Brighton’s Victorian Railway Heritage
A new greenway has recently been planted near Brighton Railway Station. It is currently in its maintenance period, before being formally opened to the public later this year. The area has been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) and forms part of the approved Masterplan for the Brighton Station Site. It is located to the rear of One Brighton and the Clarenden Centre and the traffic-free path will take in the New England Road Grade II listed bridge. Seating has been placed along the greenway, together with an art installation designed to reflect the site’s Victorian railway heritage (a rocket style steam train I believe). read more >>
The Hangman and the Corrupt Banker
For months now our newspapers have been full of stories about bankers, fraud and corruption, so much so that I must admit to feeling a tad weary of the subject. Until that is I found a story about a corrupt English banker who had forfeited his life for his crimes, and discovered that both he and his hangman had lived in Brighton. read more >>
Royal Pavilion Gardens
As we all know, Queen Victoria wasn’t a fan of the Royal Pavilion and when her seaside residence on the Isle of Wight was completed she took the opportunity to strip the Pavilion almost bare, leaving it to become the property of the town in 1850. From that time the gardens changed, new paths were laid and seats placed in the shrubbery walks making them the place in the town for promenading. read more >>
The battle of lewes road
Not the Battle of Lewes, which took place on 14th May 1264 between the forces of Simon de Montford and King Henry III, but a strike action the Brighton and Hove Herald called the ‘Battle of Lewes Road’. A violent and bloody incident leading from The General Strike called by the Trades Union Congress in defence of mineworkers who were being asked to accept a universal seven-day week and a drop in wages of up to 25%. read more >>
Three Women Called Louisa
The first was Louisa Edwards, mother of ten children and wife of James Spicer, paper merchant. She was a committed Congregationalists and believer in religious and moral reforms. Her eldest daughter, Louisa, (1839-1914) became a suffragist and activist for women’s rights and her daughter, Louisa, (1872-1966) in turn became one of the world’s leading experts in obstetrics and gynaecology. Together, they made a big impact on the lives of women, especially those living in Brighton. read more >>
Brighton Love Stories
A weekend spent clandestinely with a lover. How exciting that sounds – theoretically, of course! But the element of sin and guilt, fundamental to the uniquely English and rather old-fashioned concept of the ‘dirty weekend’, is not quite the same now. Romantic couples no longer have the excitement that signing the hotel register as Mrs and Mrs Smith must have created and those wanting a divorce no longer have to wait in anticipation of being caught in flagrante. However, if you were thinking of a little dalliance you are in the right place. With its raffish, tolerant and non-censorious atmosphere Brighton, apparently, remains the nation’s favourite destination for weekends dedicated to sensual pleasures.read more >>
The Chattri
It was not so much a New Year’s Resolution, more a need to break the invisible hold the kitchen had gained over me in the last couple of weeks, that made me think about visiting the Chattri. I have never been there before and, for someone who professes a keen interest in all things connected to the First World War, I felt that it was time to rectify this. I must say though that, as soon as I had parked the car and started across the fields, I did feel that perhaps I had made a bit of a mistake. But, in truth, the walk was easy, even for a “non-walker/townie” like me, and after about 30 minutes I came to the Chattri, the resting place of 53 Hindu and Sikh soldiers who died in Brighton and were cremated on the Sussex Downs near Patcham during the early part of the First World War. read more >>
Prosperity and poverty, dereliction and rebuilding, the story of London Road
t a valley running through downland fields. The first development in this area became Brighton’s first suburb, built on the open field known as the North Butts, an area which we can now identify as between London Road, Viaduct Road and Ditchling Road, a triangle ending in the south at what is now St Peter’s church. The first roads to be developed there were Queen’s Place, Marshall’s and Brunswick Rows. read more >>
Anglo- Saxon Burials in the Seven Dials Area
I cannot claim to know anything about Anglo-Saxon Brighton, but I did find it really interesting to learn that evidence had been found of these early inhabitants of the town in roads and places I regularly drive along. read more >>
Winter Solstice
At this time our attention is once again taken up with Christmas preparations; what shall we eat, what to buy that ‘difficult’ man, will the wrapping paper co-ordinate with the chosen colour scheme and, perhaps this year more than ever, will the funds stretch? read more >>
Unknown Warriors
A few years ago I met a man who planned to write a book about all the war memorials in Sussex. He wanted to record where the county’s war memorials were and attempt to put faces and personalities to the names inscribed on them. A huge task and, as I found out when I tried to look at the Book of Remembrance at St Peter’s Church, not an easy one. read more >>
Shine on Harvest Moon
