International Brighton Bits.

A pedestrianised North Street?

The temporary pedestrianisation of North Street for resurfacing has demonstrated what a difference the absence of buses makes. The air is noticeably cleaner and the general environment quieter, calmer and more relaxing. People seem less rushed and have more space to just saunter if they feel like it.

Meanwhile, along the King's Road diversion the buses are less blocked in than in North Street, there are sea breezes to disperse the fumes and plenty of space on the upper & lower promenades for pedestrians to put a distance between themselves and the traffic.

If North Street were to be permanently pedestrianised the needs of less mobile people could be met with small electric shuttle buses running between the Old Steine and the Clock Tower with perhaps a couple of intermediate stops.

If such a scheme were considered too far-reaching a useful halfway house would be to make North Street one-way west to east. Traffic emits less pollution when travelling downhill and buses would have more space to pull away at bus stops and so minimise waiting and engine idling times.

The Brighton Society

Join The Brighton Society to help protect our city.

If you contact the Society now you will receive a membership form, sample newsletter and a copy of the annual report. Membership costs £10 per year per household, £15 per organisation.

You can pay your subscription by cheque or standing order. Please remember to include your name, address, phone number and email address. Subscription address for correspondence below. Please make cheques payable to ‘The Brighton Society’.

Lyn Lynch White
Hon Treasurer, The Brighton Society
4 The Village Barn
Church Hill
Brighton
BN1 8YU

email: admin@brighton-society.org.uk

"For the Birds"

One of the best promenade events in recent years. Unmissable.

A "City Greeter" explains her job.

 . . also some interesting visuals of a part of the Lanes that isn't built yet!

Brighton Society - new website launched

In honour of the continuing work of Selma Montford and the Brighton Society, a local benefactor is providing a new web platform valued at £1,800, developed at no charge.

The new web platform is smart phone ready, comprising all the areas of the work of the society, presented in a state of the art visual interpretation which will be the best in Brighton (and Hove actually) for any amenity society in the city.

The web platform will go fully live at 5:00pm on Friday 10 February. From next week, the web platform will be developed and maintained on a weekly basis on behalf of the Brighton Society at no charge.

Brighton & Hove Revealed in Art

The online fine art collection of the Royal Pavilion & Museums contains over a thousand images covering a wide range of subjects; i.e. portraits, still life, cartoons, landscapes etc. and in the latter category there are 147 views of local topographical or historical interest.

These views can be seen at:-

Follow Delia's board Brighton & Hove Revealed on Pinterest.

( A permanent link can be found under 'Pages' in the RH column.)

Helicopter views.

Photos: M.Mackay

The storm hits Brighton seafront.

A visit to the South Downs

Brighton film director - Ben Wheatley

Films:-
Down Terrace 2009
Kill List 2011
Sightseers 2012
The ABCs of Death 2012
A Field in England 2013

Brighton in 3 minutes.

Filmed  with a rate of 15 fps and over 30,000 photos by Ash Lomas.
www.designedinbrighton.com

The 1911 coronation

100 years ago, on the 22 June 1911, the country awoke on the coronation day of King George V and Queen Mary and it seems that Brighton had eagerly seized on the excuse for a celebration.

Read more: Royal Pavilion & Brighton Museums.

Unfortunately, someone forgot to inform the weatherman; not only did the sun not shine but the celebrations were shrouded in mist throughout.

Lesbians to take Brighton hotel to court.

Two lesbians who were denied a double room at a hotel are launching a legal challenge with the help of civil liberty advocates.
Rebecca Nash and Hope Stubbings were allegedly denied the hotel room at the Brunswick Square Hotel in Brighton because it only accepted 'couples and families'.
"Laws prohibiting hotels and guesthouses from discriminating against gay men and lesbians have been in place for four years now, but clearly the message still isn't getting through," said James Welch, legal director of Liberty, which is bringing legal proceedings against the hotel on the couple's behalf.
"With the Equality Act 2010 now in force, my clients intend to show that they have as much right to enjoy a quiet weekend away together as any other couple."

Read more from article by Ian Dunt in politics.co.uk.

Spring in Brighton

A nice video from THEPODULE in 2008.

Caroline Lucas and landlords

A letter from Caroline:-

"Many thanks for your recent email and for letting me know about Shelter's campaign for national landlord accreditation. I have long called for proper regulation of letting agents and landlords, so this was one of the issues I pledged to take up with the Government if elected.

