories about it, please get in touch with Phoenix.

Written by Fred Netley.