The old Sussex Police Headquarters in Barttelot Road

View down Bartellot Road

The crest split across the gates

The year the station was opened

The sussex coat of arms

The old Police Station is in Barttelot Road, just past Pets at Home off East Street.

The station was active between 1894 and 1973. Perhaps its most infamous occupant was the acid bath murderer John George Haigh who occupied No. 2 cell in 1949 whilst a hearing took place at the Magistrate’s Court in the Town Hall.

Prior to Barttelot Road the Police Station was just around the corner in Queen Street, that station being built in 1846. In 1879 it is recorded that there was one superintendent and two policemen.

West Sussex Police Headquarters

This site was the HQ for the West Sussex Constabulary from 1897 to 1922. The first HQ of the force from 1857 was at Petworth – as the county town, Chichester, already had its own police force (1836-1899). The HQ moved from Horsham to Chichester, Southgate for ten years; these premises too proved inadequate and a new HQ at Chichester was built in 1933. The forces of West and East Sussex, together with those of Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove, were compulsorily merged from 1943-1947 but all but Hove then regained their independent existence until 1968 when all were merged once more to form the Sussex Constabulary with its HQ at Lewes. The name was changed to Sussex Police in 1974.

This building is now known as Peel House and is divided into offices. The gates still display the shield of arms of Sussex Police as shown in the thumbnail. The other thumbnails show the year stone, Sussex shield of arms and the plaque put in place in 1994 to commemorate the centenary.

The road takes its name from Sir Walter Balfour Barttelot who was the MP for West Sussex between the years of 1885 and 1893.

When in operation it had a red police light outside. It is thought that is was not the normal blue due to the station being the Sussex Police Headquarters prior to it being moved to Lewes. The red light has been saved and is now on the new Police Station in Hurst Road. The Hurst Road HQ is now targeted for redevelopment so the future home of the red lamp has not been determined yet.