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HOUSES IN CEYLON PLACE AND PEVENSEY ROAD, EASTBOURNE

Google map showing the site of 15 Eastbourne houses built and owned by David Gilbert (1825-1916).

"Ceylon Nurseries" was a piece of land measuring approximately 160 x 160 feet between Pevensey Road and Ceylon Place in Eastbourne, that had been owned by the Duke of Devonshire for many years. In December 1875 it had been offered to Gilbert family friend Isaac Adams (1819-1892) for £1682 on the understanding that he would invest a further £1200 erecting greenhouses on the site.

It seemed that Isaac had not gone ahead with this plan, but instead had assigned the agreement to David Gilbert (1825-1916) in June 1876. At the time David was running Gilbert's Bakery in Bourne Street, but he retired in 1884 and handed over the business to his son David Gilbert (1861-1902).

More details of David Gilbert (1825-1916)

Finally in January 1886 a plan was agreed for the piece of land. An agreement was drawn up between David Gilbert (now living in retirement at 47 Terminus Road) and "The Most Noble William Duke of Devonshire" in which it was agreed that, instead of greenhouses, David would build 15 houses on the site consisting of a row of nine terraced houses in Ceylon Place, and six semi-detached properties in Pevensey Road, the designs for which had been approved by the Duke. David paid the £1682 and the land was conveyed "to the use of said D Gilbert and his heirs for ever."

Map that accompanied the title document drawn up between David Gilbert and the Duke of Devonshire in 1886.

52-68 CEYLON PLACE;

The nine 3-storey terraced houses in Ceylon Place seem to have originally been numbered 1 to 9, but were later renumbered 52 to 68 Ceylon Place (even numbers only), and still are. The rather handsome terrace is at the extreme east (Seaside) end of Ceylon Place on the north side of the road, and would have been just round the corner from Gilbert's Bakery in Bourne Street.

The terrace of nine houses, 52-68 Ceylon Place, with No.68 on the right.

In H R Gilbert's records is David Gilbert's notebook for the period 1896 to 1899 in which he records three properties having been already sold; 4 ("now 58"), 5 ("now 60") and 8 ("now 66"). The remaining six properties (52, 54, 56, 62, 64 and 68 Ceylon Place) are mentioned in David's 1906 will as being properties still owned by him. All of the houses were still standing in 2022.

91-101 PEVENSEY ROAD;

The six 3-storey semi-detached houses are numbered 91/93, 95/97 and 99/101, and are at the east end (south side) of Pevensey Road, directly backing onto the 9 terraced houses in Ceylon Place. All of the houses are mentioned in David's 1906 will as being properties still owned by him, and were still standing in 2022.

The six semi-detached houses in Pevensey Road; from the left are 101/99, 97/95 and 93/91.

David's 1906 will said that the six semi-detached houses in Pevensey Road and the remaining six unsold terraced houses in Ceylon Place were to be left under management by David's trustees / executors, who were Charlotte Noakes (niece of his late wife Charlotte Hassell), Oliver Mitchell (friend, architect and surveyor) and Gilbert Benjamin Soddy (his grandson through his daughter Mary 'Pollie' Soddy). All rents were to be paid to Charlotte Noakes until her death, when the property was to become part of his residuary estate.

in 1915 a codicil to the will had to be drawn up because both Charlotte Noakes and Oliver Mitchell had died, so David appointed his friend John Hillman of 14 Mayfield Place, Eastbourne to be substituted as an executor and trustee.

David died in 1916 and the will said that all the remaining assets (including these houses) were to be sold by the Trustees and turned into cash and investments (to be known as "the residuary trust funds") within 21 years of the date of his death. This fund was to be for the benefit of the children of his daughter Mary 'Pollie' Gilbert and the children of his late son David (who had died in 1902) in equal shares when they attained the age of twenty one.

After the younger David died in 1902, his wife Ellen Isabel lived for another 49 years, and his three unmarried daughters lived for another 74 years (Mary), 74 years (Charlotte) and 86 years (Ellen) without any of them being employed in any way. The 15 houses described on this page may go some way to explain how they managed to live comfortably on 'private means' for so long.