Eastern Western Road - Then & Now

Then being sometime after the Regent Ballroom, whose domed roof can be seen rising above Queens Road, was built in 1923; and sometime before the properties on the far-left were demolished for road-widening and construction of the Imperial Arcade building in 1934.

Now being November 2010:-

What was, for many years, a narrow bottleneck, has long gone. The broken yellow line in the foreground corresponds approximately in the earlier photo to the, then rare, road centre markings. These can just be seen by the offside wheel of the approaching van.

The only features still remaining are the Clock Tower, and the Soper's building (1901) on the right, although in common with most other old buildings in Brighton it has lost its flagpoles. On its ground floor Sopers once had a mini-arcade of elegant curved glass and wood display windows, and free-standing enclosures. When Sopers moved out, in the 1960's, these windows were removed to the Museum where they formed inspired display cases for the costume collection.  Sadly, when the Museum was given its millenium makeover  these were jettisoned in favour of the tedious, ill-lit arrangements we have today.

White Night

Brighton was more than usually  the place to be on Saturday evening. People of all ages seemed to have turned out in record numbers, many in fancy dress, to enjoy the mild, windless evening and enter into the spirit of the occasion.

The Lanes Ghost Walk had a huge following: table tennis was being played in New Road: a large queue snaked around the Pavilion Gardens waiting to enter the Royal Pavilion: and the Dome Foyer Bar, with atmosphere transformed by continually changing coloured lighting, was doing a roaring trade.

Dream Machine - BANG at Marlborough House

Urban Enlightenment - Ben Gold, Jubilee Square

In the Epiphany Dome in Kensington Street people were invited to record their personal life-changing epiphanies  . . . . . .








 . . .which were then projected on to the wall of an adjacent buildings.




These were just a few of the 60 separate events or activities. I was told by an eye-witness that at 6.30 am this morning people were still dancing at the Bandstand. That counts as a successful evening I think.

Last days of the West Pier

The death of the West Pier was a long, drawn-out affair but this must have been one of the last postcards to illustrate it in full use with people strolling up and down and enjoying the sun, sea air and views of the historic Brighton & Hove seafront. Sussex Heights behind the Metropole was finished in 1966, and the rhenish helm-topped clock tower of the Clifton Road Congregational Church can just be seen on the horizon on the centre-line of the pier. This church, designed by Thomas Simpson, was demolished in 1972. The pier was finally closed to the public in 1975.

What is particularly remarkable about this picture is the apparently good condition of the pier just a few years before closure. It was at this time owned by AVP Industries who took over the West Pier Company in 1965. AVP was also responsible for Sussex Heights and the decapitation of the Metropole. It is ironic that for a small fraction of the millions spent on these projects and a less negative attitude from the Council the Pier might have been saved and become as important to Brighton's unique architectural heritage as the Royal Pavilion.

Station 'Greenway' update

A conservation area, the Greenway, (see earlier post) which runs from the New England railway bridge to Brighton Station, is designed to be an “attractive green space” in the middle of the city, and was approved as part of the New England Quarter masterplan as a public right of way. However it has remained blocked off at the northern end while the Council and Network Rail have been negotiating the public access to  the Grade II listed bridge across New England Road.

A council spokesman said: “We’re still tying up the legal ends with Network Rail, finalising a licence whereby they grant the public access across their bridge and land.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said: ” We have been working with Brighton and Hove City Council and other parties in relation to the Northern Greenway scheme. We are satisfied all outstanding issues are being resolved and we are now in a position to move forward.”

From the the Prestonville Postblog, latest comment on: New England Greenway - Still going nowhere.

Preston Park Parking update

Since the earlier Brighton Bits posts here and here an ePetition signed by 2200 people has been presented to the City Council who has now decided to set up a working party. The Argus report and many lively comments can be read here.