One of the first Early Day Motions I signed was about regulation of the private rented sector and it reads as follows:

That this House notes with concern the Government's decision to abandon plans for a national register of landlords and further regulation of the private rented sector; recognises that the private rented sector plays a significant role in supporting the housing market in the UK; believes that rogue landlords and letting agents continue to pose a threat to consumers in the private rented sector; further notes the statistic from the Office of Fair Trading that the number of complaints against rogue landlords and letting agents is on the rise; and calls on the Government to bring forward proposals immediately to create a national register of landlords and to propose further regulation of landlords and letting agents in the private rented sector.

I have followed this up with a number of letters to the Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, about landlord discrimination in particular and the need for tenants to be better protected.

Good landlords and letting agents have nothing to fear from regulation and as a Co Chair of the All Party Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency group I am also at the forefront of the campaign to introduce mandatory minimum energy efficiency standards for private rented homes. A quarter of private tenants live in fuel poverty and twice as many private rented properties have the worst energy rating compared to the owner-occupied sector, so this is an essential element of securing better living conditions for tenants.

I have asked the Government  to set up an online ratings website for private renters to provide feedback on the conduct of their landlords too, and Greens have called on the council to bring relevant organisations together to drive forward improvements in the city's private rented sector in order to deliver a fairer deal for tenants.

I have added my name to Shelter’s petition and will continue to do what I can to press for national landlord accreditation, as well as for Brighton’s own scheme to be improved and made compulsory."

Best wishes,
Caroline.

Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Brighton Festival 2011

Brighton Festival this year will celebrate themes of freedom of expression, liberty and the power of the individual voice in society, with  Aung San Suu Kyi as the Guest Director, presumably in a largely symbolic role.

The programme to be launched on 23rd February includes events ranging from a newly co-commissioned work by Turkish artist Kutluğ Ataman, to a revival of the acclaimed site-specific theatre commission 'The New World Order' by theatre company Hydrocracker, based on Pinter’s political plays.  Aung San Suu Kyi’s passion for Western classical music has also been reflected right across the programme and includes Beethoven’s powerful hymn to freedom Fidelio, in a concert performance with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Adam Fischer.

Highlights of the books and debate programme include: a discussion entitled ‘Article 19’ on 'Freedom of Information' and the 'Right to Know' with Julian Assange (this seems quite a coup);  Peter Taylor the BBC investigative journalist and author of Talking to Terrorists; Izzeldin Abuelaish, author of I Shall Not Hate; a debate on ‘The Future of Burma’: and an event with International PEN and Jericho House Theatre Co. called ‘Writing Freedom’.

Get your Nick Cave suit.

Nick Cave has kindly donated a number of suits to help raise funds for Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans. For more photos and full details see here.

Architectural fantasia

Red-brick and tile-hung gables of 'holiday Queen Anne' style erupt among Georgian stucco with a back drop provided by 21st century whimsy and 20th century stark modernism. 

The red-brick 'Lanes Hotel' in Marine Parade was built from 1879 onwards by architect Col. Robert Edis imitating the country-house style of his architect friend Norman Shaw. 

The Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital behind was designed 2002-04 by the 'Building Design Partnership' to be in the form of an ark, with a "nautical theme" appropriate to a seaside location. Needless to say it is on much too large a scale for this to be appreciated by the casual street-level observer, let alone the young patients. However,  much care was taken to design the interior to comfort and entertain children, and its curved white corners do harmonise well with the surrounding stucco. 

The earlier 14 storey tower block of the hospital dates from 1970. On the left of the photo, in shadow, is the new Sussex Kidney Unit.

Freemasonry

In the large meeting chamber of the Sussex Masonic Centre in Queens Road the ceiling is domed with a central light-fitting. This serves as a sun motif radiating out to signs of the zodiac around the circumference. Men of any religion or none are accepted into Freemasonry so long as they are prepared to affirm their belief in a Supreme Being.

Thomas Paine in his 1818 essay, "The Origins of Freemasonry" says that  "the christian religion and Masonry have one and the same common origin: both are derived from the worship of the Sun. The difference between their origin is, that the christian religion is a parody on the worship of the Sun, in which they put a man whom they call Christ, in the place of the Sun, and pay him the same adoration which was originally paid to the Sun."

Apparently there is no bar on a Muslim becoming a Freemason but I am not sure how they would cope with the big "G" suspended from the ceiling of one of the smaller rooms. . . .