A New View

The Hannington Lane development has fortuitously opened up a nicely framed view of the copper-clad, dolphin-crowned spire of the Street Thai restaurant in Brighton Square.

This passageway always existed but was gated and passed under the first floor of 16 Brighton Square. Credit to the architect who has opted not to reinstate the first floor in this area and so provided this engaging new perspective.

Lanes Lights 2017

7 Ship Street Gardens - update 2

Proposals (BH2015/02264) for redevelopment of 7 Ship Street Gardens to provide office premises were finally approved in Aug 2015. Work on site has now started.

Architect's impression of the development

The siting of an office on a twitten obviously dictated the need for some privacy & security. Local architects Morgan Carn Partnership have provided this while respecting the ambience of the Gardens. A flint wall over-topped with greenery is similar to that existing elsewhere in Ship Street Gardens.

See also: 7 Ship Street Gardens - update

A Brighton twitten

"Twitten is an old Sussex dialect word, used in both East and West Sussex, for small passageways leading between two buildings to courtyards, streets, or open areas behind. Its origins are not clear, it is suggested it may be a corruption of ‘betwixt’ and ‘between’. It is early 19th century and is perhaps related to the low German ‘twiete’, meaning an alley or a lane."

My Brighton & Hove

Collins Dictionary dates it somewhat earlier:-

Crown Gardens

Looking north along Crown Gardens

30 Crown Gardens looking south

Crown Gardens is one of Brighton's famous twittens running between North Road and Church Street, and lying parallel to Queen's Road, which it probably predates. According to the Encyclopaedia of Brighton it was built in the 1820's for employees of the Royal Pavilion and Stables.  To the left of the twitten in the top photo, the original bow-windowed cottages have been replaced by a modern terrace backing on to Kew Street. However on the right hand side several original houses still remain including no.30 and an old length of walling.

Most of the old properties appear in good conditon and occupied but no. 30 has been allowed to fall into disrepair and the inevitable application to demolish has been filed; see planning application BH2012/02601. This calls for the replacement of no.30, and its 'back' yard, with a terrace of 3 modern terraced houses. The ancient wall will disappear. 

So the sanitisation of old Brighton moves inexorably on . . .