Brighton's Lost Village - Bombed to Oblivion by the Allies. Sussex Map Mysteries: Episode 3

Old maps often have curious things on them, which lead us back to a different age. Join me as I discover what some of these things were, and what is left today.

In this episode I visit the lost village of Balsdean, which, although it is in open countryside, is actually part of Brighton & Hove.

A small community lived here, in a valley tucked away from view, just east of where Woodingdean is today. The hamlet is wiped from the maps following the Second World War, and never returns.

I visit the area today, and look at how the village was destroyed in the second world war and completely reduced to rubble; not by German forces but by the British and their allies.

Some would say this is a ghost village, although I prefer the term "lost village", as the village has been lost completely, rather than being ghostly remains with no soul!

Thanks go to all the websites that provided me with information on Balsdean.

The British Newspaper Archive: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.c...

Newmarket Hill Blog's excellent post on the village: https://southdownhill.com/2016/06/27/...

The museums of Brighton and Hove, whose Digital Media Bank provided copies of the photographs: https://dams-brightonmuseums.org.uk/a...

I'm not an historian, and all my research has been done through the mighty Goggle and the local library. This isn't supposed to be a complete or accurate history by any means, and apologies if there are any clanging factual errors.