The History of 12 Lewes Crescent

​1 Documents

2 Karl Gisholt

The images below are photographs of a complete archive of documents relating to No 12 Lewes Crescent currently in the possession of the owner of the property.

1. This indenture conveys ownership of No 12 Lewes Crescent from Thomas Kemp to Thomas Cubitt dated 8th May 1827 in the sum of one thousand eight hundred and nineteen pounds.

. Details from the documents:

2.In 1882 the property was sold by The Rt Honourable George Cubitt and William Cubitt to Frederick Wood for two thousand nine hundred pounds

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In 1906 the property was sold to C.W. Millar Esq for £1,000

In 1911 Mrs G.M.Millar sold the property to Mrs C.G. Parker for £1,827​

In 1925 Mrs C.G. Parker sold the property to R.MacLeod Esq for £3,500

In 1928 R.MacLeod Esq sold the property tp London Land and Property for £2,600

In 1930 London Land and Property sold the property to Mrs E.E. Goddard for £2,050

In 1933 Mrs E.E.Goddard sold the property to H.R. Michael for £5,250

In 1951 H.R.Michael sold the property to Deansway Properties for £5,600

On April 27 1951 Deansway Properties sold the property to Eigil Gisholt for £6,100

2 Karl Gisholt ( the son of Eigil Gisholt)

Karl’s father worked as a representative of the Hudson’s Bay Company and had an office for his own concerns in the City on London 1932-1968, but he wanted to live in the country so he bought 12 Lewes Crescent in 1951 and moved his family down to Brighton. According to Karl, his mother had somewhat of an alcohol problem and spent little time looking after her children. His father was working in the City and also travelled a great deal and so the 3 children, 2 girls and the youngest, Karl, ran rather wild and unsupervised lives. Karl remembers having a great friend who lived at No 4 LC and they regularly visited each other travelling along the roof tops behind the parapets between the houses. Karl’s mother’s ‘local’ was very near to hand at ‘Val’s Taverne’ in the basement of No 11 Chichester Terrace, a flourishing bar/pub. This was licensed premises and the licence, unusually, was held by Val herself. It was very difficult for women to obtain licences at this time (1950’s). The fireplace seen in the photograph is still there in No 11. Karl remembers watching the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 2 on Val’s television with some of his friends. The door, No 13, next door, stood empty but, at 5 years old, Karl noticed that a panel in the basement door was loose. With a bit of effort he managed to move the panel enough so that he could squeeze inside. Wonder of wonders the empty house was decorated with stunning Indian murals throughout, at least as far as he dared to look ! The Gisholt family acquired No10 Lewes Crescent in 1966.This house backs on to Rock Street and has large flats facing the Enclosures and much smaller one bedroom flats approached and entered from Rock Street. The large staircase in the front section was separated from a smaller one at the back by a door, on the first floor landing, which was always kept locked. The flats at the back were inhabited by some extremely colourful people. In the basement dwelt a drug dealer with his two very fierce Alsatian dogs. On the ground floor lived a voracious ‘hooker’ who would solicit, hanging out of her window on Rock Street, over her blooming window box. The first floor housed a dealer in stolen paintings and above him two gay women who were constantly at war with the hooker and were seen actually attacking her front door with an axe determined to annihilate her ! A happier memory of Karl’s is that of going to a stables in Kemp Town Mews for riding lessons. Karl attended St Mary’s school with his sisters.