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1__ 33 Palmeira Mansions Sumptuous Victorian splendour
If you think the interior of the Royal Pavilion (see ch. 24) is mindbogglingly over the top, test your tolerance for extravagance with a trip to nearby Hove, where an elegant building overlooking Palmeira Square is a little-known example of lavish late-19th-century interior design. Palmeira Mansions, twin blocks of four-storey Italianate houses, were built in 1883 – 84 to designs by H. J. Lanchester. In 1878, no. 33, on the corner of Church Street and Salisbury Road, was given a higher listed building status (II*) than the others on the grounds of its magnificent interior. Arthur William Mason, a young and recent widower who had become rich through developing his father’s ink manufacturing business, bought the house in 1889. Shortly after he moved in he made some changes to the exterior and transformed the interior completely. Shunning designers, he went entirely with his own taste and desire to show off. The result was an eclectic high-Victorian interior comprising Moorish features, fine furniture, coffered ceilings, embossed wallpaper and all mod cons, including electricity. The grand hallway boasts a marble staircase and is clad in pink alabaster tiles. On the first floor, you find perhaps the most beautiful window in Brighton – an alcove decorated with brightly coloured stained glass. Other gems include a delicate glass overmantel by F & C Osler and hearth tiles by William de Morgan. Most of the furnishings of the building were sold off in 1941 after Mason’s death, but much of the interior has survived. It is now owned by The English Language School and is one of only a few grand 19th-century buildings that has not been divided into flats. Historian Jackie Marsh-Hobbs has researched the building extensively and gives guided tours. All tour proceeds go towards the restoration of the building, predominantly carried out by volunteers. 10
Address Church Road, BN3 2GB, +44 (0)1273 721771, www.elc-schools.com/about/elcbrighton/palmeira-mansions; for tours contact Jackie Marsh-Hobbs: jackiemh@fsmail.net | Getting there 15-minute walk from Hove Railway Station; many buses to Palmeira Square, then 3-minute walk | Hours Drop-in guided tours every first Sun of the month at 11am. Private tours can be arranged by email. The building is also usually included in the annual Brighton & Hove Open Door days in May. | Tip Look out for the attractive coal hole covers in the pavement outside the house. From here it is just a short stroll down to Hove seafront, past the grandeur of Palmeira Square and Adelaide Crescent.
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2__ Afloat
A hole through which to see the world
Since the early 1990s, Brighton has been commissioning new and exciting public art for the city. Quite a few pieces of recent sculpture are located on or near the seafront. This one, a massive bronze cast of a torus (a geometric shape of a three-dimensional ring) occupies a space between land and sea – at the tip of a groyne (low sea wall) just west of Brighton Pier. Created in 1998, Afloat, endearingly nicknamed ‘the donut’, was made by Sussex sculptor Hamish Black, who predominantly works on a large scale in steel, bronze, iron and other materials. His work often has strong site-specific and local relevance. He once made a huge sculpture called Black Blackbird, created from one of the old elms felled in Brighton by the hurricane of 1987. Afloat may look like a donut at first sight and, quite appropriately for Brighton, has an air of fun about it, but despite its monumental scale it is a subtle and moving work of art, especially when viewed close up. The small hole in its centre creates focussed framed views of either land or sea, depending on your vantage point. The piece has acquired a mossy green patina and invites you to touch it. It is often scribbled and graffitied on, but this only adds to its tactile nature. If you look closer you can make out the cut-out shapes of continents adrift on the surface, as well as longitudinal lines radiating from the hole. Afloat was in fact designed by pressing the south and north poles of a globe together to form the shape of a torus. It symbolically links land, sea and sky. Afloat has a become a popular place for rendezvous, selfies, and even the odd marriage proposal. Most importantly, it is a piece of art that makes us stop in our tracks, laugh or reflect, and look at the world around us in a slightly different way. Try and catch crashing waves in a storm or a glowing sunset sky through that hole. 12
Address On the groyne c.20 metres west of Brighton Pier, Madeira Drive, BN2 1TW, www.hamishblack.com/afloat | Getting there 5-minute walk from the Royal Pavilion; many bus routes to Old Steine | Hours Always accessible | Tip A few minutes’ walk west along the seafront is Passacaglia, a 20-tonne cast-iron abstract sculpture by Charles Hadcock, rising to five metres in height and resembling a large wave or the hull of a ship.
