Located on the boundary wall of Wish Tower grounds opposite Wilmington Square road at the side of Grand Court. Just past the newly installed information board.
To be repainted by Bob Cookson.
On the boundary wall of Wish Tower grounds opposite the Lansdowne Hotel near entrance to Western Lawns. Next to WD (War Department) boundary stone, which is also an OS benchmark.
To be repainted by Bob Cookson.
It is difficult to find due to the plant growth. Since Keith took this picture in 2023 it may have been repainted by Bob Cookson in its original green colour with white lettering.
In the January 1974 ELHS Newsletter No11, Harold Spears wrote an article titled ‘More About Vehicle Licences’ which is reproduced in part here: -
In 1892 a Bath Chairman’s Union was formed. In the following year the Union asked the Watch Committee to limit the number of Bath Chair licences, but this was refused. The Committee did make a ruling at this time that applicants for Bath Chair licences must have resided within the borough for twelve months. In 1911 the Council did eventually limit the number of licences issued with the result that there was a waiting list for Bath Chair licences.
A book titled ‘George Meek, Bath Chairman’ was published in 1910. This autobiography, written by an Eastbourne born worker, contains accounts of his time as a Bath Chairman locally. This throws light on the hard life of the Bath Chairman of the day. One of Meek’s most bitter complaints was against some of his colleagues who set out early in the morning in order to park their chairs at the most favoured stands, and who then left their chairs unattended whilst they returned home for breakfast. He reports that one of them was fined for doing so in 1907. The Watch Committee minutes record several cases of this occurring, and the attendants and drivers were called before the Committee to explain their behaviour. George Meek records that many Bath Chairs were owned by proprietors who hired them out to attendants, and that the hire of the Chair was usually one quarter of the takings. In Meek’s time those wishing to ride in a Bath Chair could choose between several available types – the ‘Brighton Shape’; ‘Bath Type’; ‘Cee Springs’; and the ‘Old Fashioned Lever Spring.’
The offence of leaving a licensed vehicle unattended has been mentioned, but a far more serious offence could occur. Answerable before the Watch Committee was the charge of being drunk in charge of a vehicle or animal. In some cases this resulted in the loss of licences.
Even more mind boggling than the previous item is the news in the Eastbourne Gazette of 12 December 1906. ‘A project is on foot, engineered by a retired Indian Officer, to place six rickshaws on the stands during the summer season of 1907. The coolies in charge will be dressed in oriental costume, and will be extensively patronised. The speed of these are quite equal to a trotting horse, and the rising is very easy.’ The idea was persistent, and eventually four years later an application for a license was made to operate this type of transport. However, the Council refused the application.
Note: It’s not a word that would be used today, but historically a ‘coolie’ was an unskilled labourer. It comes from the Hindi word qulii, which literally means 'hired servant.’
J. Stone & Co Engineers Deptford London. Condition: Good. Repainted by Bob Cookson. The Eastbourne Local History Society Newsletter No...
