London Road / Old London Road

[Geoff]

Two questions really...

I am assuming that both these were originally called London Road before the merging of Hastings & St Leonards. Can anyone confirm this?

Were either of the roads re-numbered at some point?

[Richard]

The 'Old London Road' came first and went through the old town connected via Turnpikes en-route to London.
James Burton, over in St Leonards, wanted to attract wealthy visitors without going via Hastings, and then White Rock, and so built 'London Road' out of St Leonards, also with turnpike gates.
Much competition ensued.
Eventually the coming of the railways put paid to the turnpike system.

haven't a clue about the numbering !!

[Geoff]

Thanks Richard for clarification. The reason I ask is I have a picture of a shop in London Road that I can't place as being in either as we know them today. The numbering in London Road (St Leonards) is all over the place as we get to the top of the hill so I am thinking there may have been more properties at some stage.

[Richard]

Hi Geoff,
Can you post the picture of the unkown shop please?
Also what is the number?

[Geoff]

Yes, sure.

The original photo was marked up as London Road, but after researching this I see nothing similar there today. The numbering is a bit weird towards the tower pub though so maybe there were more properties in the past?

I think it is more likely to be Old London Road, but happy to be corrected if anyone knows better.

Holman & Sons

[Gerry Glyde]

I have found a Holman as a confectioners at Old London Road in 1901 census the head of household being a widow Jane age 60 yrs, with four daughter and a son and a servant in the business. Oddly the house number is not given. Jane was there with one daughter in 1891 as a confectioner

[Geoff]

Great, that's just the answer I was looking for.
Thanks for looking Gerry.

[Gerry Glyde]

Creditors meeting for Mr Holman confectioner

[Anecdotalist]

Hello, I know I'm late to the party here and resurrecting a dead post but I happen to be researching Old London Road renumbering this evening, found this post and happen to know the answer to which building this is. I guess I'm more answering it for when I forget and go researching origins of places I live again in 10 years time. Hopefully I'll stumble across this

Anyway, this is Old London Road, these are still here and are now 462 and 464 Old London Road right in the middle of the village opposite the Co-op. The Rye Bakery and Dominoes currently. I remember them as Earls Bakery and Nice Price/Y'Ore Store. I believe Earls used to be Barclays Bank as the girls who worked in the bakery would talk about the huge safe and how creepy it was downstairs. Although the maisonette above it gave it a run for it's money at the best of times.

The spiral pole you can see in the image you posted still exists on the first and second floor of the building if you look at Google Maps.

In 1934 they renumbered Old London Road, I'm assuming it previously started at Robinson Terrace and the extended it down to start at High Street/The Bourne/Harold Road area.

Old London Road used to also be what we now call The Ridge all the way up to Baldslow but that got changed and things got renumbered again, perhaps at the same time above.

I also suspect it was renumbered at least once more as Holman & Sons was listed at 2 Old London Road in the Kelly's Directory of 1890 and most other London Road addresses had sub addresses like 1 Vine House, Old London Road or 2 Clarence Villas, Old London Road, all of which you can see on the OS map. It is the second building in that run so maybe they never moved?