Thursday 8 November 2018

PICTORIAL HISTORY OF BRIGHTON CONTINUED


ST. JAMES'S PLACE




This Small Row Of Cottages Date Back To The 1600'S And Are Good Examples Of Some Of The Earliest Development In Brighton. It Was Built On What Was Originally Known As A Paul Piece, A Sub - Division Of A Field.









WYNDHAM STREET
This Shows The Total Lack Of Consideration By The Developers Of The 1960'S, For The Surrounding Architecture And Environment, As Can Be Seen From The Way The Tower Blocks In The Rear Of The Photograph Completely Dominate The Area.
WYKEHAM TERRACE








Built In 1830 In The Regency Gothic Style. In 1855 A Part Of The Terrace Was Linked To Adjoining Properties In Queen's Square, To Become St. Mary's Home For Female Penitents, An Institution Set Up To Rehabilitate Reformed Prostitutes By George Wagner.



SHIP STREET


This Property Is A Fine Example Of This Style Of Architecture Which Was Used During The 1600'S, Built In 1685 It Still Remains Much The Same And Shows The Wide Use Of Flint Which Was Abundant In This Region.





YORK BUILDINGS
The Royal York Hotel ( Now Municipal Offices ), Occupies The Site Of The Manor House Built In 1779 And Demolished In 1819.
Mr. Charles Scrase Purchased A Moiety Of The Manor Of Brighton In 1771 And Built The House. It Was Not A Large Or Imposing Building, Just Two Stories High And Built Of Red Brick With A Slate Roof.
The Royal York Hotel Had Many Fashionable Visitors Which Included Among Others, Dukes Of Clarence, York And Cambridge, Also The Duke Of Wellington, Benjamin Disraeli Earl Of Beaconsfield, In His Early Parliamentary Days And Later Thackeray.

LEWES ROAD BARRACKS
Due To The Cutbacks In The Armed Forces, This Prominent Feature Of The Lewes Road Has Now Been Demolished To Make Way For Retail And Housing Development, Although Many Of The Buildings On The Site Were In A Poor State Of Repair, Its Final Demise No Doubt Caused Sadness To Many Of The Older Residents Of Brighton, Who Would No Doubt Remember The Days When It Was The Centre Of Life For This Part Of Brighton.
The Remaining Buildings On The Site were Boarded Up, After The Army Bomb Squad And The Territorial's Moved Out, A has now Been Demolished And Turned Into A New Shopping Development.

MOULSECOOMB ESTATE
During The Inter - War Years Moulsecoomb Valley Became The Site For Two Large Housing Estates, North And South Moulsecoomb, And The Farm Buildings That Originally Stood There For Many Years Were Finally Demolished.
The Houses Were Described As " Fit For Hero's " By The Planners Of The 20'S, And The Estate Was Hailed As The " Utopia Of Moulsecoomb ". They Were Built To Accommodate The Housing Shortages Following The 1st World War, And Also To Re - House Those From The Centre Slum Area's Of Brighton Town.
Designed By Professor Adshead, They Copied In Style The Layout Of The Garden Cities Of Letchworth And Welwyn In HERTFORDSHIRE, During My Early Twenties I Had The Privilege Of Living With The Family Of The Grandson Of Ebenezer Howard One Of The Founder Members Of The Garden Cities, And It Was As A Result Of My Research For This Project, That I Realised Why Moulsecoomb Seemed Somehow Familiar To Me.
The Estates At One Time Were Hailed As The Best Examples Of Local Authority Housing Schemes In This Country Built During The 20'S And 30'S, And Planners From All Over The World Studied And Visited The Estates.
During Recent Years The Housing Has Suffered A Decline, Due To Lack Of Maintenance And A Severe Lack Of Services For The Residents. Attempts To Alter This Include The Provision Of A Railway Station Giving A Direct Link To Brighton Central And The Main Line To London, And Also A New Medical Centre And Leisure Centre, Although Many On The Estate Cannot Afford To Use The Latter. Like Many Other Council Estates Throughout The Country, Crime Rates Are High And The Council Are Installing CCTV In An Effort To Reduce The Problem.


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