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The Bell Memorial Home
164 South Street Lancing
West Sussex BN15 8AU |
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Reg. Charity number
CR206244 |
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website
© 2011
The Bell Memorial Home in Lancing |
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01903 752020 |
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The
History
of The Bell Memorial Home |
Introduction
Walk along South Street in Lancing towards the
sea and you will pass The Bell Memorial Home or “The Bell” at it
is affectionately known. The Bell has been caring for over 100
years. This short history reflects the marvellous story of how
sheer will power, love of the common people and professionalism
created a home that gained national recognition. Always at the
heart of The Bell has been caring. Caring that has continued for
well over a century. Caring that need to continue in the
different but still socially challenging world of the 21st
century.
This is not a complete history and there may be some episodes
that are not covered here. The complete history will come at a
later date; already it is in the planning stage. Just for now,
as you read through these short chapters you can be comforted
that monies raised by the sale of this booklet will all go
towards doing what The Bell has always done for well over a
century - caring |
Founding Fathers and First Principles
 1890
England was a very different place to the present day one. Queen
Victoria had been on the throne for over 50 years. There had
been a massive expansion of the British Empire overseas. At
home, huge developments in industry and commerce were underway.
The move away from villages and hamlets into towns and cities
created large centres of population – and problems.
London was England’s largest centre of population with striking
contrasts between the wealthier suburbs, developing as “middle
class” areas, whilst inner city areas were poorer, which
reflected in housing conditions being poor or very poor. There
was no social service or health service in the modern sense. In
the darkness of the inner city were beacons of light provided by
groups and individuals who were attempting to improve the lot of
the “common people”.
William Booth (left) , the Methodist preacher from Liverpool who
had founded the Salvation Army began a series of ground breaking
social surveys in London. His team produced “poverty maps”
showing the places with the most acute problems. Booth had also
set up a network of Gospel Missions across London, particularly
in those poorer areas identified by the “poverty maps”. One such
Mission was Kingsland Gospel Mission. Here was a certain Mr
William Chorley who had worked for many years with the poor. Mr
Chorley’s vision was to improve the spiritual and physical well
being of the poorer people by providing “a change of scenery and
fresh sea air”. Mr Chorley had visited and knew Lancing and
decided it was just the place in that vision. |
Mr Chorley and Lancing
 Mr
Chorley (left) set to work making the vision into practical
projects. A certain Mr Northcroft offered the use of his house
“Bank Cottage”, rent free for the summer months of 1890 to
provide that “a change of scenery and fresh sea air”. Bank House
still stands just below The Three Horseshoes Inn on the corner
of South Street and Brighton Road Lancing.
Accommodation was limited but Bank Cottage provided a holiday
for ten children at a time and was a great success. How those
children would have enjoyed the break away from London! No
crowded streets, damp houses, poor nutrition and the like.
Instead, the sea, warm sun, regular nutritious meals and loving
care.
Bank
Cottage was a great success, so much so that Mr Chorley needed
to look for larger premises! Mr Chorley’s project was for more
than the children. It was also for a home where men would be
accompanied by wives and children.
Luck was
on his side ………
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Lorne Cottage, Hope Lodge and Channel View
 By
1895 Bank Cottage was not large enough for the projects that Mr
Chorley had in mind and as luck would have it, a house on the
opposite side of South Street called Lorne Cottage became
vacant. It was bought and opened that same year as a rest home
for ten men. The next year, 1896, saw Mr Chorley buying the
house next to Lorne Cottage, called Hope Lodge for £425. Hope
Lodge was to be for “12 or more mothers and their babies”.
As is often the case, once a problem has been identified and a
solution reached, the solution itself becomes a new problem, a
victim of its own success. So in 1899, a house facing the sea
and known as “Stork’s Nest” was acquired, renamed Channel View
and opened for 30 men and youths. Residents at Channel View wore
a uniform of rough serge navy blue and were known to the
villagers as “Chorley’s Blue Birds”. Lorne Cottage was no longer
used to house men, so it served a new role in housing a few
elderly women so that they might end their days in peace and
comfort. The alternative for many of these women would have been
the not so tender mercies of the workhouse. |
Lancing Grammar School becomes The Chestnuts
Lancing Grammar School in South Street had been closed for some
time and when it eventually came onto the market was bought by a
certain Mr Wenman. The new owner was at once approached by Mr
Chorley who persuaded Mr Wenman to grant him free use of the
house for 21 years! This once again demonstrated the sheer will
power of Mr Chorley to arrange “a change of scenery and fresh
sea air” – what a remarkable man he must have been.
