The land which is Bevendean was divided into Upper and Lower and eventually bought by Brighton Corporation, the Lower being acquired in 1913 and Higher in 1940. The whole area, which was formally a part of the Falmer parish, was taken over by the County Borough of Brighton on the 1st of April 1928. At the time of the acquisition the land primarily comprised of farmland as well as open downland; there was originally a farm known as Lower Bevendean Farm (now demolished) that could be reached from Bear Road via Bevendean Road, which at that time was just a track. The demolition of Lower Bevendean Farm was in order to provide the open space called Farm Green between Bevendean School and Auckland Drive.

There is still a farm known as Upper Bevendean Farm that has a Nineteenth century farmhouse, which can be reached from Warren Avenue. The name Warren of course has its origins in the past history of the wider area in and around this part of East Brighton. Walter from William de Warrenne owned the manor of Bevendean, Beofa's Valley and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as being valued at the princely sum of £6.

The question of where the boundary of the Bevendean estate lies, has often been asked, in particular Higher Bevendean, which has for many years was seen more as a part of the Moulsecoomb estate. Never-the-less Bevendean Crescent and Widdicombe Way, which were established privately when the area was developed in the 1930's is really still part of the Bevendean estate. It's easy to see how this part of East Brighton became looked upon as a part of Moulsecoomb because of its geographical position but it surely is still Higher Bevendean and an integral part of the original Bevendean estate.

In the early 1930's the first development of Lower Bevendean Estate began with the extension of the municipal housing that already existed in South Moulscoomb. Later on in the early post-war period the housing estate was progressively developed farther up into the valley in order to relieve the chronic need for homes at that time. This building was completed sometime in the early to mid 1950's with the streets of the new estate being named after famous castles. The Church of the Holy Nativity with its modern brick construction was opened in 1963, having moved from Bevendean Barn where it had occupied from ten years before that. Right up in the end of the valley, the industrial estate development dates from 1955 and some well known companies like Brighton Sheet Metal Works, Canada Dry and Redifon became established there. Anybody who has further information about the history of Bevendean and the locality please get in touch with Fred Netley at the Phoenix.

Written by Fred Netley.