The Men Who Made the Map: A Tale of Two Builders
While the expansion of South Portslade was a collective effort, the town’s physical identity was largely forged by two men with very different "fingerprints": Robert Richard Berry and Ernest Clevett. This is a study of how one man provided the residential fabric that housed the people, while the other created the civic landmarks that gave the town its soul.
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View fig. 1: St Neotts: The grand white-brick villa of developer Robert Richard Berry, featuring its iconic corner dome and ornate plasterwork. |
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View |
Based on the records, Robert Richard Berry was a local man, born and bred in Sussex. He wasn't an outsider coming in to profit; he was a product of the very community he helped build.
The Origins of Robert Richard Berry
Local Roots: He was born in Portslade around 1861, the son of a local gardener.
A "Self-Made" Rise: He started his career as a carpenter, which gave him the practical "hands-on" knowledge of the building trade before he moved into large-scale property development.
The Berry Family: By the time he was building the "Gault Style" terraces, he was a family man with several children, many of whom also stayed in the Portslade area.
The Visionary Neighbor: Unlike many developers who built and left, Berry lived in the middle of his own projects. Living at St Neotts (59 Station Road) meant he walked the same streets as his customers every day.
The "Gault" King: He was the man who looked at the local Aldrington brick-fields and saw the future of the town. He chose that sand-coloured brick to give Portslade a "homogeneous appearance" that was distinct from the red-brick sprawl of other Brighton suburbs.
The Prestige Maker: He was responsible for bringing a touch of "Hove class" to Portslade by naming St Aubyn's Road after the fashionable estates to the east, making the area more attractive to the growing middle class.
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View |
On St Aubyns Road, we find the quintessential architectural signature of Robert Richard Berry. These terraces represent the "pure" form of his residential empire, long before the designs were adapted for the town's more formal corridors.
The Palette: The houses are constructed primarily from sand-coloured Gault brick, providing a light, airy feel that defined the look of South Portslade at the turn of the century.
The "Red Band" Signature: Notice the thin, horizontal bands of red brick that run across the facade—a deliberate decorative flourish used by Berry to provide visual continuity along the entire row.
The Gables: Each house features a sharp, triangular gable at the roofline, often decorated with scalloped red tiles in the peaks.
courtesy Google Maps Street View The Hybrid Connection: While these houses represent Berry’s standard residential "species," they clearly share a common ancestor with the Church Road terraces. In those "hybrid" versions near the Old Fire Station, we see Berry’s Gault brick DNA merging with the heavier, more robust red-brick styling used by Ernest Clevett for the town's civic landmarks.
The Uniformity of Ambition: St Aubyn’s and St Andrew’s Roads
If No. 59 was Berry’s private statement, the long terraces of St Aubyn’s and St Andrew’s Roads were his public manifesto. To walk these streets today is to see a developer working with a singular, disciplined vision. There is a deliberate rhythm to the architecture here—a repetition of form that suggests a town built with purpose rather than at random.
The defining characteristic of these roads is the "Gault Palette". While much of the Victorian era was built in sombre reds, Berry utilised the pale, sand-coloured bricks from the local Aldrington brick-fields. This choice gave the streets a clean, luminous quality, which he then "stitched" together with horizontal red brick banding. These bands act like a conductor’s baton, leading the eye across the entire length of the terrace and creating a sense of prestigious unity.
The detail is consistent throughout:
The Bays and Gables: Rhythmic bay windows are topped with scalloped red-tile gables, adding a touch of Edwardian flair to the roofline.
The Continuity: This style wasn't limited to a single block; after launching his flagship 46-house development on St Aubyn’s in 1902, Berry carried the exact same "DNA" onto the north side of St Andrew’s Road.
The Pre-Planned Feel: By maintaining this strict architectural language, Berry ensured that this quarter of South Portslade felt less like a collection of houses and more like a carefully curated Estate.
The Contrast of Style
This disciplined uniformity makes the later "Musical Chairs" additions even more striking. Where Berry had room to breathe, the terraces are grand and consistent. It is only as the building plots began to dwindle—moving toward the fringes of Vale Road—that we see the style start to splinter into the timbered and rendered designs of the latecomers.
