Huntingdon House refurb.

Huntingdon House before the scaffolding

Google Earth

Following the demolition of Timpsons and work to reveal and restore the historic 17th century Pugets Cottage, Redevco’s contractor Westridge has started to refurbish Huntingdon House on North Street. Huntingdon House is named after the Countess of Huntingdon's church which was demolished in 1972.

Pre-1972

Photo:RPM

Pre-1972

Photo:RPM

Redevco started redeveloping the 1.3 acre site, which includes the former Hanningtons department store or ‘Harrods of Brighton’, in February.

A building at the rear of the site has been demolished and existing space reconfigured and significant investment and improvements should appear over the next few months including larger, bolder and more permanent signs to Meeting House Lane.

It is expected that by the end of Summer 2018, Brighton will have a new Lane and new spaces for shops, restaurants and cafes.

Architect's visualisation of the refurbished building

Kemp Town conundrum

Visitors wanting to visit Thomas Kemp's famous creation will be sadly confused by this signpost. From Ship Street, Kemp Town is at least a 25 minute smart walk or 10 minute bus ride. A five minute walk in the direction indicated will only get you to the bottom of St James's Street. Not that St. James's Street isn't worth visiting, still possessing as it does many early buildings as well as shops, bars and restaurants; but again the visitor will get no help from this sign on which St. James's Street isn't even mentioned. 

City spelling - no.1

St. Peter's church.

Vanishing Brightoniana

The last of the 50 year-old sign boards still remaining. They are believed to be the inspiration of Dr Clifford Musgrave, one-time Director of the Royal Pavilion Estate,  author of "Life in Brighton" and curator of the famous annual Regency Exhibitions. It is probably no exaggeration to say that these signs, being widely reproduced in publicity material over 50 years, have become world famous and one of Brighton's iconic symbols.
(Inevitably it has been graffitied with a stuck- on label.) 

The sign still remaining is in North Street. At the other entrances to the Lanes they have been replaced by these blue finger posts, which although more informative are devoid of any aesthetic or artistic value. Even the colour seems rather jarring in these particular areas  of the Old Town. It is ironic that while one Council Department concerns itself with improving the environment of the Lanes for the pedestrian visitor, another Department is eroding the attractiveness of the area.

"The North Laine" - Argus letter

Congratulations to Tim Price for the notice in his shop window explaining the difference between The Lanes and North Laine (The Argus, February 1).

The Brighton Society tried to do this when we attempted to get the street sign Bond Street Laine changed, but without success. Could a visit to Tim Price’s notice by all officers in the highways department of Brighton and Hove City Council be arranged as part of their continuing professional development?

Selma Montford, hon secretary, The Brighton Society

See also:- "The North Laine" explained . . .

"The North Laine" explained . . .

No further comment needed really. This window space has public-spiritedly been donated by fashion shop JuJu on the corner of Gloucester Road and Kensington Street. Well done JuJu.

Bond Street La(i)ne - Council withdraws

Council puts fingers in its ears . . .

Yesterday at a Council Planning Meeting, Brighton Society member, architect Jeremy Mustoe, was refused the opportunity to present a three minute objection to the proposed new Dome signage.

The reason for not allowing him to speak was on the basis that ‘he did not live close to the Dome’, so his view could not be considered.

What he would have said, is now published,  and can be read on the Brighton Society website here.


See also:- New signage for Dome complex

Really useful signs . . .

Contrary to the impression Brighton Bits may have given in other posts; see:-
Down with Seafront & other signs
More Street clutter on the way
Green Ridge & Coney Woods
New signage for Dome Complex,
. . . not all the signs the Council erects or allows can be classified as redundant clutter.

These novel street maps on the seafront, aligned in the direction the reader is facing, are highly readable and must be a boon to visitors. They have been up a year or two I believe and so far are withstanding the elements and moronic 'tagging', or the like, very well.

New signage for the Dome complex

The Dome entrance

Brighton Dome & Festival Ltd have submitted planning applications BH2012/01634 & 01635 for new signs on the  Church Street & New Road frontages. The object is to more clearly identify the different entrances to the four venues, The Dome, The Corn Exchange, the Pavilion Theatre (to be renamed the "Brighton Dome Studio") and the Booking Office.












