The Bakers of Portslade: A Century of Service from Copperas Gap to North Street
"Do you remember the Baker’s Hardware store in North Street? For many of us, this 1970s shopfront was a local landmark, the place to go for everything from a handful of nails to expert advice. But behind this familiar facade lies a family legacy that runs deep into the very foundations of Portslade.
Thanks to a wonderful connection from one of our readers, Dee, we’ve traced the Baker family back to 6 Clarendon Place in the heart of Copperas Gap. In the early 1900s, this was a household of eleven children! While their father, Henry, worked as a foreman at the Portslade Gas Works, his relatives were busy building the town and running the now-legendary H. Baker & Sons builders' yards and funeral directors just up the road.
This photo from the 1970s marks the final chapters of a story that began with blacksmiths and master joiners. From the soot of the Gas Works to the timber of the North Street yards, the Bakers didn't just live in Portslade—they built it."
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| Copyright Ray Hamblett Bakers Hardware store is just a short stroll from where the family lived in the Copperas Gap area. Do you remember buying your tools or Paraffin there? |
The Bakers of Portslade: Building a Legacy from Copperas Gap to Trafalgar Road
We recently received a fantastic comment from Dee, who believes her great-grandmother was a Baker born at 6 Clarendon Place, Portslade. What started as a simple query has quickly revealed a fascinating story about one of Portslade's most influential and prolific families – a family whose legacy is literally built into the streets we walk every day!
From Blacksmiths to Builders: The Rise of the Baker Empire
The Baker family's journey in Portslade began as blacksmiths in the Old Village, but by the mid-1800s, they had moved down to the bustling industrial heartland of Copperas Gap. They quickly expanded, becoming H. Baker & Sons, a name synonymous with building, timber, and even undertaking.
Their headquarters was a sprawling yard at 51 North Street. Imagine this hub of activity: timber stacks, the clang of the forge, horse-drawn carts coming and going, all just a few minutes' walk from the terraced houses of Clarendon Place. They were master builders, responsible for much of the Victorian and Edwardian housing stock you still see today, especially in areas like St Andrew's Road and the many streets branching off Trafalgar Road. If you live in a classic Portslade terrace, there's a good chance a Baker laid those bricks!
6 Clarendon Place: A Home at the Heart of Industry
Dee's great-grandmother, a Baker born at 6 Clarendon Place, lived right in the thick of it. Census records show that Henry Baker, a foreman at the Portslade Gas Works (a huge employer in Copperas Gap!), lived at number 6 with his wife Sarah. And here's where Dee's memory of "many sisters" truly comes alive: by 1911, Henry and Sarah had 11 children!
Imagine the lively household with daughters like Ellen, Sarah, Alice, Florence, Edith, and Hilda growing up there. These sisters didn't just stay at home; the 1921 census shows Edith and Hilda working as laundresses at the nearby Portslade Steam Laundry – another major local employer. Even their brother, Henry James Baker, followed the family's industrious path, working as a general labourer for local contractors.
More Than Just Bricks and Mortar: A Family Intertwined with Portslade Life
The Bakers weren't just building houses; they were integral to the entire local economy. From hauling coal with their giant horse "Captain" (who required a box for young George Fuller to even reach his back!) to providing essential funeral services, the family's reach was extensive. Their original funeral director business at 51 North Street evolved and eventually moved to Station Road and then Church Road, a name still recognised in the area today.
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The Grit Behind the Growth: Memories of the Sidings. While the Baker family built the Victorian and Edwardian terraces we see today, the process of getting those materials into the town was a monumental task of human endurance. Trevor Povey, who worked for the merchants, remembers the gruelling physical reality of the trade.