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| Courtesy Google Maps Street View |
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| Courtesy Google Maps Street View |
As the available land in South Portslade dwindled, the architectural unity of the 'Berry Era' began to give way to new competitors. On Franklin Road, we see a departure from the Gault brick standard toward a more 'blocky' design—heavy, red-brick bays that lacked Berry's delicate banding but offered a solid, modern presence for the late Edwardian buyer
While Robert Richard Berry was focused on the Gault brick and red-banded elegance of St Aubyn’s and St Andrew’s, this builder went for a much heavier, more angular aesthetic.
The Competitive Styles of South Portslade
To understand how the town was stitched together, we can now compare these three distinct "hands" at work:
| Style | Key Visuals | The Developer's Strategy |
| The "Berry" Standard | Gault brick, red bands, scalloped gables. | High-end residential terraces like St Aubyn’s. |
| The "Blocky" Competitor | Heavy rectangular bays, bold red brick. | Likely a different firm filling plots on Franklin Road. |
| The "Budget" Gault | Flat fronts, simplified red banding. | Found on Norway Street; an economy version of the Gault look. |
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| courtesy of Google Maps Street View |
The "Budget" Influence: Norway Street
My discovery in Norway Street shows the style beginning to shift. Here, we see what might be described as the "budget" Berry style:
Simplified Details: The houses maintain the Gault brick and red banding but lack the grand bay windows or scalloped gables found in his flagship roads.
Building to a Price Point: These rows likely catered to a different demographic or were built as the available plots—and perhaps the local brick supply—became more limited.
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View |
The Church Road / Fire Station Connection
The proximity to the Old Fire Station at 80 Church Road is a significant detail. In Edwardian towns, it was highly practical—and often intentional—for the crew to live in the immediate vicinity to ensure a rapid response when the bell rang.
Architectural Consistency: If these houses feature the classic Gault brick and red-banded flourishes, it confirms that Berry provided the "living quarters" for the town, even as Ernest Clevett was building the civic infrastructure like the Fire Station itself.
To conclude the study of Robert Richard Berry, we have established how his "Gault Empire" provided the residential backbone of South Portslade before the final plots were claimed.
Summary: The Berry Standard (1900–1910)
Robert Richard Berry, a local carpenter turned developer, was the primary architect of the town's domestic fabric. His work is defined by a transition from bespoke luxury to disciplined, mass-market terraces:
The Personal Statement: At 59 Station Road, Berry built his grand white-brick villa, St Neotts, featuring a corner dome and the intricate "Harp Player" pediment as a testament to his success.
The Flagship Estates: He exported this prestige to St Aubyn’s and St Andrew’s Roads, using sand-coloured Gault brick and red banding to create a unified, high-status "Estate" feel.
The Competitive Landscape: As the "Musical Chairs" of development intensified, his style was mimicked or simplified by competitors, leading to the "budget" Gault rows on Norway Street and the heavy, "blocky" red-brick designs found on Franklin Road.
Transition: The Civic Landmark Specialist
While Berry was busy weaving the residential streets together, the town required a different kind of builder for its unique, non-residential "anchors." This brings us to Ernest Clevett, the man who occupied the more modest, rendered home at 95 St Andrew’s Road but left behind the most distinctive civic landmarks in the town.
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View |
fig 5: The Old Fire Station at 80 Church Road is the perfect place to start with Ernest Clevett, as it represents the peak of his partnership with the surveyor A. Taylor Allen.
If Robert Richard Berry provided the town with its "skin" through rows of houses, Clevett provided its "bones" with these solid, distinctive civic anchors.
The Old Fire Station: A Civic Masterpiece
Constructed in 1909, this building was more than just a functional shed for engines; it was designed to be a permanent statement of Portslade's growing independence and importance.
The Bullseye Windows: One of the most recognisable Clevett "tells" is the pair of circular bullseye windows on the first floor. These add a touch of Edwardian whimsy that you simply won't find in Berry's disciplined residential terraces.
The Boundary Wall: Unlike the standard low brick walls of the Gault houses, Clevett surrounded the station with an ornate boundary wall featuring decorative stone cappings—a clear sign that this was a high-prestige government contract.
Material Contrast: While Berry favoured the sand-coloured Gault brick for mass housing, Clevett used a combination of red brick and white stone dressings here, making the building pop against the yellow-brick background of the surrounding streets.
The Citadel: Clevett’s Gothic Signature
While Berry was perfecting the repetitive rhythm of the terraces, Clevett was building a structure that looked more like a medieval stronghold than a place of worship.
The Dutch Gables: The most striking feature of the Citadel is the pair of grand Dutch gables. These ornate, curved rooflines were a hallmark of the "Grand Design" style that Clevett and the surveyor A. Taylor Allen favoured for Portslade’s public buildings.
