History
The area now known as Hampden Park was once part of an estate owned by the Marquess of Willingdon, comprising largely woodland and a lake. The land was left uncultivated as a decoy to attract wildfowl with which to stock the estate’s kitchens. The land was then sold to the Eastbourne Corporation under the proviso that a new road be constructed linking Eastbourne with the parish of Willingdon; this, in turn, was sold to development companies.
Following the sale by the Marquess of Willingdon, the Artizans Labourers & General Dwellings Company purchased the land around Glynde Avenue from the Eastbourne Corporation, a precursor to the council. The ALGDC was a co-op founded by a band of working men in 1867 and spearheaded by William Austin, an illiterate former navvy. The co-operative structure of the company ensured the artisan builders received a share of profits and thus ensured an exceptionally high standard of work. This is evidenced in many of the ALGDC’s schemes now being listed and/or designated conservation areas; for example, the Shaftsbury Park Estate in Battersea.
The offer of high-quality, aesthetically considered housing, in close proximity to rail links and an abundance of green, open spaces led to Glynde Avenue becoming an attractive proposition for many, as it remains today. The significance of the development warranted a formal opening documented in the Eastbourne Chronicle. Local dignitaries took part in a ceremonial tree planting, emphasising the values of a garden city.
The development also had it own its own publication which laid out the intention to create “no two houses alike, save for the abundance of the ground on which they individually stand.” The same publication goes on to mention the house specifically as “Flemish.” Artists and creatives were drawn to the Avenue including modernist painter Eric Ravilious; indeed, the architectural merits of the development meant that the surrounding streets were built up in the following years to a similarly high standard.
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