Developments on Stanford land

In 1871 a massive development of land between what is now First and Fourth Avenues, Hove, was undertaken by the West Brighton Estate Company, with Ellen’s uncle, William Morris, as the major shareholder. The company acquired fifty-seven acres of land and paid a rental of £3.800 a year, with an option to buy the freehold of certain plots. A master plan was drawn up by Sir James Knowles, the Company’s architect and surveyor - it envisaged a series of massive mansion blocks with tall end pavilions; lesser houses flanked the main thoroughfares.

The Prince’s Dairy estate was also developed in 1871 – by 1874 nearly 400 houses and a church occupied the site. Further developments included the erection from 1874 of large villas on the west of Preston Road (now largely replaced by offices) and the sale of Preston Park in 1883 for £50,000. By 1884 550 acres had been either sold or was under building agreement for sale at an average price of £1,000 per acre; in thirteen years £550,000 had been raised.

New Land Purchases

In an attempt to offset the constant sale of Stanford land the Trustees did acquire new freeholds. About £13,500 was spent on land purchases in Wiltshire between 1872-1874 and in 1878 £26,000 was paid out on land in Mitcham and Croydon. A further £32,000 was spent on land in Keymer and Clayton. In 1891 Vere’s estates in Wiltshire were purchased by the Stanford Trustees for £101,000. This money from the Stanford capital account enabled Vere to buy a yacht, the ‘Medora’, and a villa in Madeira known as ‘Quinta Vigia’.