Lancing, London and a Century of Caring
By Chris Hare and Lela Tredwell (Guild Care 2020)
During the last decade of the 19th century, a remarkable London philanthropist, who had been brought up in poverty, set out to create homes of recuperation and rest for the poor of the capital on the Sussex coast.
William Chorley was a dynamic and charismatic personality, who through charm and sheer will power garnered large donations and bequests for his campaign to create ‘safe havens by the sea.’
It was thanks to him that mothers, children, the elderly, and those suffering with TB (‘consumption’) were able to escape the smoke, grime and poverty of London, to find relief in the quiet, unpolluted surroundings of the Sussex coastal village of Lancing.
This book by Chris Hare and Lela Tredwell is a book of two parts. In the first we learn about William Chorley and his extraordinary life; in the second part, we learn about the no less extraordinary lives of those who came after him, many of whom Chorley had nurtured and encouraged when they were young people living in London’s poorer districts.
The reader will be drawn into the eventful life of Ivy Baldock, who gave an exceptional 60 years to ensuring the smooth running of the ‘Southern Convalescent Homes’ in Lancing.
Every year, Ivy would write an update of life in the homes, mixing it with commentaries about the big events happening in England and the world. She takes us back to the Lancing and England of the post-war years with fascinating insights into those far-off days.
The reader will also learn how husband and wife team Harry and Peggy Leeks ensured the highest level of care for all their residents, as did sisters Irene and Lilian Chapman. Their story is one of Christian love and commitment spanning decades.
The book is illustrated with historic photographs and illustrations.
Copies cost £10 and are available from Guild Care shops in Worthing, or directly from Chris Hare at sussexhistory.hare@gmail.com
