Moulsecoomb residents are being asked to contribute their memories of the neighbourhood to create a mobile exhibition.
Locals from around the Lewes Road area, including the Bates Estate, Saunders Park and Bevendean, are being asked by University of Brighton researchers for their help in collecting oral histories.
Volunteers from the Mapping Mithras project will collect memories and photos from the community about everything from the electrical engineering company Allen West, to the development of Moulsecoomb in the 1930s.
The project is named after Mithras House, which is nearing its 80th year, and aims to capture perspectives from the community, staff and students on the history of the area.
Dr Deborah Madden, principal lecturer in humanities and social science, said: “This project will explore the history of Mithras House and its precursor, the Allen West factory, and the local Lewes Road area.
“We want to encourage members of the community, both past and present, to share their memories and to help us collect the memories of others in this part of the city.
“The resources we gather will open up social and community histories, alongside histories of neighbouring Bates Estate, Saunders Park and Bevendean.
“Saunders Park will be one hundred years old in 2024, so there is scope for this history to be folded into our project too.”
Volunteers will help collect and record memories, get involved in archival research and help develop a mobile exhibition and a related webpage.
As well as memories, the project is searching for anyone who has any materials, photos or ephemera they would be happy to share.
The exhibition is to first be displayed in the University of Brighton’s Moulsecoomb campus, moving between Moulsecoomb Library, local schools, and Saunders Park on open days.
The project also hopes to involve local schools to give workshops on the area’s history.
Regular updates on the project will be available here: blogs.brighton.ac.uk/mithras
I have Allen West memorabilia which might be of interest. Includes items from pre war AW Christmas parties, mostly China, as well as a history book and photocopies of messages from the Navy to the directors of AW about radar employed in the sinking of the Scharnhorst. My grandfather was Victor Breeze and I have two items which were given to him on his golden jubilee at the Company in 1960. I’d be happy to loan all these.
I also have a model contactor panel (switches) made by AW apprentices and given to my father, V L Breeze.
I can recall quite a lot about the company from about 1960 until its closure. For example, there was the casing of a bomb in the boardroom which landed in the street outside the Lewes Rd building on Nov 5 1943 (I think) without exploding, but I don’t know what became of it.
Hope this is of some interest!
Yours, Vic Breeze