Southdown House

Southdown House is a Georgian dwelling on Old London Road featuring a symmetrical two-storey brick and flint facade with five distinct bays. The building displays the proportioned design typical of early eighteenth-century residential architecture, with its traditional construction methods still largely intact.

The house was built in the early 1700s as part of the initial development wave that brought thirteen structures to Patcham. It earned Grade II* protection in 1952, recognizing its architectural importance within the broader history of the area.

The residence belonged to Major Howard Vyse Welch in 1906, who served as a judge at the Sussex County Show and fought in the East Surrey Regiment.

The property sits beside a Grade II listed nineteenth-century lamp standard and has converted stables on the grounds. Its position on Old London Road makes it easily visible and accessible within the residential Patcham neighbourhood.

The house represents one of the most important examples of early Georgian architecture in Brighton and Hove and belongs to a particularly concentrated collection of structures from this period in the area. Its preservation over more than 300 years reveals careful stewardship across generations.