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3__ Angel of Peace A tale of two city-halves
Walk west along the seafront, past the large 19th-century hotels, the West Pier ruin (see ch. 91) and the i360 (see ch. 15) and you see the esplanade opening up into the Hove Lawns, a large green space between the beach and busy Kingsway. You are about to enter Hove, originally a separate development along the Sussex coast, probably, like Brighton, a small fishing village in the Middle Ages. Nowadays it is hard to tell where the border between Brighton and Hove runs, and since 1997 they have been a unitary authority. Here on the seafront though, there are some clear historic markers of the city’s two halves. On the Brighton/Hove border is a tall piece of public sculpture known affectionately as the ‘Angel of Peace’. Its official name is Peace Statue. It was erected here in 1912 as a monument to King Edward VII, also known as Bertie, who had died in 1910. In his relatively brief reign (1901 – 10) he became known for his diplomatic skills, acting as a negotiator between several European countries in their disputes, and was called ‘the peacemaker’. This statue recognised his efforts and achievements, and was intended as a symbol of hope for continued world peace, commissioned jointly by Brighton and Hove. Sadly, Europe plunged into war just a couple of years later, precisely as Edward had feared. The bronze statue, designed by Newbury Abbot Trent, is a realistic, large-scale depiction of a beautiful angel standing on a globe, facing the city, her back and enormous wings turned to the sea. She holds symbols of peace in her hands, an orb and an olive branch, the latter raised high above her head. The figure stands on a tall stone pedestal with a three-stepped base, adding to its height and impact. It is a beautiful expression of peace, calm and unity, and looks particularly stunning silhouetted against the early morning sky or at sunset. 14
Address Kingsway, BN3 2WN | Getting there 20-minute walk from Brighton Railway Station; many buses to Norfolk Square | Hours Always accessible | Tip The outdoor Meeting Place Café just behind the Angel of Peace is a true Brighton (and Hove!) institution. There has been a café here since the 1930s. It serves customers from dawn till dusk and hardy souls can be seen drinking tea here in the fiercest of weather conditions. The kiosk even withstood the hurricane of 1987, as did its customers (themeetingplacecafe.co.uk).
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4__ Anna’s Museum A teenager’s cabinet of curiosities
Turn your back on the predictable line-up of big chain stores on Western Road and in Churchill Square, and instead walk along the parallel road, Upper North Street. Pleasing enough with its whitewashed Georgian and Victorian residential buildings, its southern side is dotted with a number of quirky houses worth investigating, and one is very special indeed. No. 44 is now a private house but was once a shop of some kind and still boasts a protruding shop window which is dressed in a most peculiar and endearing fashion. It houses Anna’s Museum, described by the still teenaged Anna as ‘a small private collection of mostly natural history finds’. Growing up a stone’s throw from the beach and within walking distance of the Booth Museum of Natural History (see ch. 12) clearly had a profound impact on her. Anna’s family had been using the old shop window for various topical displays for years (it’s a bit of a tradition in Brighton – check out the ‘Living Advent Calendar’ each December in nearby St Nicholas Road, for example), but when young Anna developed a particular interest in natural history and taxidermy she turned it into a showcase for her passion. Passers-by can now marvel at objects including fossils, feathers, skins, wasps’ nests and skulls found in Sussex and other places, as well as fully-fledged examples of taxidermy, all neatly labelled and reminiscent of a 19th-century museum display or an 18th-century cabinet of curiosities. Anna’s museum also includes gifted objects, some sent by strangers from distant places, so a local herring gull may sit next the skin of an exotic snake. The display is constantly changing and one wonders how it will develop as its creator grows older and develops her skills. She is already a talented taxidermist – perhaps the youngest in the country – and the magnificent seagull in the window is one of her works. 16
Address 44 Upper North Street, BN1 3FH | Getting there 12-minute walk from Brighton Railway Station; many buses to Churchill Square, then 5-minute walk | Hours House not open to the public, but the window display is always visible. | Tip Continue further up the road to enjoy independent shops, studios and family-run cafés, such as the long-standing Billie’s (34 Hampton Place) with its excellent breakfast and brunch menu featuring its famous hash browns.
