East Sussex - Eastbourne - Hampden Park Prior to 1904. And the Actress Pina Cei.

            The Postcard

A Saxonian Series postcard that was distributed by W. Brooker, Stationer, of Eastbourne.

The card was posted in Eastbourne on Monday the 13th. June 1904 to:

Miss W. Gomms,
Post Office,
Sutton.

The pencilled message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

"Hope you found my
till alright.
This is rather a pretty
picture is it not.
Lucy". 

Hampden Park

Prior to 1901, the land now called Hampden Park was part of the Ratton Estate owned by Lord Willingdon. 

Ratton is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1087, and for a long time the woodland and lake had been a decoy attracting wildfowl for the estate kitchens. 

By the end of the 19th. century the lake had probably fallen into disuse. Lord Willingdon agreed to sell 78 acres (320,000 m2) to Eastbourne Corporation on condition that a new main road, Kings Drive, was built from Eastbourne to Willingdon.

Hampden Park, named after Lord Willingdon’s grandfather, Viscount Hampden, was opened by Lord Rosebery on 12 August 1902, and was the first Corporation-owned park in Eastbourne.

Hampden Park itself is a large pleasant space with a fair sized lake. There is a park cafe called Lakeside Cafe, a children's playground, outdoor tennis courts, playing fields and plenty of routes for joggers and strollers, as well as a large area of sports fields.  

Its main inhabitants are the grey squirrel, and several species inhabit the lake, notably mallard ducks, Canada geese, mute swans, moorhen, herons, gulls and rock pigeons.

In 2011 there was a large pond enhancement program carried out on the Decoy Pond. This was funded by Eastbourne Borough Council and a large grant obtained from the Lottery Fund by The Friends of the Hampden Park.

Pina Cei

So what else happened on the day that Lucy posted the card?

Well, the 13th. June 1904 marked the birth in San Juan, Puerto Rico of Pina Cei.

Pina was an Italian stage, film and television actress. She appeared in more than thirty films from 1933 to 1995.

The daughter of the stage actress Luisa Cei, Pina made her theatrical debut in 1922, in the company of Raffaele Niccoli. 

She later worked in several high-profile stage companies, including Emma Gramatica's and Ruggero Ruggeri's, until 1942, when she founded her own stage company. 

Pina made her film debut in 1933, in Villafranca, in which she is credited as Pia Torriani (from her husband's surname). Her younger sister Dory was also an actress.

The Death of Pina Cei

Pina died in Rome, Italy on the 1st. February 2000 at the age of 95.

Taken on: January 8, 2022

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Sets appears in: • Biographies • Eastbourne East Sussex more » • UK « less

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