Long before the era of forklifts, Trevor would visit the railway sidings to hand-unload shipments of 6,000 bricks at a time. He recalls that the "sand-faced" bricks were particularly brutal, leaving his hands raw and sore for days. It was a world of "getting on with it" until the job was done, often accompanied by the early morning sight of the three-wheeled Scammell Scarab wagons (the "Mechanical Horses") buzzing out of the sidings to start their delivery rounds. As Trevor’s boss used to remind him, "nobody ever died of hard work"—a sentiment that perhaps rings a little differently now that Trevor feels the toll of those 6,000-brick days in his eighties.
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"The Bakers weren't just building houses; they were shaping the very streets where the Church Road traders would later thrive. To see how these neighbourhoods evolved by 1938, take a look at our
And a fascinating local footnote: if Dee's great-grandmother was living at 6 Clarendon Place in July 1909, she would have had a front-row seat to history! Clarendon Place was famously the site of a significant Suffragette rally, using its unique layout as a natural amphitheatre.
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A Day in the Life: Reg Wrapson (c. 1935)
07:25 AM: The Wolseley Road Commute Reg leaves No. 43 Wolseley Road. He isn't alone; he likely nods to George Wells at No. 15 and Arthur Stenning at No. 55. It is a short, three-minute walk—past the terraced houses and around the corner into the industrial noise of North Street.
07:30 AM: Clocking in at the "Double Yard" Reg arrives at the Bakers site. To his left is the main office and showroom; to his right, across the road, is the sprawling yard with the family name emblazoned on the wall.
The Atmosphere: The air is thick with the scent of fresh-cut timber from the Joinery Shop and the metallic tang of the Blacksmith’s forge, where the firm still made its own ironmongery and tools.
The Logistics: He might see a Scammell Scarab (perhaps VOX 91) idling near the gate, loaded with the "sand-faced stocks" Trevor Povey had unloaded from the railway trucks just hours before.
08:00 AM: To the "Frontier" As a Journeyman Bricklayer, Reg is a master of his craft. He and the labourers (like George Wells) board a company lorry or trek up the hill toward the Foredown Frontier.
The Task: They are transforming the open grazing land of Cowhayes Farm into the neat geometry of Benfield Crescent or Foredown Drive.
The Pride: Every brick Reg lays is part of the "new" Portslade. He is building the very bungalows that young families—some moving up from the cramped streets of the "Old Town"—will call home for the next century.
George Freeman Ltd (Builders' Merchants)
The knife Jil holds from her Grandfather who was Chief of Building for the council, is a classic piece of industrial history. George Freeman Ltd was a major builders' merchant that operated alongside the large building firms in the area.
Location: The firm was established at Frederick Place, Brighton, but had a dedicated yard and ironmongery presence at 217-219 North Street, Portslade..
The Role: As Chief of Housing, Jil’s grandfather would have overseen the procurement of materials for massive social housing projects.
The Merchant: George Freeman Ltd, as a major regional merchant, would have desperately wanted to be the primary supplier for everything from the lead piping to the timber joists.
The Artifact: A branded "Picnic Knife" was a classic piece of mid-century corporate "marketing"—useful, high-quality (likely Sheffield steel), and intended to keep the name George Freeman at the front of a decision-maker's mind.
Do You Have Baker Family Connections?
This remarkable story shows how deeply connected families like the Bakers were to the very fabric of Portslade-by-Sea. We want to thank Dee for sparking this incredible journey into local history!
If you have any connections to the Baker family, memories of Clarendon Place, North Street, or the Portslade Gas Works or Steam Laundry, please share them in the comments below! We'd love to hear more.
Other points of interest:
Portslade Gas Works (where Henry worked) was famous for its "Canal" location. The coal came in by sea, was processed by men like Henry, and then delivered to the town by firms like his cousins' (the Baker builders). It was a perfect circle of local industry.The Steam Laundry: The Portslade Steam Laundry (where the sisters worked) was on the corner of Clarendon Road and Station Road. It was a massive brick building—very modern for its time—and provided a rare opportunity for local women to earn their own wages.
"Does anyone have an old 'Baker & Sons' receipt in their attic, or perhaps a family photo taken in Clarendon Place?"
Read about the origins of the Baker family
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