At the Corn Exchange it is also proposed to remove the existing entrance canopy which was a later addition. The picture to the right is a visualisation of the new signs in position with the canopy removed









The Booking Office in New Road is to be painted black which will make it look rather like a funeral parlour. Perhaps not the best choice for the important focal point of an entertainment complex in a pleasure-orientated seaside city.









All the new signs feature a gratuitous oversized capital 'D'. As an eye-catching feature this would be acceptable if incorporated in the word 'Dome', but floating about as an entirely separate entity, it seems somewhat pretentious.

The planning applications also give details of new signs in similar style for the interior of the Dome, Corn Exchange and Dome Studio.

Bond Street Laine - Council withdraws

Earlier post:- Bond Street La(i)ne - nameplate change update

A single complaint against the City Council's proposal to correct the spelling of "laine" was received by the Magistrates Court, and the preliminary hearing of this complaint was held at the court last Thursday. 

From the nature of the magistrates' questions as to why the Council was pursuing the name change, it was the opinion of the Council's lawyer that  the Court would find against the Council at the full hearing. Essentially it seems that the magistrates' view was that the change would be for cosmetic reasons only and not as a result of confusion. 

Should the matter proceed to a full hearing and the Council be unsuccessful the objector, Mr Roy Pennington, would be entitled to ask the Court for a costs order against the Council which is likely to be for the £500 setting down fee Mr Pennington would be obliged to pay prior to the hearing.

The Council says that, in order to pursue a case at court, they have to consider whether the decision to pursue would pass the public interest test. In view of the likelihood that Mr Pennington's complaint will be upheld at the full hearing and the consequential cost to the public purse the Council will be attending Court next week to agree to the complaint thereby effectively ending the matter.

Presumably, but for the one complaint, the name change would have gone ahead without problems. It is strange that practically everyone in Brighton, including the Council, is in favour of the change but it seems impossible to get it done.  One wonders if the Council would consider making a second mistake. Simply put up a new nameplate with the "i" missing.

Danger signs

St. James's Street shoppers pass to and fro under this fascia quite unconcernedly and at first sight it could just be taken for an eye-catching gimmick. However the nearer end with the cantilevered display panel is drooping much more than the further end.  Evidently the extra weight and windage, coupled with the recent gales, have tested sub-standard fixings to the limit. 

Will it survive a further storm I wonder?

Old Town traffic

Prince Albert Street.
The section in the foreground could be closed to traffic.

The Council's proposals for Old Town traffic improvement includes some interesting background information:-

• Currently a significant proportion of traffic in the Old Town is through traffic, with 40% of vehicles entering the Old Town via Ship Street leaving within five minutes. 
• On a typical Saturday an average of 200 vehicles an hour drive in to the Old Town, compared with 600 pedestrians entering using East Street alone.

These are street layouts that developed long before age of the motor car and it seems inequitable that the comfort and safety of modern day pedestrians should be compromised by large numbers of cars in search of a limited  number of parking spaces. Neither is the Old Town on a through route to the nearest multi-story car park, i.e. "The Lanes" in Black Lion Street, which is accessed from King's Road.

In both its proposals A & B, the Council suggests closure of Ship Street at the North Street end. This seems an essential first step.
Option A further calls for restricted access from the seafront via Middle Street,  Ship Street & Black Lion Street; restricted access would allow for deliveries, residents, parking, taxis & emergency.
Option B allows free access from the seafront but closes to traffic the small length of Prince Albert Street between Ship Street & Black Lion Street.

As the restricted access of Option A would be difficult to enforce it seems likely that Option B would produce the most noticeable improvement for pedestrians. But one also wonders why an Option C is not on the table, i.e. Option B together with restricted access from the seafront.

Revival for "West Laine"?

According to the Regency Society of Brighton & Hove a proposal has been submitted to the Council to give the area around Preston Street, off the Western Road, its historic name of "West Laine". The area would be clearly identified with street signs with the object of helping to promote regeneration, as in the now-flourishing North Laine.

This surely makes it all the more important that the current campaign to maintain the correct meaning of "laine" is successful otherwise we would soon be hearing about the "West Laines" or reading about the "West Lanes" in estate agents windows. 

