The letter from S Thunder, of Hastings, and the lovely picture of his uncle’s bootmaker shop, deserve some comment (Letters, December 1).

There appears to have been two Thunder families in Brighton during the period I was writing about in Close Up Of Brighton.

The 1824 Brighton Town Directory lists an E Thunder, of Poplar Place, perhaps a gentleman, as no occupation is given. Then there was Carter Thunder, the bootmaker with the royal warrant, who lived at 2 Castle Square and was also a town commissioner.

Local history books report that following years of alarming cliff erosion below Marine Parade, including Royal Crescent, groynes were built at Black Rock in 1819 from plans by Edward Thunder, one of the town commissioners, and that these became known as “Teddy Thunder’s folly”.

This does not tie in with Carter Thunder being the commissioner so perhaps an error was made.

Later in the 1840s, Edwin Thunder was a ladies’ boot and shoemaker in nearby East Street, becoming Thunder and Son in about 1880 and finally H Thunder until at least 1910 – a very long family business.

Perhaps if S Thunder researches his family tree he may find some connection and interesting stories.

Lawrie Keen
Hangleton Road
Hove