HAUNTED? South Side Hove Cemetery

More Burial Space Needed

In 1860 an extended portion of the churchyard surrounding St Andrew’s Old Church was consecrated.

But Hove Commissioners soon realised that with Hove’s growing population an additional burial ground would have to be found. The favoured spot was 25 acres in Aldrington south of what later came to be called Old Shoreham Road. The deal was supposedly struck in 1878 but then a legal hitch became apparent. In September 1879 it was stated that the Dyke Railway Company possessed certain powers over the land and that had to be sorted out before the purchase could be completed. Events moved fast in those days and by the following month the rights issue had been resolved and an agreement with the owners of the Aldrington Estate had been reached. The land was sold for £350 an acre and the final total was £8,750.

While negotiations were in progress, the Hardwick family of Hangleton continued to farm the land. Accounts for October 1880 show that £70 was paid to the executors of the late Alfred Hardwick for clearing and cultivating the land.