How history has changed the face of Linden Road in Bognor Regis

Linden Road is today a busy thoroughfare, very different from the 1920s.

Heading away from the Picturedrome towards Hawthorn Road the story of this road can be split into two definitive sections.

The first consists of several sets of buildings from the 1890s. These were constructed from the junction of Station Road and Canada Grove to the roundabout at Victoria Drive.

The second section contained a nine-hole golf course and a cottage as its clubhouse in 1892.

This extended beyond the roundabout area, with open fields and a path, depicted in a sketch of 1893.

Buildings didn't commence along this section of road until the early 1920s. It was initially called Linden Avenue, before being absorbed into Linden Road.

One drawing of 1904 shows a small path through this area with no suggestion of a road.

While looking through the deeds of our house we came across a number of small sketches, carefully drawn on very thin tracing paper.

One plan, from October 1917, shows Victoria Drive running directly from Chichester Road through to Aldwick, although, as we have seen before, the houses in Victoria Drive were actually built over a number of years.

Another sketch shows Green Lane, which today is known as Town Cross Avenue.

It was not until December 1923 that the plans show a proposal for a road link with Linden Avenue and Linden Road, thus making this a through road.

Just think how different this area would have been without this link road.

At the town end of Linden Road, the three-storey Claire Terrace consisted of 11 houses with a footpath at the rear leading back to Longford Road.

These are still private residences with the exception of the corner, which is today the offices of an insurance company with a very interesting turret on the apex of the building.

Over the years this terrace had been occupied by a taxi service and for a time a secretarial school.

I would be interested to hear when this section was constructed and learn why it has a round turret.

Beyond the footpath are two cottages, which are set back, and these were originally called Laurel Cottages.

Where the houses restart on the road is number 1 Linden Road, although today this is 28 Linden Road.

Houses vary in style and era from here to Victoria Drive, but they have remained mainly residential.