Underwater view of a coalhole

Recently, our family had a very passable Thai lunch in Krua Anne cafe in the bijou Kensington Gardens in Brighton's North Laine. After the meal, I needed to use the 'facilities' and was directed to the basement where I found an amazing mural covering the walls and ceiling, depicting a tropical underwater paradise of colourful fish, vibrant coral and wibbly seaweed.

I noticed a circular indentation in the ceiling and a thrill shuddered through me as I realised that I was urinating in an old coal cellar underneath the pavement and the inundation was the hole left after the cover had been removed. 

Every and Newman foundry of Lewes and Brighton

I'm indebted to David Joyce who has provided me with some history of the Every and Newman foundry in Lewes, after reading an article I wrote in the Hove Civic Society newsletter.

David told me,
"The 'Every' part was based in Lewes for nearly 150 years and was the biggest employer in the town for decades. The Every family owned the Phoenix ironworks. John Every came to Lewes in 1832.
By the time the railway came to Lewes in 1846, the Phoenix works were adjacent to the goods yard.
With the rapid expansion of Brighton at the time, I believe Every created an annex/branch in Brighton
to capture some of the (domestic) market.

The Post Office Trade Directory 1855 lists, under Ironfounders : ‘Every, J. (E Harwood manager), 26 and 27 Station Street, Brighton.’
In a Brighton Street Directory 1858 we find: 25 and 26 Station Street , Every, John stove and grate warehouse
In a Brighton Street Directory 1859, and the Post Office directory 1866 we find under Station Street: 26 and 27 Every and Newman, iron and brass founders.

In the Kelly’s Directory 1890 we find E.G. Brown, ironfounder at 16 and 17 Station Street, E.G. Brown was John Every’s son in law, and it seems likely the business passed from JE and Newman to him.

To me, it would make commercial sense to use just the Lewes foundry for all Cast Iron and Brass castings, but I cannot prove this either way. "

Coalhole cover in action

Many thanks to Hugo Butterworth of Tidy Street, Brighton who has sent me some photos of his coalhole in action. After some initial spillage, the coalman has managed to get the sack into the coalhole for safe and efficient dispatch of smokeless winter fuel. Weren't those Victorians ingenious?

Waterman Street, London SW15

On a recent pilgrimage to the home of football (Craven Cottage), I rounded the corner to my favourite pre-match place of refreshment, The Bricklayer's Arms in Putney. I was stopped in my tracks by a pair of un-named coalhole covers in this grille design. I was intrigued because they would probably let water in.

Maunsell Street, London SW1

Three fine covers from around the corner of the august Royal Horticultural Society in the quiet backstreets of Westminster. I particularly like the Haywards concentric circles. The floral design is from Burt and Potts of Westminster and the one split into quarters is a Luxfer Prisms, from 16 Hill Street, London EC. Unfortunately, the glass prisms have been replaced by concrete.

London by the Sea, Part 2?

On Third Avenue, the Hove seafront and in Adelaide Crescent, I found these unusual coalhole covers, all apparently from London suppliers, one of them from Nicholls and Clarke of Shoreditch.

Adelaide Crescent was disappointing as the pavements have obviously been repaved in the recent past and nearly all coalhole covers removed. However, one of them was a 1856 Chapman Parsons cover from Pimlico, which I've not seen before.

London-by-the-sea?

Usually Brighton is known as London by the Sea, but as far as coalhole covers are concerned, it appears to be Hove (actually).

I recently spent a sunny and fruitful lunchtime in Third Avenue, a little bit of the seafront and then Adelaide Crescent - a very grand Regency crescent.

In Third Avenue there was a rich haul of Haywards covers, some of which I've not seen before. Some are pictured here. My particular favourites are the 'cross' design and the 'No.3' design with hexagonal windows. There was also a previously unseen 'Nicholls and Clarke' design from Shoreditch.

Perhaps, Brighton was considered a little too vulgar to supply coalhole covers and one hailing from London had greater coalhole cachet?