Last family of brewers recalled

Thomas Tipper was quite some man as goes the extensive list of his achievements recorded at his grave in the churchyard at St Michael's.

Apart from the popularity of his brew, he was very involved in the promotion of our very first bridge across the Ouse at Newhaven.

This wooden structure was at the bottom of the High Street and required to be designed to open to allow the passage of shipping, for at this time there was no Denton Island, which, when it was created by the digging of the New Cut now the north quay, created a direct route towards Piddinghoe.

So in 1784 when the act to build was passed by George III, around the island as we would say today, was the only route north, so a bridge which could be opened was essential for up river trading and, of course, to allow for new vessels being built at the old shipyard close to what is now Robinson Road, to reach the sea.

It is hard to credit that sailing ships large enough to traverse the seas of our world were to emerge from our humble yards in Sussex Square at the bottom of St Lukes Lane.

This was the age of wooden vessels but with the coming of iron and steel, with steam propulsion, Newhaven faded from the scene.

Returning to the Tipper era, I just missed by a generation, being around for the closing years, the sale of the brewery was I believe 1910, by which time the partnership with William Stone, the miller in Bridge Street, had terminated, yet the sites of this great venture remained into the 1970s, the construction of Northway sealing the situation.

Until then, passage between the brewery and other buildings backing on to the old river, from Bridge Street, had been served by a lane of doubtful surface, with passing places for the occasional vehicles. A very far cry from the situation today.

The last operators of the brewery were the Towner Brothers '“ C W, E and H A, with the latter's surname of Towner, he became Hat and was the only one of the three I had the pleasure to know.

Henry Arthur was the first car owner in Newhaven, a Mercedes Benz. A photo of this car, with his bride to be Winifred Stone, then 16 years old, appears on page 48 of volume 2 of my little run of hardbacks from the 1970s (can be seen, local library or museum), this is credited as 1900. On the opposite page is a procession of people ambling down the High Street, taken from the upper front window of the Bridge Hotel/Inn, the occasion being the Coronation of King George V in 1910.

With Winifred and her large Hat is her young daughter Mary, who was to later marry a Dudeny and have a daughter Pamela '“ who had the honour to christen our last Newhaven tug, the Meeching.

Three more daughters were to follow, Tina did not marry, but the next, Dorothy did, into the Bannister family and she was involved in the health service. Lastly Norma became a Jenner with two sons.

A large family tree, framed, is in the museum and photos in the albums. They are best remembered for their time in the cigs and sweet shop in the High Street, next door to the cinema, peak in 1930s but demolished with it to provide more space for new development.