 The
new home was named The Maria Wenman Home of Rest, in memory of
the owner’s deceased wife. Classrooms were converted into
bedrooms and dayrooms. The dining hall doubled as a Mission Hall
at which locals were encouraged to attend. Within three months
of opening, 450 patients had been received. The home soon became
known as “The Chestnuts”, not from the trees standing in the
grounds (which were Ilex) but because many of the residents
suffered from chest complaints. The building was extended, a new
wing opening in 1901 and a new mission room in 1903. After three
years the free lease was withdrawn but the freehold became
available on very advantageous terms. The Missions trustees
borrowed £900 to make the purchase. For the first time they
owned a home of their own. |
Mount Hermon and Beachville
In 1910 Mount Hermon was added to the homes owned by the mission
and used as a home for the elderly and the dying. Lorne Cottage
became the home and studio to a certain McCarthy family. The
next door property to Channel View was acquired in 1912 and
opened as Beachville, a home for men. Much later it was taken
over by West Sussex County Council and renamed Sussex Lodge. |
Enter Miss Bell ….. and a Sunbeam
About this time a certain Miss Bell of Tooting became actively
interested in the work of the homes and gave generously to their
upkeep.
Sunshine
home staff and children “a change of scenery and fresh sea air”
In 1922 the homes became incorporated as a
company (“The Southern Convalescent Homes) as Mr Chorley and his
family could no longer manage the increasing costs of running
the homes.
Building of new premises were undertaken and in 1928 when the
new home was erected it was natural that it should be called
“The Bell Memorial Home” as it was paid for more or less from
monies left to the homes by Miss Bell. Children were not to be
neglected either and part of the new Bell was the “Sunbeam”
home; a convalescent home purpose built for them.
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The death of Mr William Chorley
 William
Chorley died on 22nd November 1932, aged 84 and was buried at
the St James the Less churchyard in North Lancing. In only three
months, William’s wife Sarah was dead and buried alongside
William.William clearly was an
extraordinary man. His powers of persuasion, love of the common
people and faith combined to realise the aspiration of his
vision to better peoples’ lot by “a change of scenery and fresh
sea air”. |
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The Bell at war ….. and bomb
damage
The Bell became an emergency hospital and was
run by the Ministry of Health until 1941 when it was
requisitioned by the War Department for the billeting of
soldiers. Canadian regiments were billeted at The Bell and
English soldiers at Beachville. Happily, during the war few
bombs fell on Lancing but one of those that did hit the Sunbeam
Children’s Home - fortunately there were no casualties.
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Post War optimism brings rebuilding
War ended in 1945 and the great
optimism of those times meant work began to redecorate and make
The Bell useable again for it’s original caring purpose. The
major task was the Sunbeam Home. Negotiations for settling war
damage claims were protracted. Plans were drawn up to
accommodate 25 children on the ground floor and the two storeys
above and 25 single bedrooms to extend the work of The Bell.
Miss Nancy Price opens the refurbished Bell in 1950
Estimated costs were £20,000 for the rebuild and £6,000 for
furnishings. The war damage claim came in at £11,146 leaving
around £15,000 to be raised. It was decided to sell Beachville
(which alone needed £5,000 over and above the war claim damage
to put it into repair) and Mount Hermon to The South London
Mission and use the proceeds to build the Sunbeam. Following the
sales and a generous donation of £2,750 from The King Edward
Fund the gap reduced to £1,500 – which was filled. Works began
and were completed by 1950, the diamond jubilee of the
foundation of the homes in Lancing. Notation at the time
comments on the work at the new Sunbeam home:-
“It was a truly magnificent piece of work, children from
deprived homes, hopelessly under nourished, weak and pale, some
with deformities and abnormalities due to the home conditions
were nursed back to full health”
The official re-opening ceremony for The Bell Memorial Home and
the Sunbeam Home came in 1950. Guest of honour at the event was
the then well known actress Miss Nancy Price. That same year,
1950 saw central heating installed at The Bell and every bedroom
redecorated and refurbished including the provision of hot and
cold water. |
The 1950s/70s .. a nationwide reputation for
caring
The 1950’s saw the fulfilment of the plans and building that
resulted in the rebuilt Sunbeam and Bell Memorial Homes –
collectively, “The Bell”. The two homes were full of children
and adults. The reputation and importance of the two homes
spread across the country. Social policies changed. By 1956 the
concept of separate child convalescence gave way to mother and
child together; which signalled the end of the Sunbeam
children’s home. On 31st October 1962, The Bell Memorial Home
became a registered charity. Mechanical progress continued with
installation of a lift in 1960. In 1964 saw the building of the
much loved sun lounge – still in use today. By 1971 a new
automatic lift was added with the intention of enabling the
caring of more heart and disabled cases. |
July 7th 1990 – a century of caring
The sun shone on the Centenary Day of The Bell Memorial Home,
July 7th 1990. The promotional literature for the event proudly
announced
The Council cordially invites you to a CENTENARY YEAR OPEN DAY,
Saturday 7th July 1990 to commence at 2pm
Centenary Greetings
Exhibition 100 years
Tour of the refurbished home
Refreshments
It is hoped that as many friends and associates of the Home as
possible will be able to attend and make the day the climax of
the Centenary Year Celebrations. At 2.00pm prompt Sister Ivy
introduced Miss Lena Phillips who sang two solos “Bless this
house” and “Where’ ere you walk”.
