All houses have stories to tell, about the people who lived in them and the age in which they were built. The development of Brighton, from a small fishing community to a fashionable 19th century resort, and now a cosmopolitan … Continued
The Brighton History Centre opened in Brighton Museum under the direction of Local Studies Manager, Sally Blann, in October 2003 and formed the final part of Brighton Museum’s refurbishment. During refurbishment, the local studies section had been housed in the … Continued
A hundred and ten years ago this month, the Mayor of Brighton, J E Stafford, opened, with the aid of a solid gold key, the new Library, Museum Art Gallery buildings in Church Street, Brighton. The improved facilities had been … Continued
The “Spud Octet” Visits Brighton The Mayor of Brighton (Councillor J. Talbot Nanson J.P) welcomed the “Potato Eight” to Brighton on Thursday morning. The girls are picked leaders of the Women’s League of Health and Beauty, selected from all parts … Continued
If you were searching through the back copies of the Brighton Herald and Brighton Gazette you would find few references to Halloween until the late 1940s and early 1950s. These events were unassuming compared with today’s celebrations. In 1949, a … Continued
By the 1920s Brighton Borough Council was becoming increasingly concerned about the high volume of traffic using Western Road. In fact, one particular section of the road was so congested that it had been nicknamed ‘The Dardanelles’ after the narrow strip … Continued
In March 1928, a Mr. Burdett opened a Sun-Ray Lamp studio above Benham’s the chemist at 6a Queen’s Road, Brighton. One of his adverts stated that the ‘Clarion Call to Health & Healing has been heard in the South East’ … Continued
With the 2012 Olympics opening tomorrow, it is interesting to note that Brighton can claim several connections with the Olympic Games of 1948 – the last time London was the host city. Jean Caplin took part in the Women’s 200 metre … Continued
Ninety years ago, on 24 June 1922, Brighton initiated its first carnival. It was the inspiration of Captain Arthur Applin who regarded the festivities as an opportunity to bring prosperity to Brighton at a time when the resort was experiencing … Continued
The Brighton History Centre will be presenting a free talk about life in Brighton in June 1953. Come and find out where you could have gone dancing, what films were on at Brighton’s many cinemas, where you could collect your … Continued
Nearly eighty years ago, in December 1932, the corner of Prince’s Place and North Street, in the heart of Brighton, was transformed into a piece of tranquil suburbia. Amongst the banks and department stores stood a detached Elizabethan style house … Continued
The people of Brighton and Hove were deeply shocked by the loss of ‘Titanic’ and a number of benefit concerts were held to provide aid for the widows and their children of those who had drowned. Billy Boardman, famous showman … Continued
John Harry Preston was born in Cheltenham on February 19, 1860, the son of John Preston, a solicitor’s clerk. He began his career as a teacher in London but later became a clerk in an East Indian merchant’s office. It … Continued
‘Professor’ Charles Zeidler died in Brighton in June 1937. Known as the ‘man of laughter’, he had entertained the public in Brighton for twenty years. He stood outside ‘Laughterland’, the hall of mirrors, on Brighton’s Palace Pier and laughed. He … Continued
Pearce’s Brighton Guide set out to woo the potential tourist with its bright orange cover, coloured street map, and its illustrations of the Old Steine and the Royal Pavilion. It assumed that the modern traveller would arrive by railway and … Continued
The Brighton and Hove International Exhibition opened on Monday 20 October 1889 in Hove on a site bounded by Holland Road, Rochester Gardens, Cromwell Road and the eastern boundary of the Sussex Cricket Ground. Covering three acres, it was constructed … Continued
Delegates attending the July 1911 Museums Association Conference in Brighton were greeted by a heat-wave on their arrival. So intense was the heat that the Brighton Gazette reported that: ‘Ladies refrained from promenading during the heat of the day, and … Continued
Brighton Food and Drink Festival, 1 September – 4 October 2011 A hundred years ago, a particularly fascinating dinner took place at the Royal York Hotel in Brighton. The Sussex Motor Yacht Club celebrated Oscar Morison’s achievement of being the first … Continued
Perhaps two of Brighton’s most famous street musicians were Frederick Alexander and Joseph Marcantonio. Frederick played the harp while Joseph played the violin. They played together on the streets of Brighton for 58 years until Joseph’s death in 1958. Frederick … Continued
Zippo’s Circus arrives in Brighton on the 18 August but Victorian Brightonians would have been entertained by an equally famous circus troupe run by the Ginnett family. John Ginnett was born in 1826 in Lea, Essex, son of a Frenchman, … Continued
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