the-windmill-inn-west-street-portslade

The Windmill Inn: A History of the 'Mill Plot' and the Goble Family

Sometimes a single photograph can unlock a thousand memories, and the recent interest in the old Windmill Inn has shown just how much this corner of Portslade meant to the community. Long before the landscape was dominated by the modern skyline, this was a place defined by the scent of fresh bread from the steam bakery and the soot of the Gas Works. It was a neighbourhood of 'makers and doers,' and at the heart of it all stood the Windmill.

 
To pinpoint exactly where we are, the Windmill Inn stood at 2 West Street, on the corner where it met North Street. It sat on the historic Mill Plot, so-named because the old white post-mill of Copperas Gap once stood right behind it. Though the building was demolished in the 1960s, for nearly a century it was a landmark for anyone heading toward the canal or the Gas Works...

from my personal collection

The Goble Household at the Windmill

Records from the early 1900s show that the Windmill was very much a family-run operation. While John Goble was the name on the license, he had a large support system:

• Eliza Goble: His wife, who would have been the "landlady" in all but name, managing the domestic side and likely the kitchen.

• The Children: By 1901, his daughters Annie and Alice (then in their late teens/early 20s) were living at the inn. In many pubs of that era, the daughters worked as barmaids or "general assistants," making them well-known faces to the regulars.
  
  Other names associated with The Windmill Inn
  
  

  • Thomas Tate (1871): He was the landlord at age 33, living there with his wife Ann and their four children (Emily, Alice, Thomas, and Henry).

  • Ann Tate (1878): Following Thomas’s early death, his widow Ann took over the license herself.

  • Benjamin Wood (1881): Ann Tate remarried, and her new husband, Benjamin, became the licensee. Two of the Tate children (Thomas and Alice) remained at the pub with them

• George Hazelgrove: He took over from the Goble family in the 1930s. He famously decorated the pub with bunting and floodlights for King George V's Silver Jubilee in May 1935. He remained the landlord through the Second World War.

• R. J. Bohannon: Likely the last landlord of the original establishment, recorded there from 1950 until at least 1958.

• Frank Lucas: While not the proprietor, he was a well-known local figure who played the piano at the Windmill in the evenings during the 1930s 

Name	Trade / Role	Period
Thomas Tate	Proprietor / Publican	1871 – c.1878
Ann Tate	Proprietess (Widow of Thomas)	c.1878 – 1881
Benjamin Wood	Proprietor (following marriage to Ann)	1881 – c.1890s
John Goble	Proprietor / Publican	c.1896 – 1920s
Eliza Goble	Landlady (Wife of John)	c.1896 – 1920s
Annie & Alice Goble	Barmaids / Assistants	c.1901
George Hazelgrove	Proprietor / Publican	1930s – 1940s
Frank Lucas	Ferryman (Gas Works) & Pub Pianist	1930s
R. J. Bohannon	Proprietor / Publican	1950 – 1958

Name

Trade / Role

Period

Thomas Tate

Proprietor / Publican

1871 – c.1878

Ann Tate

Proprietess (Widow of Thomas)

c.1878 – 1881

Benjamin Wood

Proprietor (following marriage to Ann)

1881 – c.1890s

John Goble

Proprietor / Publican

c.1896 – 1920s

Eliza Goble

Landlady (Wife of John)

c.1896 – 1920s

Annie & Alice Goble

Barmaids / Assistants

c.1901

George Hazelgrove

Proprietor / Publican

1930s – 1940s

Frank Lucas

Ferryman (Gas Works) & Pub Pianist

1930s

R. J. Bohannon

Proprietor / Publican

1950 – 1958

The Immediate Neighbours

If you were standing at the pub door around 1901–1911, your neighbours weren't just names; they were the backbone of Portslade's industrial and maritime life:

• The Ferryman (Frank Lucas): As we noted, Frank was a key fixture. He lived locally and spent his days ferrying workers across the canal to the Gas Works. His presence at the pub piano in the evenings would have made the Windmill the "official" unofficial staff room for the gas workers.

• Norway Street was a short walk away, and the smell of fresh-baked bread would have drifted over North Street, where Gas works men would be heading off to work via "Gassie" Frank Lucas's boat

• The Bakery (Number 1 Norway Street): Just a stone's throw away was the Great Northern Steam Bakery. The smell of fresh bread would have drifted across to the pub every morning.

• The Laundry Trade: Norway Street was famous for its laundries (like the Anglo-French United Laundry). Many of the women living in the cottages surrounding the Windmill worked as "ironers" or "laundry maids," while their husbands worked at the canal wharves or the brickfields.

• Artisans and Tradesmen: The 1911 census shows the nearby houses occupied by foreman gas fitters, brick-makers, and engineers. This was a neighbourhood of "makers and doers" who likely used the Windmill’s "Slate Club" (a popular pub-based savings scheme) to save for Christmas or summer outings.

'Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland'
The likely plot on which stood the Windmill Inn

Pub Life and "Social Colour"

These unique "Windmill" pastimes were part of the daily routine:

• The Quoits Team: The Windmill was famous for its Quoits team. They played in the "Mill Plot" behind the pub. A "proper" quoit was a heavy iron ring (up to 7 lbs!), but locals often just used old horseshoes. To this day, people digging in the gardens of nearby Southdown Road still find the stems of clay pipes—likely tossed aside by regulars while they waited for their turn to pitch.

• The "Two-Up, Two-Down" Cottages: The surrounding homes (like those in Canal Cottages or Wellington Road) were tiny. With families often having five to eight children, the Windmill served as a vital "extra living room" where the adults could escape the cramped quarters for a bit of breathing space.

The "Slaughter House" Connection

An interesting (if slightly grim) detail for your post: In the late 19th century, the Windmill site included a "capital slaughter house." This means the pub wasn't just for drinking; it was a central point for the local food supply, likely processing livestock that came in from the surrounding Sussex farms before the area became fully industrialised.

Corporate Ownership

The pub was also "associated" with several breweries that owned the building over time

• Ashby & Co. (1899)

• Smith & Son / Smithers (1912)

• Kemp Town Brewery (1929–1954)

The "Two-Sided" Pub

One reason the Windmill was so popular was its unique position. It was described as having a "Public Bar" and a more refined "Parlour," which allowed it to cater to both the workers from the nearby Gas Works and the local residents.

A Few Names for the "Commute"

Here are a few specific families who lived right in that pocket (North Street/West Street) around 1911. These are the people who would have been walking that exact route:

• The Peters Family: Living at 1 North Street (right by the pub). John Peters was a "Gas Works Labourer"—he likely stepped out of his front door and was on Frank’s boat within two minutes.

• The Jasper Family: At 3 North Street. William Jasper was a "Stoker" at the Gas Works. You can imagine him heading home, exhausted and covered in coal dust, with the Windmill being his very first port of call for a pint.

• The Smart Family: Just down the road. James Smart was a "Carman" for the Gas Company, meaning he drove the horse-drawn carts delivering the coke or coal.

The "Boat Trade"

Frank Lucas's ferry wasn't just a convenience; it was a lifeline. Without it, the men would have had to walk all the way around to the locks or the bascule bridge (depending on the era). By taking "Frank’s boat," they saved time—time that was often spent at the Windmill's bar before or after a shift.

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