The Foundation Stone: Though the screenshot shows a stone worn down by a century of Sussex weather, historical records confirm it was laid with great ceremony. It is one of the few places in the town where Clevett’s role was physically immortalised in stone, marking him as the Master Builder of the project.
The Material Palette: Much like the Fire Station, the Citadel uses a mix of bold red brick and white stone dressings. This served a dual purpose: it made the building look prestigious and ensured it stood out as a landmark amidst the surrounding housing.
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View |
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View |
Notorious Residents of the Cells
The video shows the very space that held these men before they faced the gallows:
The Murderers of Joseph Bedford (1933): This is perhaps the most "uncanny" link to your research. Frederick William Parker and Albert Probert were arrested for the brutal murder of 80-year-old Joseph Bedford at his shop in Portslade.
The Neighborhood Connection: In an incredible twist, at the time of the murder, these two men were actually lodging at 76 St Andrew's Road—just a few doors down from where Ernest Clevett himself had lived at No. 95.
The Detention: They were held in the Portslade cells while the blinds were drawn and the doors locked to keep out the crowds.
Patrick Mahon (1924): The local constable P.C. Harry Peters (who started his beat in 1921) remembered looking after Patrick Mahon in these cells. Mahon was a "good-looking charmer" who committed a gruesome dismemberment murder at a bungalow in Pevensey Bay—a case that fascinated the public and involved the celebrated pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury.
The "Domestic" Side of the Cells
There is also a touching human story from the Second World War. When air raids began, the family of Inspector William Hunt didn't flee to a communal shelter. Instead, Mrs. Hunt and her daughter, Avril, would take their knitting down into these very white-tiled cells in the basement to pass the time safely during the bombing.
The Portslade Police Station was part of the East Sussex Constabulary, and during the time Ernest Clevett was building the cells—and subsequently dodging the crowds—these are the men who likely held the keys:
The Men on the Beat (c. 1910–1920)
Superintendent George "Gentleman" Dench: He was a formidable figure in the local force during the early 1900s. If there was a crowd at the station determined to stop a prominent builder like Ernest, Dench would have been the one coordinating the response.
Sergeant "Gobby" Goble: Known locally by his nickname, he was a fixture of the Portslade force around the time the new station was completed.
P.C. Harry Peters: Though he arrived slightly later (1921), he is one of our best sources of information for life inside those white-tiled cells. He was the one who famously remembered guarding the "Crumbles" murderer, Patrick Mahon.
P.C. "Big Bill" Selsby: A legendary Portslade constable known for his physical presence. Men like Selsby would have been exactly who you'd expect to see standing guard at the Vale Road Cattle Arch or the Old Fire Station.
An "Uncanny" Connection: The Inspector’s Family
The cells weren't just for criminals; they were a literal sanctuary for the police families themselves.
Inspector William Hunt: He lived at the station with his family.
The video above provides a rare glimpse into the white-tiled cells of the Old Police Station at 80 Church Road, a functional yet sombre part of Ernest Clevett’s 1910 building portfolio.
These heavy iron doors were once under the watchful eye of Superintendent George 'Gentleman' Dench and P.C. 'Big Bill' Selsby. While the cells provided a safe haven for Inspector William Hunt’s daughter, Avril, during WWII air raids, they also held the town’s most infamous characters. Most notably, they housed Patrick Mahon and the murderers Parker and Probert—the latter having been living just a few doors down from Clevett’s former home on St Andrew's Road before their arrest. It is a claustrophobic reminder that even in a town built with 'Grand Designs,' a darker reality was never far away.
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| courtesy Google Maps Street View |
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| courtesy of the Tony Clevett collection |
The England Portrait (c. 1910):
- This shows Ernest at the height of his success in Portslade, surrounded by his family.
- This is the man who lived at 95 St Andrew's Road while simultaneously managing the construction of the town's most robust civic "fortresses".
