K. Aubrey Allen

"Photo artist", Peacehaven. In the early 1920s Allen opened a shop at Cairo House on the South Coast Road, almost opposite the Hotel Peacehaven, where he sold postcards, photographic materials, pottery, stationery, golf clubs, deck chairs, Irish lace and other fancy goods. He also set up a studio (The Downs Studio) in a small wooden bungalow in Glyn Road. He was still in business in 1924, but gave up and left the area by 1925-26.

Allen published real photographic cards of Peacehaven (Bastion Steps, Friars Bay, etc.), Telscombe and Rodmell, but none, as far as is known, of Saltdean and Newhaven. The photographs have white borders and facsimile handwritten captions. Some are marked "Allens, P/Haven" in the bottom right corner, as in the example shown above; others have Allen's name stamped on the back in purple ink. It would be interesting to know whether a car, CD5365, seen in one of the Telscombe pictures, belonged to Allen.

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