PICTORIAL HISTORY OF BRIGHTON

FIG 11. THE WAGNER FAMILY

Much Was Owed To The Wagner Family By Early Brighton, As A Family They Were Responsible For Building Eleven Churches Along With Many Houses Costing As Little As One Hundred And Fifty Pounds, This Fact Is Verified By The Cutting above From The Evening Argus.

FIG 12. MIDDLE STREET

Middle Street Was One Of The Original Main Streets Running From South To North, In What Was The Old Town Within The Borders Of North, West And East Streets And The Cliff Edge.

FIG 13. BEDFORD SQUARE

Completed Around 1818 Facing The Sea This Was The Last Square Within The Borough Of Brighton. Many Of The Houses Have Been Spoilt By Injudicious Alterations. The Best Group Is That Forming The North - East Corner.

FIG 14 WESTERN ROAD

Until The Beginning Of The 19th Century Western Road, Named After The Western Family Of Preston Manor, Was Little More That A Track Running Through The Fields In Outlying Farmland. As Brighton Expanded, Small Crofts Were Gradually Developed Into Small Streets And Squares. During The 1810'S And 20'S The Land Between The Sea And Western Road, Was Built Up And From 1924 It Became The Main Route To Brunswick Town. Had Robert Stephenson's " Natural Line " Scheme For The London To Brighton Railway Been Adopted, Brighton Station Would Have Been Built Behind Brunswick Square, And The Importance Of Western Road Would Have Been Enhanced. From The 1820'S Development Spread Northwards From Western Road, Which Became The Main Shopping Center In 1871 And 1901 It Extended Into Hove With The Onset Of Various Developments There.

FIG 15. CHURCHILL SQUARE

Designed By Russell Diplock Associates In The 1960'S. Exposed Aggregate Concrete Finished, Mosaic Covered Access Towers, Blue Shaded Panels To Aluminium Curtain Walling Were All Designed With Great Care And Concern. Despite This, The Piazzas Lacked A Proper Sense Of Enclosure, And Were Subject Throughout To Drafts In Blustery Conditions Creating Somewhat Of A Wind Tunnel Effect, The Final Demise Of This Structure Although Missed By Some, Was Seen As A Great Revival Of This Important Shopping Area In Brighton. Its Replacement Is A Welcoming Enclosed, Air Conditioned Shopping Mall, Visited By Thousands Of Eager Shoppers Each Day.

THE NEW CHURCHILL SQUARE 1

THE NEW CHURCHILL SQUARE 2

THE NEW CHURCHILL SQUARE INTERIOR 3

FIG 16. ROYAL CRESCENT

Begun In 1798 And Completed In 1807 By A Mr. J. B. Otto A West Indian Speculator. This Was The First Ever Group Of Houses Planned As One Architectural Composition And Was An Audacious Concept For Its Time, As Well As Being Today One Of The Most Attractive Features Of The Sea - Front, The Houses Have Charming Classical Doorways, Ironwork Balconies And Bonnet - Like Canopies, And Being Faced With Black Iridescent, Glazed      " Mathematical " Tiles That Create Such A Delightful Effect In The Changing Lights Of The Sky.

FIG 17. BRUNSWICK SQUARE

Built Between 1825 - 1828 And Designed By Wilds & Busby On Similar Lines To London's St. James Or Bloomsbury. It Was Designed To Be A Self Contained Unit And Service Buildings Were Erected At The Same Time.   These Included A Market, Which Is Now Part Of The Old Market Arts Center, And Supporting Streets Such As Waterloo, Upper And Lower Market Street As Well As East And

West Brunswick Street. Here Was A Town Hall And Jail, Besides The Market, At 42 Brunswick Terrace A Hotel Was Created Called The Brunswick Hotel And Now Known As The Alexander Hotel.

Dating From 1825 This Was The Most Impressive Development Of Its Kind Surpassing Even Regent's Park Terraces In Originality Of Layout.

FIG 18A LEWES CRESCENT

The Houses Were Originally Three Stories High With An Attic, And The Facades Were Quite Plain Except For Corinthian Pilasters On One House

 In Every Three.     The Whole Composition Derives Its Impressiveness From Its Vast Scale And Noble Proportions, The Span Of The Crescent Is 256 Meters (840 Feet.) That Is 61 Meters (200 Feet.) Larger Than The Royal Crescent At Bath In Somerset. 

FIG 19. ARUNDEL TERRACE

Designed And Built As A Whole, The Design Is More Elaborate Than That Of Lewes Crescent, The Houses Have Free - Standing Corinthian Porticoes Of Four Columns In The Center Of The Terrace, And Porticoes Of Engaged Columns At The Ends And In Between. The House At The East End Of The Terrace, Now Called Arundel House, Was Originally The Bush Hotel And Was Occupied By 1827.

But Much Of Sussex Square And Lewes Crescent Were Just Facades. The Houses Were Mere Skeletons And Were Not Completed Until About 1850, And The Interiors Were Then Constructed According To The Wishes Of The Various Occupants, And Constructed By Different Builders.

FIG 20. BLOOMSBURY PLACE

Built By Busby And Wilds Around 1825, To A Contemporary Design, An Interesting Little Street But Of Rather Cramped Proportions.

