Fascinating piece of town’s history is uncovered during road resurfacing
A fascinating insight into Worthinghistorywasuncoveredduringroadresurfacingworksinthe town centre.
Under the ground, wooden blocks were revealed, likely to date back more than 100 years.
These type of wooden blocks were historically used to reduce thesoundofhorses’hoovesinthe days before cars.
Most of the old road showing inmontaguestreethasnowbeen covered up but there is still one large pothole at the end of Gratwicke Road where the wooden blocks can be seen.
Beneaththetoplayerisaclear lineofbricksandalongsidethem are the squishy remnants of the wood.
Woodblockpavingwasaroad surface that required skilled labour and a fairly high initial cost.
This surface consisted of woodblocksmadegenerallyfrom jarrah or yellow deal, impregnatedwithcreosotetopreventthem from absorbing water.
The blocks were usually 3in wide, 5in deep and 9in long, though smaller sizes were also available. They had to be placed on a concrete foundation, with adhesiveorfinebeddingbetween the blocks and the concrete.
Channel courses were laid using two or three rows of wood blocks,laidparalleltothekerbusing either a hot adhesive to provide an expansion joint or a layer of fine sand.
The wood block paving was sealed with bitumen and the surface then sprayed with bitumenandcoveredwithchippings, which would be brushed off 48 hours later.
Turnpike roads in Sussex, like the old road from London to Worthing, however, were generally made using whinstone, the Kentish rag, broken into moderate-sized pieces.
Right up until the early 19th century,worthinghadfewroads. Interestingly, Thomas Badeslade'sroadmapof1742showsno roads at all to the coast from London, though it does mark Worthing Shops and Lancing Shops.
By 1890, Worthing had one of thecounty'slargestcommunities and on August 25 that year, it was amalgamated with West Worthingandgrantedboroughstatus.
Visitorscouldhireahorseand carriagefromtheseafront,bythe hour or the day, with or without drivers.
The first 'horseless carriage' came to town on September 1, 1896, three months before Parliament
passed the Light Locomotives Act.
Cars shared the roads with horses and there were numerous accidents when the animals took fright. One such incident in August 1908 saw a tradesman's horse try to jump over a car but end up stuck across its bonnet. The horse had to be hauled off with ropes but it was the vehicle that came off worse.
George Ilbury Warne, owner of Worthing's premier seafront hotel, then arrived in 1899. He claimed Warne's had the first hotelgarageinenglandandimplied it was the first home of the Royal Automobile Club and did much to popularise motoring in Worthing.
It was the speed that concerned the authorities and anyone in Worthing caught 'driving furiously' – around 18mph to 20mph – faced a fine between £5 and £10.
Therewasevenabidtoimpose a 10mph limit on certain roads but the council was persuaded otherwise when Mr Warne offered to put up warning notices at his own expense.
Horsetrafficmovedataround 10mph to 12mph so it took time for residents to get used to the speed of cars. How times have changed!