- The formal nature of the portrait reflects his status as a respected trade professional who was invited to stand alongside dignitaries like Jasper Cowell at stone-laying ceremonies.
| Fig. | Subject | Location | Attribution |
| 1 | St Neotts (Villa) | 59 Station Road | Image: Google Street View |
| 2 | "Harp Player" Pediment | 59 Station Road | Image: Google Street View |
| 3 | The Gault Terrace | 36 St Aubyns Road | Image: Google Street View |
| 4 | "Blocky" Competitor | 54 Franklin Road | Image: Google Street View |
| 5 | The Old Fire Station | 80 Church Road | Image: Google Street View |
| 6 | The Citadel (Gable) | 67 St Andrews Road | Image: Google Street View |
| 7 | The Police Station | North Street | Image: Google Street View |
| 8 | The Master's Home | 95 St Andrews Road | Image: Google Street View |
At the height of his success, Ernest departed Portslade
Ernest Clevett departed from Southampton on 22 March 1911 aboard the SS Oceanic (White Star Line), bound for New York. He was travelling solo as a "Bricklayer," likely heading to Ohio to secure work and a home before the rest of the family followed.
The SS Oceanic was actually the first ship to exceed the length of the Great Eastern, and at the time, it was one of the crown jewels of the White Star Line—a grand way to leave Portslade behind!
Emma’s Voyage (February 1912): Nearly a year later, Emma Maude Clevett followed him. She departed from Southampton on 17 February 1912 aboard the SS Philadelphia (American Line).
The Atlantic Crossing
Emma’s journey was a significant logistical feat, as she made the week-long crossing with five young children in tow:
Reginald (approx. 8)
Ernest (approx. 6)
Clarence (approx. 4)
Doris (approx. 2)
Wilfred (an infant, born after Ernest had already moved to Ohio)
The Destination
They arrived in New York on 24 February 1912 and travelled onwards to join Ernest in Cleveland, Ohio. It is a poignant ending to our blog post—the master builder who provided Portslade with its "bones" and civic anchors ultimately left the very map he helped finish to build a new life across the ocean.
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| courtesy of the Tony Clevett collection |
The Grandeur of the Day: 27 August 1903
The photograph of the stone-laying ceremony captures Portslade at its most confident. This wasn't merely a construction milestone; it was a high-society event, thick with the sound of a brass band and the sight of a community gathered in their Sunday best to watch the 'bones' of the town being set.
As the mallet struck the foundation stone of the Salvation Army Citadel, it signaled a new era for North Street—one of 'Grand Designs' and civic permanence. While the community celebrated this Gothic fortress, the surrounding streets were quietly evolving to match. The houses on Church Road act as the architectural bridge of this era; they are a sophisticated hybrid, blending Robert Richard Berry’s disciplined residential efficiency with the robust, red-brick grandeur Ernest Clevett was immortalising in stone just down the hill. It remains the perfect physical evidence of two masters working in harmony to finish the map of our town.
n the 1903 Stone Laying Ceremony photograph, we are looking at a carefully choreographed piece of Edwardian theatre. The platform isn't just a workspace; it’s a stage where the hierarchy of Portslade’s society is on full display.
A "Who's Who" of the Citadel Ceremony
The Dignitaries and Patrons: The men seated on the raised platform, often in top hats or formal bowl-shaped hats, represent the financial and social backing of the project. This is likely where you would find Jasper Cowell Esq., whose name shares the foundation stone with Ernest.
The Salvation Army Officers: Notice the men in the distinct, high-collared uniforms and peaked caps. They represent the "Citadel" authority, overseeing the spiritual foundations while the builders handle the physical ones.
The Master Builder (Ernest Clevett): Somewhere near the stone itself, perhaps holding a silver trowel or standing close to the masonry tools, would be Ernest. As the contractor, he would be in formal attire but positioned to demonstrate the "laying" of the stone to the crowd.
The Town Officials: The presence of the A. Taylor Allen influence is felt here; as the town surveyor, his department would have approved the Gothic gables and the robust red-brick design that the crowd is so eager to see completed.
The Brass Band: If you look toward the back or the sides of the crowd, you can see the glint of instruments. The Salvation Army band would have provided the "grandeur" with hymns and fanfares to ensure every strike of the mallet was heard by the whole street.
The 1910 Revelation
It is fascinating to compare this grand 1903 event with your photo of the stone dated August 27, 1910. It suggests that the Citadel was a project of such importance that they held multiple ceremonies for different wings or extensions. This 1910 date marks the "Final Act" of Clevett’s career in Portslade—a grand civic goodbye before his departure for America just months later.
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| courtesy of the Tony Clevett collection |
The Industrial "Sombre" Giant and a Twist of Fate
Ernest’s legacy in Portslade was not limited to civic beauty; it extended into the heavy industrial heart of the village. A rare photograph, courtesy of Trevor Povey, shows Ernest Clevett and his crew working on the formidable Britannia Mills. It is a sombre, utilitarian sight compared to the decorative 'Grand Designs' of the residential streets, yet it was the engine of the local economy and a testament to the scale of projects his firm could handle.
