Property News: Smugglers, ahoy!

Mike Everett finds an historic tunnel beneath a property in Rottingdean

Brighton is packed with culture and history, but it’s still exciting to stumble across a small architectural treasure.

Earlier this month, the Kemp Town team at Brand Vaughan valued the central portion of a beautiful two bedroom Georgian house in Rottingdean, but it wasn’t just the beauty of the property itself or the stunning views of the famous windmill that made the find exciting.

Instead, it was what lay behind a small, inconspicuous door hidden away beneath the staircase, a door that opened into history.

Through the doorway and down the winding staircase we found ourselves standing in an arched tunnel. Though decorated over the years, its curved bricked ceiling and walls were still teeming with intrigue and the charm of a different time. But what was this tunnel used for?

In a word, smuggling! Smuggler boats would moor up alongside the cliffs to bring ashore their contraband cargoes (usually spices, tea, brandy and gin, along with silk and lace), transporting them through a maze of caves and tunnels dug into the cliff to the cellars of houses and inns. All the while evading the watchful eyes of the coast guards and customs, daringly smuggling their wares quite literally, beneath their noses.

Unfortunately, most of the ‘smuggler tunnels’ in the area have been closed up or lost to time, making this particular find all the more special. It’s an opportunity to own a rare piece of history. Intrigued by this property?

For enquiries or to arrange a viewing please contact our Kemp Town branch:
01273 683111, 110 St George’s Road, Kemp Town, Brighton, BN2 1EA.