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5__ Aubrey Beardsley’s Birthplace Master of line and naughtiness
Of all the illustrious people who have a connection with Brighton, the artist Aubrey Beardsley, a contemporary of playwright Oscar Wilde, is perhaps the most notorious, and one of the most interesting. Beardsley was part of the ‘Aesthetic Movement’, a group of artists and writers in the later 19th century that celebrated beauty, eroticism, and ‘art for art’s sake’. Unsurprisingly, this came with a heavy dose of decadence and scandal. His largely black-and-white graphic work is clear and elegant, heavily influenced by Japanese aesthetics, combining sinuous lines with unflinchingly sexual motifs. He provided illustrations for works as diverse as Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata and Oscar Wilde’s play Salome. He also worked for popular magazines and was a co-founder of the literary periodical The Yellow Book, for which he designed many covers. This wild child of the art scene was born in Brighton on 21 August, 1872, a stone’s throw from Brighton Railway Station (see ch. 14), in the home of his maternal grandfather. The house (and its lovely commemorative plaque to the ‘Master of Line’) is now 31 Buckingham Road, but was once number 12. Many people assume he was born in a maternity hospital that stood at the other end of Buckingham Road, and miss the actual house. He did, however, have a connection with the hospital, as it was formerly Brighton Grammar School. Young Beardsley attended in the 1880s, and here his talents were first recognised. Beardsley was an eccentric and provocative artist, keen to shock and shake up Victorian society with erotic and often pornographic images. His association with Oscar Wilde cost him his position at The Yellow Book. He was sacked after Wilde was convicted of sodomy in 1895, and his health deteriorated soon after. In March 1898 he died of tuberculosis, aged only 25. 18
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50__ London Road Viaduct Rastrick’s challenge: an indestructible bridge
The arrival of the railway in Brighton in the 1840s was an occasion of great significance (see ch. 14). After the London-Brighton line opened, visitor numbers increased dramatically, and the town expanded rapidly. It was not only the rail link that added to the business of the town, but also the Railway Engineering Works to the north of Brighton Railway Station, which looked after the railway stock and manufactured carriages and locomotives. By the 1890s, it employed more than 2,500 people. Even before the main line opened, the London and Brighton Railway Act had authorised the creation of branches going west to Shoreham and east to Lewes and Newhaven. The line to Lewes opened in June 1846, with an intermediary stop at Falmer. The construction of the coast way branches was overseen by the inimitable railway architect John Urpeth Rastrick, whose huge tomb in the shape of a railway turntable in the Extra-Mural Cemetery (see ch. 28) is symbolic of his impact on Brighton. Rastrick’s challenge was the large steep-sided valley east of Brighton Railway Station, which could only be overcome by creating an artificial embankment or a viaduct. He decided on a viaduct, despite public criticism, and built the imposing, gently curving railway bridge to the north-east of the station. It is an eye-popping feat of Victorian engineering, and one of the largest viaducts in the country. Constructed with more than 10 million red and yellow bricks, it bridges the valley at a length of 370 metres. Its 27 spans reach a height of 20 metres. Astonishingly, it took only 10 months to build. Until the 1870s, the viaduct would have stood gloriously in open fields, but the city’s expansion was unstoppable. It looks indestructible, but German bombs hit it in 1943, leaving the railway lines dangling in mid-air. However, it was repaired in record time. Look for slightly darker bricks to see the repairs. 108
Address Stretches east from Brighton Railway Station. Nearest postcode for the Preston Road site: BN1 4QG | Getting there 10-minute walk from Brighton Railway Station; bus 5, 5A, 17, 270, 271, 272, 273 to Springfield Road. Any trains going east will go over the viaduct and sometimes stop on it. | Tip A few steps north along Preston Road is the southern tip of Preston Park, where you find a scented rose garden with approximately 4,000 old-fashioned shrub roses and herbaceous borders, overlooked by the charming Rotunda Café, built in 1929.
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51__ Madeira Lift
Victorian hydraulics take you to greater heights
Brighton has always had a problem with the sea claiming the land (see ch. 88). Erosion and landfalls were particular problems east of the Steine, where the chalk cliffs rise tall from the beach. In the late 18th century, Brighton wanted and needed to expand eastward, so developers made plans for a sea wall to protect the area from crumbling. In 1830, shortly after the Chain Pier had been built just south of what is now the Sea Life Centre, the engineer Thomas Cooper constructed a massive sea wall out of an early form of concrete. Over the decades the Victorians extended and strengthened both it and the eastern esplanades. At beach level, the east cliff road along the wall is called Madeira Drive, while the upper esplanade is known as Marine Parade. Then and now, these are the sunniest spots in Brighton, with far-reaching views over the sea. Between 1889 and 1897, Borough Surveyor Philip Lockwood built the magnificent cast-iron Madeira Terrace, with balustrades and viewing platforms at upper levels and a continuous arcade, stretching 850 metres, along the foot of the wall. The arches are beautifully ornamented with keystones depicting Neptune and Venus, but have been neglected for many years. Parts of it are now in danger of collapsing and it is a race against time to save them. They look glorious, even in their sorry state of decay. However, one part of the greater Madeira Terrace structure was recently restored: the lift linking Marine Parade with Madeira Drive at what is now the Concorde 2 live music club (originally a shelter hall). It opened in 1890 and was operated hydraulically, taking thousands of seaside visitors each year down to the beach or back up to street level. It now operates again during the warmer months, taking you straight inside the club. It gives hope that perhaps the council will succeed in restoring the rest of Madeira Terrace to its former glory. 110
Address Concorde 2, 286A Madeira Drive, BN2 1EN, +44 (0)1273 673311, www.concorde2.co.uk, hello@concorde2.co.uk | Getting there 15-minute walk from the Royal Pavilion; bus 12, 12A, 14, 27, 27B, 271, 272 to Burlington Street or Bedford Street | Hours The lift operates Easter – Sep 9.30am – 7.30pm. For Concorde 2 opening times see website. | Tip If you walk along the eastern side of Brighton Pier, you get a good view of the Terrace and Madeira Drive. Imagine it as a fashionable equestrian promenade before the motorised age. At very low tide you can sometimes see remains of the 1823 Chain Pier’s foundations below you.
