History of Mewsbrook House
What About the History of Mewsbrook House?
Steeped in history, this tastefully extended Grade 2 listed building built in 1732, has stories of its own to tell.  
In 1900 Mary Neal a renown socialist, suffragist and folk-dance revivalist, established 
the Green Lady Hostel in East Street, Littlehampton (now known as Mewsbrook House), 
as a holiday home for the Espérance Girls’. 
We proudly display a Blue Plaque for Mary at the side of the building in Green Lady Lane.
It was purchased on a mortgage  in the names of the Hon. Lily Montagu, a renowned philanthropist, and Miss Emmeline Pethick, and housed 60 girls at a time for a 2-week holiday.
The railway company gave a special reduction of 7s 6d off the fare to each one. 
In 1906  Miss Neal attended (and took the minutes at) the inaugural meeting of the London branch of the WSPU, at the home of Sylvia Pankhurst, 
whose mother Emmeline founded the WSPU. 
The Espérance girls performed at suffragette events and the “Green Lady Hostel” occupies a key place in suffragette history. 
Later during the First World War, along with the Flintstone Building, it became involved with housing the training centre for the Home guards and became known as Roland House.  
Many local people still recall Roland House as being a children's home too.
Having been through many transitions the building eventually became a care home 
and became part of Lifetime Care UK Ltd in 2004.
It is now a well-established and highly regarded home offering a specialist form of care 
of which is otherwise limited in the area. 
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