Legal changes affected The Bell in 1991, when a change of
name was made from “Southern Convalescent Homes Incorporated” to
the present day “The Bell Memorial Home Incorporated”. |
Towards and beyond the Millennium
Throughout it long history of caring,
The Bell has always been able to adapt to the changing social
and health care needs of the country. Happily those crowded
poverty stricken streets of London known to William Chorley now
belong in the history books. But still the needs of the
population have to be satisfied and in July 1991, The Bell
opened a new wing to the building “The Nursing Home Wing”
In 1993 The Bell began to issue an annual booklet
to promote the home. One of those marvellous machines, a
computer, was bought in 1996. 1999 saw the removal of the famous
bridging between the two homes (The Bell and former Sunbeam
Home) to provide spacious landings, a new eight person lift, a
guest room, a staff room and office. 2003 saw the launch of The
Bell Memorial website and the following year as a tribute to all
the hard working staff and their training, The Bell was awarded
“Investor in People” status. 2004 saw the birth of the Training
Centre, now situated in the bungalow at the rear of the
building. The training centre is dedicated to the hard work of
Mr Derek Bennett. The Training Centre is an extension to The
Bell’s caring ethos where all it’s staff are training in all
areas of caring for the residents. In addition, NVQ training is
provided to its own staff at to staff from outside homes.
Palliative “End of Life” care been expanded on using the
Liverpool Care Pathway Tool to enable us to deliver better
holistic care to our residents, a home for life.
The Bell’s category of registration has
changed since the 1980’s, from convalescence to nursing and
residential care, although it now provides residential, respite
and holiday care for the over 65’s. The Bell continues to be
governed by a Board of Trustees, known as the Executive Council.
The current chairman is Mrs Maureen Walker who has had a long
association with The Bell and assists with pastoral care and
communion services. The registered manager is Mrs Maureen
Condick who has been with the company for the past 16 years and
has initiated many changes to improve care practices to maintain
the highly professional organisation that The Bell has become |
Three key Bell personalities
Mr Harry Leeks was Superintendent at
The Bell after the Second World War having moved down from
London. He had strong links with the Bermondsey Mission. The
present House Manager, Diane, remembers Harry carving the ham
each week and listening to the cricket on the radio! At
Christmas time in these years the Bell was closed for two weeks
after the convalescent patients went home. Mr Leeks, the staff
and Rotary Club members made up Christmas parcels for the needy
and poor; distributing them around Lancing
Sister Ivy Baldock originally deaconess at the Bermondsey
Mission and was associated with The Bell for many years. Sister
Ivy is still remembered for her role as Superintendent and later
as chairman and treasurer after the death of Mr Leeks. She was a
staunch Methodist and her beliefs, values and personality were
an integral part of The Bell’s philosophy.
Mr Derek Bennett joined The Bell in 1985 as secretary, later
Company Secretary and treasurer after the death of Sister Ivy.
He continued in this role for twenty years until his death.
Derek was a man of many parts, wearing different hats during is
his time at The Bell. He was responsible for most of the current
restructuring, refurbishments and alterations to The Bell and
was totally committed to bringing an old building up to modern
day standards of living.
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