Many moons ago I was a secretary, working for a man who would not normally be considered a traditionalist, but for reasons beyond my young-self, he liked to refer to the four quarter days of the year. For example, he would say ‘….after Lady’s Day’ or ‘when the Michaelmas term starts…’. At the time I thought he was completely bonkers, but now I have made the connection between quarter days and the time of year, particularly Michaelmas, September and our harvest festival customs and traditions. read more >>
The Oldest Electric Railway in the World
I must confess that I am not a great fan of Brighton seafront during the summer months; in fact, I usually go out of my way to avoid it, humbug that I am. However, this August I might be tempted down to the Banjo Groyne to join in some of the celebrations being held to mark the 125th anniversary of Volk’s Electric Railway - the oldest working electric railway in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. read more >>
Wykeham Terrace - Home for “Fallen” Women
Wykeham Terrace cannot escape attention, located as it is just down from St Nicholas’ Church and only seconds away from the city centre. Architecturally, it is one of the most striking terraces in the whole of Brighton, built in Regency Gothic style, possibly by A.H. Wilds or Henry Mew, between 1822 and 1830. read more >>
Midsummer Magic at Hollingbury Camp, Ditchling Road, Brighton
Midsummer is the magical time when the days are longest, the nights are shortest, and our hopes for that seemingly elusive long, hot summer have not yet been shattered. A time when spending the evening in a pub garden becomes an attractive prospect. read more >>
Proposal of Marriage
Leap Year is the traditional time for women to propose marriage. It is believed that this tradition started in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait a long time for men to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day, the 29th February. read more >>
Lightning Rods for Scandal: The Hilton Twins
Most people today are aware of the socialites, Paris and Nicky Hilton, but they were not the first Hilton sisters to create a splash in the world of celebrities. Indeed, this rather dubious honour should go to two Brighton girls, Daisy and Violet Hilton. read more >>
MURDER MOST FOUL
If your New Year’s resolution was to get out more and do different things then I may have just the thing for you. The Old Police Cells Museum in Brighton’s Town Hall. This is a fascinating place, originally dedicated to charting the history of policing in the city from the first days of the force in 1812 until 1967 when the local force merged with the Sussex Police. read more >>
The Legend of the Christmas Candle
I found this wonderful story in Cecile Woodford’s Yuletide Festival, a portrait of Sussex at Christmas time. Long, long ago an aged cobbler and his wife lived in a tiny cottage on the edge of a small village in Austria. read more >>
Christmas Past - Paula Wrightson, Brighton & Hove Museums describes A Regency Christmas
Christmas in the late Georgian and Regency period was very different from festivities today. 200 years ago the ‘Season’ began on 24th December and ran until 12th Night on 6th January. read more >>
We Shall Remember Them
With a nephew in the British army my thoughts are never far from the fighting taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan at the moment, but the approach of 11th November will inevitably turn my thoughts outward to all those who have faced conflict, particularly during the Second World War. read more >>
Victorian Rubbish
I found it interesting to discover that this is not the first time tipping of the town’s waste on the northern side of Hollingdean Road has created both a health hazard and a campaign by local people to do something about it. read more >>
Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children
The Royal Alexandra Children’ Hospital, 57 Dyke Road, Brighton closed its doors on Friday 22 June 2007, after serving the community for more than 120 years. read more >>
The Coach House, Clifton Hill, Brighton
In recent weeks, I have seen articles in both local and national papers about possible plans to build next to the Coach House in Clifton Hill and I must say I have been shocked. read more >>
THE SPIRIT OF BRIGHTON
Preston Park Avenue was developed from the 1880s with large red brick villas, many of which remain, but several have been replaced with blocks of flats. Whistler Court is one of these; its name commemorates the decorative artist, Rex Whistler. read more >>
Grand Designs. Their vision, our town.
The petition to improve the Seven Dials roundabout is gathering steam. One idea put forward is to erect some form of memorial to the architectural partnership of Amon and Amon Henry Wilds and Charles Augustus Busby who designed much of Regency Brighton. read more >>
PRESTON PARK
Schools will soon be out for summer. Another academic year over and the long holidays ahead. Years ago, when my sons were younger, the very thought of the approaching school summer holidays filled me with dread. What was I going to do with them for all those weeks? read more >>
The Chalybeate - St Ann’s Well Gardens
The beauty of St Ann’s Well with its wonderful scented garden, winding pathways and fishpond, plus all the amenities it provides for the community, needs no introduction to local residents. read more >>
PRESTON MANOR
This house is unique. I know of no other typical Edwardian house open to the public in the whole of England. read more >>
Seven Dials, In The Parish of St Giles, London
Today Seven Dials is a small road junction in London’s West End, north west of Covent Garden and just to the south of Shaftesbury Avenue. read more >>
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRESTON
The development of Preston from a rural centre to a middle-class suburb can be traced back to Brighton’s renaissance as a fashionable seaside resort. read more >>