The most breathtaking chapter of the family story, however, involves a narrow escape from history. When the time came to join Ernest in America, the family attempted to book passage on a brand-new liner making its maiden voyage from Southampton in April 1912. Finding no berths available, Emma and the five children were forced to sail on the Empress of Ireland instead.
This twist of fate allowed the family to safely reunite in Rocky River, Ohio, where Ernest established a new building firm. There, he continued his lifelong devotion to the Salvation Army, maintaining their buildings across Cleveland until his retirement. He remained an active member of the community until his death in 1973, leaving behind a dual legacy of stone and faith that spans two continents.
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| Courtesy of the Trevor Povey collection |
courtesy of the Tony Clevett collection The Ohio Snapshot (The "Drug Store Walk")
The transition from the grand, formal masonry of Portslade to the quiet streets of the American Midwest is captured perfectly in this final snapshot. Here is 'Ernie' in his later years, enjoying a daily walk for coffee in his new home of Cleveland, Ohio. Though he traded the heavy red brick and stone dressings of the Sussex coast for a new life across the Atlantic, the skills he used to build our Fire Station and Citadel remained his legacy. He didn't just move to a new country; he carried the craftsmanship of our village into the fabric of a growing American city. A peaceful conclusion for the man who helped finish the map of South Portslade.
The Fabric of the Firm: The Norris-Clevett Partnership
While Ernest Clevett stood as the public face of the building firm, the "internal scaffolding" was provided by a remarkable family double-knot. In 1899, Ernest’s sister, Katey Miles Clevett, married William Norris, who was the brother of Ernest’s wife, Emma.
The Local Anchor: Unlike Ernest, who looked toward the horizon in Ohio, William and Katey remained the local anchor for the family in Portslade for nearly five decades.
Shared Scaffolding: William’s long tenure in the village suggests he was a mainstay of the trade network that produced projects like the Britannia Mills and the Salvation Army Citadel.
The Legacy: When the Clevetts made their narrow escape from the Titanic to join Ernest in America, they left behind a family branch that would watch over the Portslade terraces for generations to come.
The Final Gambit: A Departure Shrouded in Mystery
While Ernest Clevett's legacy was literally set in stone across Portslade, his exit from the town was far more fluid. By March 1911, the Master Builder was ready to board the SS St Louis, but it seems not everyone was ready to let him go.
The story, passed down through the family, tells of a determined crowd gathering at Portslade Station, intent on intercepting Ernest before he could reach the docks at Southampton. Whether they sought answers, payment, or a final confrontation remains a mystery lost to time.
However, Ernest—ever the strategist—was one step ahead. Knowing the local tensions, he bypassed his home station entirely and boarded the train at Brighton. As the express rattled through Portslade without stopping, Ernest was seen at the window, waving a final, defiant goodbye to the pursuers left standing on the platform. He left behind a town he helped build, a "double-knot" of family ties, and a mystery that still lingers a century later.
The Final Mystery: Why did he leave?
The "Great Escape" from Brighton leaves us with more questions than answers. Was Ernest Clevett simply a man ready for a fresh start in Rocky River, Ohio, or was there a more urgent reason for his cinematic departure from the Brighton platform?
The crowd at the station suggests a town divided—some perhaps seeking a final word on a contract, others maybe hoping to settle an old score before the "Master Builder" vanished across the Atlantic. Whatever the truth, Ernest got the last laugh, waving from the window of a non-stopping express.
What is your impression? * Was the pressure of building a town during the "Musical Chairs" property boom too much?
Did the sombre scale of projects like the Britannia Mills leave him looking for a quieter life in the American Midwest?
Or was he just a man with the foresight to dodge a crowd and a date with the Titanic?
We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Acknowledgements
This deep dive into the life and work of Ernest Clevett would not have been possible without the generous contributions of two key collaborators:
Trevor Povey: For providing the rare and remarkable photograph of Ernest and his crew on the scaffolding of Britannia Mills. It is a vital record of Portslade’s industrial heritage that would otherwise be lost to time.
Tony: For sharing the Clevett Family Study and those intimate photographs of "Ernie" at home and abroad. His knowledge of the family’s narrow escape from the Titanic and their successful second act in Rocky River, Ohio, has turned a names on a stone into a living, breathing history.
