The History of 17 Sussex Square

No 17 was a girl’s school for a few years in the 1850s under the headship of a Miss Cresswell. There were 16 pupils in their teens living in the house, with 5 teachers including Miss Cresswell, and 3 servants.

From the early 1890s until his death in 1916, the house was home to Major Henry E.B. Walton, born in Clifton around 1850. In the 1891 census Major Walton was living in the house with his three servants – cook, parlourmaid and kitchen maid. His death was reported in the Sussex Daily News in May 1916; the newspaper called him a “highly respected resident” who “lived a very quiet life” in the Square after retiring from the army.