Category: Local History

Photograph of Old Steine, 1940s.

The Old Steine was originally an area of green land where fishermen would dry their nets and stow boats. As Brighton became a growing seaside resort, the area became lined with housing for wealthy residents.

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Photograph of Hanningtons Depository.

The drapery shop Hanningtons opened on 25 July 1808, at the bottom of North Street. In 1816 the owner, Smith Hannington, received an inheritance from his mother which allowed him to purchase further retail property on the street. The business continued to expand through the 19th century and became Brighton’s largest department store.

The depository in this photograph was constructed in 1901 and used to store goods that could be transported to the shop when necessary.

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Photograph of Lancing College.

Lancing College was founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard, a Church of England priest. It was the first of eleven schools to be founded by Woodard across England with an education system based upon ‘sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly founded in the Christian faith’.

The chapel in the background of the photograph had its foundation stone laid down in 1868 and was designed by R H Carpenter and William Slater. The chapel remains unfinished to this day.

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Photograph of Embassy Court Brighton

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Postcard of the Sunken Gardens in Brighton, looking west towards the Peace Angel.

The peace angle is a memorial to Edward VII, sculpted by Newbury Abbott Trent. Newbury attended the Royal College of Art and Royal Academy Schools, and went on to create numerous statues, including the Angel of Peace in Bath.

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Photograph of Hodshrove Road, Moulsecoomb under construction, 1930s.

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Photograph of the Scala Cinema, c1922.

This cinema first opened as the Electric Bioscope in January 1909 after the existing shop was converted to a cinema. It was acquired by George Beyfus in 1922 who changed its name to Scala.

Although its name changed several times, it remained in operation as a cinema until c31 August 1979. The last film shown here was Disney’s  The Spaceman and King Arthur.

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Photograph of the entrance to the Aquarium, early 1900s.

Although chiefly designed by Eugenius Birch, the clock tower, gateway and toll-houses at the entrance to the Aquarium were added by T Boxall in October 1874. They were removed during modernisation work in the 1920s and replaced by two square kiosks.

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Brighton Clock Tower, c1905. Postcard.

A competition was held in 1881 to design a clock tower for Brighton, which was won by Henry Branch and Thomas Simpson . However, the cost of around £1000 to £1500 dissuaded the council from building it.

A clock tower was eventually built in the proposed location in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. It was funded by James Willing, a local advertising contractor, who gifted £2000 for its construction.

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