THE EARLY DAYS CONTINUED

FIG 5. SHIP STREET GARDENS

Between 1550 And 1640, The Town's Population Soared From Around 1,000 To 4,000, Causing The Infilling Of Existing Streets To Cope With The      High Demand For Housing.   ( FIG 5 & 6. )

                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

  FIG 6. BLACK LION LANE

It Was During This Time That The Layout Of The Streets, Which Today Form The Old Town, Became Established Within The Square Contained By North Street, West Street, East Street And The Cliff Front.  ( FIG 7 - 10 )

FIG 7. NORTH STREET

These Streets Cover An Area Of Some 25 Hectares, And Were The Limit Of The Urban Development Until The End Of The 18th Century. Within This Square The Main Streets, Middle Ship And Black Lion All Ran From South To North, Containing Between Them Substantial Areas Of Open Space.                     ( FIG. 1, 2, AND 11. )

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

     FIG 8. NORTH STREET

The Parish Church Of St. Nicholas,Stood Alone On A Low Hill To The Northwest Of Town. During The 1640'S, Fifty Boats Sailed Every Year To Partake In The Yarmouth Herring Fisheries. Due To Falling Catches And Constant Attack's From Dutch And French Naval Vessels, The Industry Came Under Serious Threat.

             

FIG 9.WEST STREET

Brighton Was Also Suffering Serious Erosion, And Many Boats Were Moved To Shoreham. The Decline Was Very Rapid In The 1680'S, Only Thirty Boats Remained, And By 1697 Only Four Boats Sailed To Yarmouth.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

   FIG 10. EAST STREET

To Combat This, Brighton Tried To Develop A Major Role In Coastal Trading, But Cargo Boats Needed Small Crews, And The Fleet Was Too Small To Absorb All The Work Force, Even Though It Was The Biggest Fleet On The South Coast. Eventually, This Industry Failed Due To Strong Competition From The East Coast, And As Unemployment Continued To Rise, Many People Moved Away To London, And Some Joined The Royal Navy.

               

By 1700, Brighton Was In A Very Bad Way, Coastal Erosion Forced The Market Place To Be Moved To A Site In Black Lion Street, Close To Where The Ramada Hotel Now Stands Attempts To Stop This Erosion By Means Of Groins Failed, Due Mainly To Lack Of Funds. 

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