Having lived in Littlehampton my whole life, I remember the Beach Hotel that once stood on the green at the seafront, and so I was intrigued to hear a radio interview in which Francesca Capaldi spoke about her historical novel, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, set in Littlehampton. Curious to know more, I invited Francesca to come on my blog and share the inspiration behind the setting of her latest novel.
Over to you, Francesca …
Thank you for inviting me, Carol. When I start a book, the idea begins with a certain character and something that has happened to them. But with A New Start at the Beach Hotel, set in 1914/15, the idea grew out of the setting.
I was coming to the end of the Wartime in the Valleys series and was keen to set the next one in Littlehampton in Sussex, where I grew up. I recalled the impressive-looking hotel on the common leading up to the beach, which had always fascinated me as a child and teenager, and it seemed the perfect setting. Luckily, my publisher, Hera Books, thought so too!
The Beach Hotel in the 1960s.
I’d never been inside the Beach Hotel and, sadly, it was pulled down in 1994; a crescent of flats was built in its place. All I had was several photographs of the outside, including some taken in the Edwardian era and one taken by my father, plus a list of staff in the 1911 census. In a way, that was better, as I was able to set it out inside in the way I wanted it, the dining room, conservatory, ballroom and so on, along with the staff quarters.
A New Start at the Beach Hotel doesn’t only take place in the hotel, of course, but in other parts of Littlehampton too. Edie, Charlie and Lili often go for walks by the beach and River Arun. Photos reveal many more activities on the beach and promenade than you’d find today. And the bandstand has gone. The tiny pier is the same, but the buildings near it, a Kursaal (later Casino Theatre), a windmill, tearoom and coast guards’ cottages, were pulled down in the early 1930s to make way for a Butlins indoor funfair. It’s now an outside amusement park. The path running past the river back in the 1910s was still level with the river’s shore, which was fully accessible, but that would be changed only a decade or so later. The warehouses, along both sides of the river in Edie’s time, are all long gone, though I do recall a few from my childhood.
The Littlehampton riverside in the early 1960s.
The characters sometimes have afternoon tea at the Harbour Tea Rooms. This did exist, sitting among the row of fisherman’s cottages next to the riverside on Pier Road, which was filled with fishermen, nets and boats. Fifteen-odd years later, that row was completely rebuilt, and many of the buildings became cafés. My father’s café was in the approximate location of the Harbour Tea Rooms, which I felt rather chuffed about when I realised.
Many parts of the town today would be instantly recognisable by somebody from 1914. The houses in the area behind the beach (what was known back then as Beach Town) are nearly all still there. The shopping streets retain many of the same buildings. The railway station, however, has been rebuilt twice since Edie’s day, whilst the Electric Picture Palace opposite (later the Regent), where she goes to see films, was pulled down in the early 1960s. I can just remember it.
Panorama of Littlehampton river and beach, taken from West Beach.
It has certainly been interesting, setting my new book in a place that is familiar, and yet at the same time, very unfamiliar. I’ve already written the second book, All Change at the Beach Hotel, and started the third, so look forward to getting to know even more of old Littlehampton.
Thank you for that wonderful insight into the setting of your novel. I loved reading your post, Francesca. So many of the places you have spoken about are familiar to me, either from my childhood or from stories told to me by my parents and grandparents. I am looking forward to reading A New Start at the Beach Hotel. xx
About the Book
June 1914. Edie Moore is a Governess living in comfort at the grand Downland House in Sussex. But, wanting more from life, she flees in secret to Littlehampton, the place where she spent many idyllic childhood holidays.
Desperate for work, Edie begins working as a chambermaid at the prestigious Beach Hotel, even if the menial tasks are a far cry from her previous job.
Edie works hard and soon is in favour with Helen Probert, the manager’s wife, who sees that Edie is destined for bigger things.
But as she navigates her new life and finds friendship with fellow maid Lili Probert, she also grows closer to charming, cheerful porter, Charlie Cobbett.
However, what none of her new friends know is that Edie is hiding a secret from her past, one that would change the way they view her, forever. When the truth comes out, will Edie be able to keep her new life and remain in the place she loves so much?
Purchase A New Start at the Beach Hotel here.
Other books by Francesca Capaldi:
World War 1 sagas set in the Rhymney Valley: Heartbreak in the Valleys (nominated for the Historical Romantic Award in the RoNAs 2021) | War in the Valleys | Hope in the Valleys | Trouble in the Valleys
Murder Mystery set in the Farne Islands: Danger for Daisy
About the author:
Francesca Capaldi has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised storytelling. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists.
The first novel in the Wartime in the Valleys series, Heartbreak in the Valleys, was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Historical Award 2021. Both the Valleys series and her new Beach Hotel series are published by Hera Books.
Francesca was born and brought up on the Sussex coast but currently lives in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.
Follow Francesca on social media here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |Tiktok
