Two remarkable buildings designed almost 80 years ago dominate the seaside suburb of Saltdean.

They are Saltdean Lido, one of the most handsome open air swimming pools ever built in Britain, and the Ocean Hotel.

Both were designed by the same architect, Richard Jones, and for them alone he deserves to be better known. They were much admired at the time and both have many supporters today.

Commercially they have had mixed fortunes to say the least. The outbreak of war meant that the Lido was used by the fire service and it didn’t reopen again until 1964.

By that time lidos were going out of fashion and it started to lose money. The then Brighton Council closed it and later it reopened under private ownership but this was not a success.

A local group has pledged to restore it but despite their skill and enthusiasm, the project has been beset with difficulties.

The hotel was one of the biggest on the south coast with more than 400 bedrooms and it was extremely popular.

But it was also requisitioned in wartime for fires service training and in 1953 it was turned into a holiday camp by Sir Billy Butlin who said it was the best bargain he ever made.

But when Butlin died, holiday camps faded and it was converted into luxury flats. New buildings were added which rather hid the splendid nautical lines of the hotel

Saltdean was largely developed by the same entrepreneur, Charles Neville, who had been responsible for nearby Peacehaven.

But new restrictions meant that it was built to a higher standard and Neville himself also wanted it that way.

His Saltdean Estate Company developed much of the suburb and the grid iron pattern of Peacehaven was supplanted in Saltdean by many pleasingly curved roads.

Many of the houses had distinctive green roofs which survive today. The suburb was eventually given easy access to the beach via a tunnel under the A259.

The road itself was not widened from a single track until 1930 and even then there was plenty of local opposition.

Also in the 1930s, the Undercliff Walk was constructed which prevented erosion. Without it a lot of Saltdean would slowly have slid into the sea.

The beach was not always pleasant because of the proximity of the Portobello sewage works and outfall at nearby Telscombe Cliffs but the outfall was lengthened in 1974 and waste water is now fully treated at Peacehaven.

A curious feature of Saltdean is ghat it comes under the control o two different councils. The larger western piece belongs to Brighton while Lewes controls the eastern section.

The border goes most of the way along Longridge Avenue which is also the main shopping street. There are few outlets along the A259 despite the excellent position.

Most of Saltdean was open downland until a century ago when the first homes started to appear. The oldest surviving buildings are agricultural barns.

It is now hard to find the boundary with Rottingdean to the west as both areas have expanded enormously in recent times. But Telscombe Tye, a rare stretch of downland, separates it from Telscombe Cliffs to the east.

Saltdean has a strong sense of community with a thriving residents’ association which was founded in 1934.