News from The Keep
It has been several months since we wrote about the closure of Brighton History Centre on this blog, but the start of a new year seems a good moment to remind you that our collections are once again accessible to … Continued
Closure of Brighton History Centre
On Saturday 30 March 2013, Brighton History Centre closed its doors to the public for the last time. It was a sad day – for staff and customers – but it also marked a turning point, a time to look … Continued
The Murder of Celia Holloway
Truth, we know, is sometimes stranger than fiction, and the murder of Celia Holloway is a case in point – her short life and gruesome death contain more grisly detail than most crime novels. Celia was working in service in … Continued
Brighton’s first MPs
On 13 December 1832, residents of Brighton elected their own members of parliament for the first time. It’s interesting to note that the newly enfranchised town’s first representatives were men known to hold what at the time were seen as … Continued
Get your skates on…
The skating season is upon us again (the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink opens tomorrow), so it seemed a good moment to share these beautiful images of Brighton skaters in years gone by. These pictures, both of which appeared in Page’s … Continued
Streets of Brighton: Pimlico, Pym’s Gardens and Orange Row
Anyone who saw the BBC’s fascinating Secret History of our Streets series earlier this year will know just how much we can learn about the past from the buildings and neighbourhoods around us. That series focused on London, but the … Continued
The Vaccination Controversy — Brighton, 1871
Yet again, a news report from the past to remind us that the issues making the papers today are by no means new. On 25 May 1871, in the midst of a smallpox epidemic, the Brighton Gazette published a short … Continued
Kicking up a Storm: Weather in Brighton
Talking about the weather is a cliché, but it is something we do a great deal of in the UK. When we aren’t lamenting the passing of yet another disappointing summer, we are discussing the impact – locally and globally – of … Continued
Brighton’s Beaches and Bathing Pools
Stylish, flamboyant and fun, Brighton has evolved over hundreds of years from a tiny fishing community into a vibrant, modern ‘city by the sea’. Today, Brighton is identified with many things – its festival, universities and fine Regency architecture among … Continued
The Royal Stables and Riding House
It’s difficult to imagine Brighton without the Royal Pavilion, its most iconic building. But there was a time in the 1840s – when Queen Victoria chose not to retain it as her seaside residence – that its future was in real doubt. … Continued
Olympic Display
References to the Olympics seem to be everywhere at the moment, some cropping up in the unlikeliest places! Searching recently for an exhibition catalogue from the 1950s, I discovered details of an Olympic Games Philatelic Exhibition held here at Brighton … Continued
Palace Pier
Brighton’s Palace Pier, originally known as Brighton Marine Palace and Pier, opened to the public for the first time on 20 May 1899. The pier was not actually complete on this date. Like many ambitious schemes, its construction had been … Continued
Brighton’s Royal Revels: Coronation Day in Brighton
With jubilee celebrations planned around the country, staff at Brighton History Centre have been finding out about life in the city at the time of the Queen’s Coronation. Using cuttings from local papers and ephemera from our collections, we have … Continued
The Perambulator Nuisance
In October 1890, a nursemaid named Eliza Stopher was brought before the Brighton Borough bench. Her crime? According to a report published in the Brighton Gazette, she was pushing a pram on the pavement in East Street. What’s more, when … Continued
Aubrey Beardsley (1873-1898)
On 16 March 1898, Brighton-born artist Aubrey Beardsley died of tuberculosis at just 25 years of age. Much has been written about the latter part of his short life but, for local historians here in Brighton, his early years are … Continued
Pink Floyd at the Dome
Forty years ago, on 20 January 1972, rock band Pink Floyd came to Brighton to perform at The Dome. This wasn’t their first show in the town, nor even their debut performance at The Dome; what makes it stand out … Continued
Brighton Rock — the film’s opening night
The world premiere of Brighton Rock, the original film of Graham Greene’s novel starring Richard Attenborough, took place in Brighton on 8 January 1948. The hotly anticipated screening was held at midnight at the Savoy Cinema in East Street. At … Continued
Dorothy Stringer (1894-1977)
On 19 December 1968, Dorothy Stringer was granted Freedom of the Borough of Brighton. She was only the second woman to have been honoured in this way but, given her record of service to the town, it must have come … Continued
Henry D Roberts (1870 – 1951)
Few people have been as closely associated with the cultural life of Brighton in the early 20th century as Henry D Roberts, who moved to the town in 1906 and was involved with our public library, museums and art galleries … Continued
