Description

The East Sussex residential area of Saltdean, next door to Brighton, is best known for its Art Deco Lido and other modern-style buildings of the interwar era. The resort area was built on open farmland below the South Downs in the 1920s and alongside the Lido, which not only included an open-air swimming pool but also a public library and other community buildings, many of its other buildings were also built in various modern styles of the era including the former Grand Ocean Hotel in "ocean liner" style and others influenced by Bauhaus, Cubist, or Spanish architectural styles. In this book author Douglas d'Enno traces the changing face of Saltdean over the course of its near-100-year history through period photographs, starting with a survey of the downland on which it was built, its early buildings and first visitors which led to the establishment of the resort in the 1920s and 1930s. Alongside the development of Saltdean as a leisure resort, modern housing was drawing in new residents before World War II. The development of Saltdean was halted during the war but continued to expand in the 1950s and 1960s as the infrastructure of schools, shops, churches, and more was built for the community. In later years, when the number of visitors declined. the Lido closed, but the book also includes recent developments and events in Saltdean, particularly the restoration and reopening of the Lido. This fascinating collection of images will be of interest to those who know Saltdean and this corner of the East Sussex coast alongside Brighton.