Smugglers' Rest

Contraband goods provided a valuable source rest of income for Rottingdean in years past, and a number of illustrious figures have made it their home since then

- Clive Agran

The delightful village squeezed between the Downs and the English Channel that I encounter after rolling down a long hill comes as something of a surprise. There’s not even the merest whiff of decay as implied by its name. Instead there’s evident prosperity, attractive houses, a pretty pond, neat streets, flint walls, an appealing green, a bracing sea breeze and an exceptionally pleasant environment. Perhaps the only negative is finding somewhere to park in what is clearly a popular spot located just a few miles east of Brighton.

My luck is in – I find a suitable parking place and my guide is a demonstrably cheery fellow who’s not bothered that I’m a little late. Honorary archivist at the influential and energetic Rottingdean Preservation Society (RPS), Michael Laslett loves the place and clearly knows his stuff.

We sit down in the front room of the Grange, a handsome Georgian building that was remodelled by Lutyens and which is one of several historic attractions in the village that RPS helps look after. Here it leases the upper part of the building, which houses a gallery and museum.

Originally the vicarage, from 1792-1838 the Grange was home to one of Rottingdean’s most beloved inhabitants, the Reverend Dr Thomas Redman Hooker. As well as being vicar of nearby St Margaret’s church, he was master of the Brookside

Harriers (one of the most famous packs of hounds in the country), a schoolmaster, a competent cellist and a key player in the local smuggling operation. Curiously, this remarkably colourful character taught nephews of both Napoleon and Wellington.