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52__ Mae West’s Lips Salvador Dalí at his surreal best
Although an integral part of the Royal Pavilion Estate, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery has no royal origins. The building, whose style is in keeping with its neighbour, the Dome (built in the early 19th century as royal stables), was added in 1873, when the Pavilion had been in municipal ownership for a couple of decades. The museum is a proud example of Victorian public architecture, expressing the belief that having an art gallery was as important as good public transport or plumbing. From modest beginnings the museum collections grew, comprising the fine and decorative arts, natural history, archaeology, world art and fashion (see ch. 31). The museum’s Decorative Art collection is of national importance, and much of it is displayed in the central double-height gallery, where you can walk through the history of 20th-century art and design. Among the many superb pieces, a bright red sofa in the shape of a pair of lips stands out: one of the most iconic pieces of furniture ever designed and the work of the godfather of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí. The sensual piece was the result of a collaboration between Dalí and his wealthy patron, the poet and collector Edward James, an avid supporter of Surrealism. In the 1930s he commissioned Dalí to create objects for the ‘paranoiac-critical’ interiors of Monkton House at his family’s estate, West Dean in West Sussex. The sofa was one of these pieces, alongside the famous Lobster Telephone. It was designed in around 1938 and made by Green & Abbott. James and Dalí were probably inspired by a gouache Dalí had painted a couple of years earlier titled Mae West’s Face which May be Used as a Surrealist Apartment. Five of the sofas were made, in slightly varying shades of red. It may be sensual and erotic, but it does not look comfortable. To be fair, Dalí never intended for it to be sat on. Visitors can try out a smaller version of it in the gallery. 112
Address Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Royal Pavilion Gardens, BN1 1EE, +44 (0)3000 290900, brightonmuseums.org.uk/brighton, visitor.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk | Getting there 15-minute walk from Brighton Railway Station; many buses to Old Steine or North Street | Hours Tue – Sun 10am – 5pm, closed Mon (except bank holidays), 24 Dec (from 2.30pm) and 25 & 26 Dec | Tip In the warmer months there is no better place to enjoy tea, cake and sandwiches than in the outdoor Pavilion Gardens Café at the western edge of the Pavilion Gardens. From here you have a panoramic view of the Pavilion, the Dome and the Museum, while sitting under ancient trees. Beware of seagulls snatching your cake though (www.paviliongardenscafe.co.uk).
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53__ Marina
‘Micro-Brighton’ on the water
Curiously, it took Brighton until the 1970s to get a proper marina, despite technically having been a port for centuries. Located just east of Kemp Town (see ch. 45 and 49), near Black Rock, it is the largest complex of its kind in the UK, with a huge sea wall, a lock for the inner harbour and ample space for fishing, sailing, water sports and mooring, as well as more than 1,000 private homes, a large entertainment and retail area, hotels and restaurants. What took so long? In the early years of the 19th century, a local civil engineer noted that flourishing Brighton was the ‘largest place in Europe so near the seashore without a harbour or shelter for shipping’. Large ships could eventually dock at the Chain Pier, constructed in 1823, but over the next 140 years several plans for a designated harbour were ditched. Concrete plans were made again in the 1960s, and Brighton got quite literally a mostly concrete harbour. It was officially opened to boats by Queen Elizabeth II in 1978, and marketed as ‘Brighton’s Cote d’Azur’. The 1980s saw further developments in the form of housing, gigantic supermarkets, a multiplex cinema and bewildering concrete access roads and tunnels. More residential high-rise blocks were added recently, and a 40-storey tower block is planned. Despite this continued investment and development, Brighton Marina is not an architecturally attractive place. It brims with restaurants and pubs, but most of them are chains. However, the location can’t be argued with and it is a great place for alfresco dining. The family-run Master Mariner on the inner lagoon is the eatery with the most individual atmosphere. It serves locally sourced fish, beef, and a great Sunday roast. Watch the boats bobbing away in the water while enjoying your meal – the afternoon sun on the forest of masts is beautiful – or come for live music at weekends. 114
The Author Alexandra Loske is an art historian and curator with a particular interest in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century European art and architecture. She has been working at the University of Sussex since 1999 and at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton since 2008. She has curated a number of exhibition and displays, including ones on Regency Colour, exotic and non-native animals, local history and the life and times of Jane Austen. She has lectured and published widely on colour history and related topics, appeared as an art historian on many TV and radio programmes, has organised conferences and writes regularly for local and national magazines, as well as the official Brighton Museums blog.