Bond Street La(i)ne - nameplate change update

The proposed change to the Bond Street La(i)ne nameplate to correct the spelling has today been put out to a new consultation.  Someone apparently queried the wording of the original public notice. The only material difference between the original and new notices is a change  in the definition of the time period allowed for objections to be lodged.

The original notice read:- "Any person aggrieved by the intended order may within 21 days of the date of this notice appeal to Brighton Magistrates Court etc."
The new notice reads:- "Any person aggrieved by the intended order may within 21 consecutive days after the date of this notice appeal to Brighton Magistrates Court etc. "

The first version was apparently interpreted as 21 working days whereas the Court works on 21 consecutive days. Somebody putting in an objection at the last minute might have been told it fell outside the allotted time period of 21 consecutive days.

The Public Notice posted today.

It seems likely that the Order will in fact go to the Magistrates Court. It is possible to see that some residents might be put to some inconvenience and expense by the name change. As the original misspelling was a result of an unfortunate recommendation by the Borough Engineer in 1981 one hopes some compensation might be on offer to residents so affected.

Orignal paper provided by the Borough Engineer for the Highways & Transport Committee meeting on 17th August 1981

Brighton Then (1980s) & Now

A fascinating photo resource posted by Bongo Pete on Facebook.

More street clutter on the way . . .

From a City Council press release:-

Twelve one way streets in the North Laine area of Brighton could be opened up for cycling in both directions, under proposals being considered by Brighton & Hove City Council's Environment, Transport and Sustainability Cabinet Member Meeting (CMM) on March 27.


The roads being considered (see list under notes to editors) all currently have 20mph speed limits, and signs and road markings would be used to ensure cyclists and other road users share the streets safely.


Councillor Ian Davey, the city council's Cabinet Member for Transport and Public Realm, said: "The proposals are all about making the whole area more accessible for cyclists, and making it easier for people to get to the shops and businesses in the North Laine. . . . They will also address the concerns raised by local residents and businesses regarding cyclists who use pavements and twittens, by permitting people to cycling legally on the street."


He added: "A lot of people already cycle in both directions along these one-way streets, putting in the necessary safety measures of signs and road markings would help make sure all road users are aware of the shared use."

 . . . Presumably this is just to satisfy some bureacratic mind somewhere and let cyclists go on doing legally what they do anyway. No one in the North Laine, including motorists, seem to read road signs.

See: English Heritage - "Save your Street".
From the archive:- "Down with seafront & other signs."

The King & Queen (not)

One can entirely sympathise with public houses doing all they can to attract custom but the King & Queen management has surely blundered in putting up this banner so soon. Passers-by are hardly likely to remember this information for 3 months; and, even were the banner to remain, it will, by that time, be looking saggy and shabby.  If, on the other hand, they had delayed until the end of June, the banner would have the impact of immediacy and, by the time the 'powers-that-be' had realised it didn't have planning permission, the Olympics would be over.

The King lost half his Queen last year when she split longitudinally from head to feet. The remaining half was removed a few weeks ago. If the first half has not been spirited away by a souvenir hunter it will be a simple matter to join the two halves together again. Whatever, the pub is grade II listed in the Valley Gardens conservation area, and the King is looking very lonely. One hopes the Queen will be restored soon by any means.

"Laine" or "lane" - Argus gets involved

See:- "Laine" or "lane" - Brighton Street name controversy 

The Argus makes the point that a new nameplate will cost £250. Of course a new nameplate is not strictly necessary, Once the Post Office has accepted the new name the old one will officially cease to exist. The existing nameplate could be left in position with the "i" painted out. It would be a good talking point for tourist guides to pause at.

The Argus also kindly provides a poll "Should Bond Street Laine be renamed?" Yes or No?

Bond Street La(i)ne nameplate - the consultation begins

Click image to read

The effective starting date is 20th February and anyone aggrieved by the the proposed name change has 21 days from that date to lodge an appeal. If no objections are received the change of name will take place sometime after the 21st March.

See last previous post and read whole story from here.

The Bond Street La(i)ne nameplate - The Brighton Society acts . . .

The Brighton Society has formally applied to the Council for the spelling of 'Laine' to be corrected to 'Lane'.

Read full story here:- The 'Bond Street Laine' street nameplate.

See also Brighton Bits post here.