The Glass Village: When Lancing Fed London
For most people today, Lancing is a quiet residential village. But look closely at the long, narrow gardens of Penhill Road or the street names like Finches Close and Chester Avenue, and you are looking at the footprint of a forgotten industrial empire.
The 1922 "Big Bang"
Before 1922, Lancing was largely a feudal landscape, dominated by the Carr-Lloyds and the Lancing Manor Estate. Following a series of family tragedies—including the death of the sole heir, Nancy, in 1917—the estate was broken up. In July 1922, at the Old Ship Hotel in Brighton, the "starting gun" was fired.
The sale didn't just create housing; it created a new class of independent "Nurserymen." The auction documents marketed the land as the most productive in the south, perfectly sheltered by the Downs for "intensive gardening."
The Rolling Cloches and the Rails
Lancing wasn’t just farming; it was high-tech for its time. To get the edge on the London market, growers used rolling cloches. These were massive glass protectors mounted on a rail system. If a frost was coming, you’d wheel the glass over the crop; when the sun came out, you’d roll it back. This allowed Lancing to produce "early" crops that fetched the highest prices in the city.
The Lisher Dynasty: From Coal to Chrysanthemums
Marjorie Lisher remembered her father, Frank Lisher, building "The Finches" in 1929. He didn't just grow plants; he ran a factory of sixteen commercial glasshouses.
The Brighton Run: Frank would set off at 8 PM by horse-drawn van, plodding along the coast road through the night to ensure his tomatoes were on the Brighton market stalls by dawn.
The Railway Hazard: To keep the soil rich, horse manure was brought in by rail from racing stables. Marjorie vividly recalled the "daily hazard" of the rats that followed the manure into the goods yard!
The Marshall Memories: The Great Grape Shift
Alan Marshall provides a fascinating glimpse into why the landscape changed. His family, the Marshalls, were fixtures of North Lancing. He noted that Sussex was once famous for grapes, but when French imports became too cheap, Lancing's growers pivoted to tomatoes and carnations.
Alan’s childhood was spent in a "true lane"—Boundstone—lined with orchards and elm hedges. His father, Peter, worked the land where Boundstone School now stands, picking "sweet and tasty" produce that would soon be rattling toward London on the steam train.
The Covent Garden Connection
While the Lishers handled the local Brighton trade, the "delicate" exports—mushrooms, runner beans, and the famous Lancing carnations—were packed into crates at the station. Thanks to the rail link, a flower cut in a Lancing nursery in the morning could be in a buttonhole in Covent Garden or Brentford Market by the afternoon.
A Vanishing Legacy
By the late 1930s, the "Building Plot" explosion seen in the Kelly’s Directories began to swallow the glasshouses. The nurseries were subdivided into the bungalows we see today. But next time you walk down Penhill Road, imagine the flash of glass in the sun and the sound of iron wheels on garden rails.
Lancing wasn't just a place to live; it was the garden that fed the capital.
"A Daughter’s View: The Lisher Nursery"
Frank Lisher was one of the many who took the opportunities provided by the breakup of the Manor Estate. His daughter, Marjorie, shared a wonderful account of life at 'The Finches'—from the 16 massive glasshouses to the midnight horse-drawn trips to Brighton. You can read (and hear) her full story here: [Link to Marjorie Lisher Story].
Alan Marshall: A Childhood in the Orchards
While the Lishers represent the bustling commercial heart of the village trade, Alan Marshall gives us a beautifully nostalgic look at the "Nursery Land" of North Lancing through a child's eyes.
Alan’s father, Peter Marshall, was part of a Lancing dynasty connected to nearly every major gardening name in the area—the Bushbys, Fullers, and Grovers. His memories capture a time when Boundstone Lane wasn't a busy thoroughfare, but a "true lane" with a rough, muddy surface and high elm hedges perfect for bird-nesting.
In Alan’s account, we see the shift from traditional fruit growing to the specialised "Glass Village" era. He recalls the vast orchards of Upper Boundstone and a fascinating bit of local economic history: how Lancing's growers pivoted from grapes to tomatoes when foreign imports made Sussex wine unviable.
From the "frightening" air-raid shelters under the railway bridge to the sweet smell of his father's backyard tomatoes in retirement, Alan’s memory is a bridge between the agricultural village of the 19th century and the residential community we know today. You can read his story here
Were You Part of the Glass Village?
The story of Lancing’s market gardens is still being written, and we need your help to fill in the gaps.
To our long-term residents: Do you have old photographs of the Lisher, Marshall, or Grover nurseries? Perhaps you remember the "rolling cloches" in action or worked a summer job in the packing sheds? We are particularly looking for images of the nurseries along Penhill Road, Boundstone Lane, and the Salt Lake area.
To our new residents: Have you found any "antiquities" while gardening? Old greenhouse foundations, iron rails in the soil, or perhaps old glass bottle fragments from the Victorian era?
The Phil Fry Books: We are eagerly awaiting the release of Phil Fry's new books on Lancing. If those photos spark a memory for you, please get in touch!
How to share:
Leave a comment below, or email Ray at ray.hamblett@gmail.com. Your photo or story could be the next piece of the puzzle in our Lancing Village Memories archive.