FIG 21. THE OLD STEINE

The Old Steine Was Originally Used As Pasture And A Drying Ground For The Fisher men's Nets, As It Was Unsuitable For Building Due To An Underground Stream Known As The Wellsbourne.  In 1750 It Became Popular As A Promenade To The Cliffs, Which Were Windy And Often Unsafe. In 1786 The Prince Of Wales Built His Farmhouse Which Fronted The Steine And Eventually Was Transformed Into The Royal Pavilion.The Fountain At The Center Was Established In 1846, And Was Placed The By Amon Henry Wilds. Today The Old Steine Is A Giant Traffic Island, Although There Have Been Various Plans To Try To Change This, As With So Many Things, " Much Talk But Little Action!"

FIG 22. THE AQUARIUM

Originally Opened On The 10th Of August 1872, And Designed By Eugenius Birch. The Buildings Extended For A Distance Of A Third Of A Mile From The Western End, And Were Sunk Deep Into The Ground. A Broad Flight Of Granite Steps Led Down Into A Large Open Court, Surrounded By Red - Brick Arches With Terracotta Columns, And Ornamental Presenting, It Was Said " The Appearance Of A Pompeian Court ". Inside Were A Large Entrance Hall, Two Corridors, One 68 Meters  (224 Feet) Long, Both Lined With Large Tanks, A Central Hall, Having A 33 And A Half Meter (110 Feet) Long Tank, A Conservatory, A Reading Room And A Restaurant. The Main Halls Had A Gothic Roof Of Variegated Bricks Supported On Alternating Round And Octagonal Columns Of Bath Stone, Polished Green Serpentine Marble And Red Edinburgh Granite, And The Capitals Carved With Foliage, (And Appropriate Marine Foliage By Mr. Purkiss.) By 1909 The Aquarium Boasted The Finest Marine Collection In Europe, And From This Time Till The End Of The Its World War The Aquarium Knew Some Of Its Most Successful Years. In 1930 The Aquarium Was Reconstructed, Although Much Of The Interior Remained Unchanged, This Reconstruction Did Much To Improve The Seafront And Was The Work Of The Borough Surveyor David Edwards And His Staff.

PROMENADE

Much Of The Wall Of The Promenade Was Erected In The 1830'S By William Lambert, Due To Lack Of Funds In 1832 Work Was Suspended. It Was Decided That The Paupers Be Employed To Carry Out The Work At The Rate Of Ten Shillings ( Fifty Pence ) Per. Square Foot = 929.03 Square Centimetres, The Work Lasted Up Until 1833.

FIG 24. PALACE PIER 1

Building Was Started In 1891 And Was Completed Three Years Later, It Was An Instant Success. In 1901 A Theatre Was Added At The End Of The Pier, And Nine Years Later A Pavilion For Concerts And Dances Was Built Near The Shore End.  

FIG 25. PALACE PIER 2

A Bandstand And A Winter - Garden Were Erected, The Theatre Was Re - Modelled, And Over Its Entrance Was Built One Of The First Film - Making Studios In The Country.

FIG 26. PALACE PIER 3

The Present Entrance Canopy And Clock Tower Were Erected When The Road - Way Was Widened And The Aquarium Was Rebuilt In 1930.

FIG 27. WEST PIER 1 

Designed By Eugenius Birch And Built By The Brighton West Pier Company In 1863 - 66 At A Cost Of 30, 000 Pounds, It Was Constructed From Cast And Wrought Iron, Mild Steel Was Used In The Extension In 1893 Making Its Total Length 335 Metres. In 1903 Up To 600,000 Visitors Had Passed Through Its Turnstiles, But Like Many Other Piers, It Had Its Share Of Miss Fortunes. In 1886 " The Times " Reported Panic Among The Promenaders When The Structure Oscillated Under The Action Of Wind And Sea, And As A Result, Its Popularity Declined For Some Time.

FIG 28. WEST PIER 2

In 1896 A Storm Destroyed The Chain Pier And Debris From That Caused Serious Damage To The Shore End Of The West Pier. During The Second World War, The Pier Was Covered With Sand Bags And Anti - Aircraft Guns And Suffered Some Minor Damage.                              

The Pier Was Later Purchased By A Private Company For 100,000 Pounds And Was Used To Shoot The Film " Oh What A Lovely War " Soon After This It Was Condemned As Unsafe And The Sea End Was Closed In 1971.

FIG 29. WEST PIER 3

The Shore End Was Finally Closed In 1975 And Although The West Pier Trust Tried To Start Restoration Works, And For A Time Allowed Visitors Access By Means Of A Newly Constructed Walkway, Recent Storms Have Caused Considerable Damage, So That By The End Of The Year 2002 Its Future Hangs Very Much In The Balance. 

FIG 29A. WEST PIER 4

Above A Newspaper Cutting From Happier Days On The West Pier When Thousands Would Flock To See The Likes Of Mr. Doughty, Described As The Oldest Living Actor And Clown Who Performed With His Dogs In His 91st Year,                       Distinguished As He Was For His Appearance Before Royalty.                                                                

                                                                 ( FIG 24 )                        

 Another Regular Was Professor Powsey, Seen above Performing A Daring Stunt Of Riding His Bicycle Off The Roof Of The West Pier, I Doubt Very Much That Such Antics Will Ever Be Seen Again!
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