Thursday 8 November 2018

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Development Of The European Rail Network During The Edwardian Period, 
Tempted Away Many Of Brighton's Wealthier Visitors To The Warmer French 
And Italian Resorts, And The Larger And More Sophisticated Spa's Of Europe. 
With The Decline In The Winter Letting Many Houses Were Turned Into Family 
Hotels And Guest Houses Catering For Short Stay Summer Visitors.

At The Turn Of The Century, The Population Stood At Around 120,000, But The 
Growth Rate Was Dropping Steadily. After 1896, Large Areas Of Down Land 
Outside The Town Boundaries Were Bought Up By The Corporation, To 
Protect Water Supplies And Limit Development.

During The Next 30 Years, Some 5,000 Hectares Were Purchased And Brighton 
Became A Major Agricultural Land Owner. Between The Wars, Much Building 
Was Carried Out On The Cheap Down Land, Which Only Became Suitable For 
Development By The Arrival Of Motor Buses, Which Could Cope With The 
Long Distance From Central Brighton And The Many Steep Hills.

Due To Low Interest Rates, A Partnership Was Formed By The Local Building 
Society And Local Builders, To Promote Large Scale Developments. 
The Center Was Grossly Overcrowded And Much Of The Housing Was In A 
Terrible State, And Many People Dreamt Of Moving To The Suburbs.

The Corporation Also Added To This Suburban Development By Building 
Some Of The Earliest Council Housing In The Country At 
Moulsecoomb,  With Intention Of Moving People Out Of The Center 
Slums. However Due To The High Rents, And Transportation Cost, 
Those Most In Need Found It Impossible To Afford The Move.

Much Of The Coastline Between Brighton And Eastbourne Was AlsoDeveloped,
Giving Birth To The New Dormitories Of Peacehaven And Saltdene. In 1928 The 
Boundaries Of Brighton Were Extended To Include Rottingdean And Patcham, 
And The Town's Area Increased From 1,100 Hectares To 5,000 Hectares.

.In Order To Make Way For The Greater Traffic Demands, Much Of Central
Brighton Was Demolished To Widen The Streets. Western Road, West Street 
And North Street ,  Were All Redeveloped With Shops, Offices And Banks, 
But This Did Little To Enhance The Architectural Quality Of The Area.
  
Since The War Years, Brighton Has Done Little To Attract New Visitors, In The 
Developing New Facilities, Or Even To Conserve The Existing Ones. The 
Marina Project, Was Hoped To Act As A Springboard For New Leisure Industry, 
But Due To Its Failure, Much Of It Has Now Been Filled In And Developed For 
Housing And Shops, And With The Addition Of Recent Amenities Bowling, 
Multiplex Cinema, Public Houses And Supermarket Now Seems To Have 
Realized Some Measure Of The Success That Was Originally Hoped For. 

The West Pier Has Been Closed For Many Years And The Wrangling Still Goes
On Over Its Future, And Although Sections Had Been Removed Due To 
Corrosion And Storm Damage, The Weather Of  Christmas 2002Has Seen Great 
Destruction To The Remain Structure, So It Looks Like Its Future Hangs 
Precariously In The Balance. The Palace Pier By Contrast Is Now A Vibrant 
Amusement Arcade And Draws Large Numbers Of Visitors Each Year. The 
Only Outdoor Swimming Pool In Brighton, Which Was Situated At Black 
Rock Has Long Been Demolished And Although There Has Been Much 
Talk About A Replacement , That's All Its Been Talk! 

Most Hotels Now Depend On The Conference Trade Due To Excellent 
Conference Facilities And Its Proximity To London, Gatwick Airport, And The
Continent. Apart From This, Its Claim As A Major Resort Has Long Since Gone, 
Although A Free Pop Concert On The Beach During The Summer Of 2002 
Attracted An Estimated Crowd Of 250,000.


In The 1960'S Sussex University Was Built At Stanmer, And The Subsequent 
Development Of Brighton Polytechnic, Now Called Brighton University, And 
Falmer College, Have Given The City A New Role As A Center For Education 
And This Attracts Many Thousands Of Overseas Students Every Year. During 
The Summer Months The Facilities Are Used By English Language Schools 
And Many Thousands Attend Every Year. During The Past Several Years 
Each Of These Sites Have Been Extensively Enlarged, To Cope With The 
Ever Increasing Demand For University Places.

Previous Attempts To Redevelop Parts Of The City Center Have Not Been Very 
Successful. The Churchill Square Complex Was A Cold Windswept 
Environment And Did Not Fit In With The Surrounding Areas.  This Has Now 
Been Completely Demolished And We Now Have A Totally New Air-Conditioned 
Shopping Mall That Attracts Many Thousands Of Shoppers From The 
Surrounding Areas Every Week, Although Parking And Getting Around 
Brighton Still Pose A Big Problem, Even With The Implementation Of Park 
And Ride Schemes. Many Other Of The Developments Erected At The Same 
Time As The Old Churchill Square Complex, Such As High Rise Flats, Were 
Built With Little, If Any, Thought Given To The Surrounding Environment. 

Failure To Provide New , Or Improved Existing Housing Stock Has Led To Bad 
Housing And Increased Homelessness, And The Scarcity Of Suitable Housing 
In Every Sector Has Made Brighton One Of The Most Expensive Cities Outside 
Of London In Which To Buy Or Rent A Home.


Developments During The Last 40 Years, Have Done Nothing To Add To The 
Charms Of Brighton, And Several Precious Things Have Been Lost. Today 
While There Is Much That Should Cause Concern :- Poor Facilities, Congested 
Traffic, Bad Housing, Brighton Still Remains A Uniquely Attractive City, 
Set In Beautiful Physical Surroundings, And Possesses A Priceless 
Architectural Heritage. But Why Take My Word For It ? There Is Much Worth 
Visiting The City Of Brighton For, So Come And See For Yourself, Enjoy The 
Delights Of A Stroll Around The Lanes, Visit The Royal Pavilion, Spend A Day 
Shopping Or Just Relax On The Beach, I'm Sure You'll Find A Visit Well Worth 
The Effort!


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