The face of Bognor has continued to evolve

FITZLEET

It was built in 1960 and consisted of 143 flats and 31 shops.

Did you know that when the flats were first available they cost 4 per week?

I suspect the people renting there today wished the rent was still that low.

It makes interesting reading to see the views of the time, as reported in the press, such as: "You cannot live in the past. If you attempt to do so, you are bound to slide backwards'¦ I look at it as the pattern for the future of Bognor Regis."

The company ultimately involved in the building produced a press release at the time, which read: "Apart from instances of isolated buildings, Bognor has not changed for many years, and for this reason

great attention has been paid to the character and aesthetics of the development to ensure that it will blend in with the more extensive redevelopment at the centre of Bognor that is destined to follow."

The commemorative plaque was unveiled on Saturday, June 11, 1960, by the Duke of Richmond.

There were more than 100 guests present to see the opening of the 'thrilling development' of the times.

It was believed that the most modern design took great courage on the part of developers, but it was also felt that 'the design of the building was likely to make people take a deep breath, but it was inevitable'.

The duke commented that this particular construction was how we would live in the future.

He also mentioned he would be able to see the new flats from his home in Goodwood. I wonder if the present duke feels the same today.

The chairman of the Fitzleet Estates at that time said: "It is high time England has some very fine seaside towns. We decided that when we came to Bognor, if we could not rebuild the town, we would like to rebuild part of it.

Here we are going to build a sort of town within a town, a very fine town in a very fine setting."

By the 1980s, changes were taking place in the Queensway to the extent that a petition attracted more than 300 signatures as shopkeepers protested at the proposed change of use into offices that had been requested for one of the shops.

One person who was interviewed stated that the area 'was a nice little shopping area, with a busy thoroughfare. We have a nice mix of shops and, if we start losing shops to offices, it is obvious we are going to start losing customers'.

The advertising for the area promoted the convenience of these premises with a wide range of shops available including foreign and English restaurants, gift shops, a photographic shop, florist and garage.

Since there have been many changes to the area, from supermarkets to licensed premises, we still have restaurants, but no garage.

Today we have a wind tunnel, to some during stormy weather, and an eyesore to others, but how interesting it is to read the views of people when this construction started. It is one of the few individual buildings in the town that has been shown on postcards, as part of the encouragement to bring visitors to the town.

The views from the top, for those lucky enough to experience them, provided an excellent panorama of both the sea and South Downs.

For many years, Todd Sweeney collected sunshine statistics from the roof of Fitzleet House, which were then forwarded to the Met Office in London to assist with national statistics. In 1983 one group of cubs arranged a special tea party on the roof of the building as part of national tea-making fortnight.

Today, the roof is home to aerials and masts for telephones, and is therefore not available to the public.

RAINBOW'S END

Where were you on Wednesday, July 15, 1998? Were you one of the many people who visited Rainbow's End for one last nostalgic trip?

It seemed very sad that, for the final two days prior to its closing, the site was probably the busiest it had been for years. Looking back at the history of this amenity, I have found it enlightening, especially as I was not lucky enough to visit the area in its heyday.

Hotham Park was first opened to the public in 1947.

By the end of 1950, Pets Corner had been established and within five years, more than 1,106,000 had visited this newly-established venture. The five-and-a-half-acre site contained a wide range of animals, ranging from pigs to ducks, Spanish sheep to Chinese bantams.

Families of animals were also on display in their own detached houses and grounds. The expectations of families change, but in the 1960s and '70s it was possible for children to freely roam through the park and Pets Corner in their pedal cars or on their bikes without any fears. By the 1980s, the advertising told the visitor of the Magic Kingdom that existed within the new Zootopia, where fact and fantasy met. The advertising claimed it was much more than just another zoo.

It was imaginatively landscaped, with streams, hills and a lake, concealing a wonderland of animated displays, which were then unique in Britain.

Competitions in the press were another feature, when visitors were asked to name some of the new animals, including a two-year-old tigress, grey seals, Bactrian camels and penguins.

The area, however, was not without controversy. In the mid-1980s, two escaped bears had to be shot when it was believed it was not possible to recapture them without harm to them or the public. At this time, the RSPCA was also called in to check on conditions in which the animals were being kept, which resulted in many areas being closed.

People have repeatedly remarked to me that they can remember the enjoyment children of all ages experienced when visiting such a large number of different animals, contained within such a small area. No day out was ever complete without a visit to the pets' hospital.

The onset of Disney-style entertainment and escalating costs paved the way for the decline of small privately-owned zoos worldwide. Now renamed Rainbow's End, Pets Corner suffered a similar fate.

Anyone taking on this facility would have had to spend a large amount of money to provide a service that was to be of interest to children in this ever-changing world.

When I first looked at the area in Hotham Park in the 1990s we talked of the amenities which had been lost, and that we would have to await the fate of this area. I urge you to visit Hotham Park and see the dramatic and interesting changes which have occurred to the old Rainbow's End site.

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