This walk is similar to the first one I uploaded but explores some of the places that are slightly off the beaten track.
It starts at the Clock Tower and continues down West Street, through Duke's Lane and Ship Street, around the town hall and through Quadrophenia Alley into East Street. It then cuts through Pool Valley and out into the Steine, finishing at the Royal Pavilion.
Although the audio recording is shorter, it would probably take 45 minutes to walk and is quite flat.
If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review, tell your friends or leave a donation at the link below.
This walk is similar to the first one I uploaded but explores some of the places that are slightly off the beaten track.
It starts at the Clock Tower and continues down West Street, through Duke's Lane and Ship Street, around the town hall and through Quadrophenia Alley into East Street. It then cuts through Pool Valley and out into the Steine, finishing at the Royal Pavilion.
Although the audio recording is shorter, it would probably take 45 minutes to walk and is quite flat.
If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review, tell your friends or leave a donation at the link below.
Hello, I’m Kitty Fisher and this is my second Brighton walk and it is really an extension to the first one I uploaded. So, the first one is all the best bits of Brighton in a couple of hours. It’s always close to shops and cafes and is visually pleasant even if you aren’t listening to the narration.
But whilst researching the first podcast I ended up with a lot of extra information which would have meant taking detours down alleyways and looking beyond the obvious so this tour takes you down some of the side streets but goes into more detail about the characters who lived there. If you are listening at home or, if you already know Brighton and want to discover more then it doesn’t make much difference. This route is shorter and flatter so it’s easier to walk but doesn’t follow the busier shopping streets like the first one.
I’m going to start at the clock tower, continue south toward the sea, go through the lanes and round the Steine and finish by the Royal Pavilion.
About half of the route is through pedestrianised streets although there are a couple of busy roads at the beginning and end of the walk.
And finally, if you enjoyed this podcast, please tell others, leave a review or click on the ‘Buy me a coffee’ link at the end of the episode description.
Start at the clock tower, which is about a fifteen minute walk south towards the sea from Brighton Station at the junction of Queens Road, North Street, West Street and Western Road. The Clock Tower was built in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It was a bit of a trend at the time to build commemorative clock towers in cities around the country to commemorate the jubilee. The architectural style has been criticised but it has become a well known landmark in the city. Near the top, there are ships jutting out marking directions to Hove, Kemptown, The Station and the sea and at the bottom on the south side there is a door. That’s because there used to be public toilets under the tower. But the quirkiest part of the clock tower is the golden ball that is threaded on a spike at the top.
This is known as a ‘time ball’ and it was designed, but not invented, by local inventor Magnus Volk who is most famous for the Volks Electric Railway that runs from the aquarium to the marina. Volk was the son of a German clockmaker but he was born in a house in Western Road, just about a mile from here. Time balls were used by the ancient Greeks and before the invention of clocks and watches they were a way for people to measure time.
The ball is operated hydraulically and moves slowly up the pole over the space of an hour, enabling anyone who could see its position on the pole to accurately know the number of minutes past the hour. This was of particular use for sailors to judge tides. There were time balls in Greenwich, Deal and other harbours in the past.
However, Volk’s Brighton time ball was pretty unnecessary as there was a clock on the tower and it was not visible from the sea. It makes me wonder if his father’s clock making profession influenced his choice of design. The time ball only operated for a few years before locals complained about the noisy clang which occurred each time the ball fell. Recently, the time ball has been restored and I’m told that it now moves up the pole as it did when it was first unveiled.
Now recently I hired a paddleboard down off the seafront and when I asked what time I should return I was told that the i360 goes up and down every half hour, so the paddleboard hire shop were using the i360 as a modern time ball just like the ancient Greeks, and probably without realising it.
We are now going to continue in the direction of the sea, stopping at the top of Duke’s lane which is about 100 yards down on the left.
St Paul’s Church
Looking down the road you can see St Pauls Church. It has a grey wooden spire and gargoyles jutting out at the base of the spire. This church was built in 1848 by Henry Wagner who was the vicar of Brighton at that time. Wagner was from a very wealthy family and he was a very controversial figure during his lifetime. On the one hand he was generous to the poor. He built six churches in Brighton and ensured that there were free pews. In the past, pews had to be rented which meant that the poor could not afford to go to church. He also built a number of alms houses for single women and a home for former prostitutes. He helped build the first hospital in the town and was involved with establishing the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
This all sounds wonderful but he was an extremely zealous man who never backed down in an argument. He made many enemies in his lifetime and was often jeered in the streets.
An unusual fact about this church is that in 1947, the restoration of the church spire was paid for by a donation from Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, also known as Ras Tafari, and worshipped by Rastafarians. Haile Selassie was exiled in Britain at that time and was a regular visitor to Brighton. There is a plaque in the church commemorating his generosity.
The church opening times are displayed on the board outside but we are going to turn left and walk down Duke Street.
Victory Inn, Duke Street junction with Middle Street.
About half way down Duke Street on the corner of Middle Street is The Victory Inn. This pub is decorated with lovely green ceramic tiles and the image over the door is of Nelson’s flagship ‘The Victory’. Although the tiling was added in the early 1900s it was painted over until quite recently and as the paint started peeling off it revealed the beautiful tiled underneath. Inside there are still many original features such as etched glass windows and Victorian fireplaces in tiny rooms.
Continue down Duke Street until you get to the bottom. The road curves round to the right into Ship Street. Just round the corner on the right there is a covered alley with a military uniform above it. Close to this there is a small plaque with an image of the sun. It is painted over in white but can still be seen on the wall. This type of sign dates from the 1700s.
Sun Sign, Ship Street junction with Dukes Lane
After the Great Fire of London, fire insurance companies came into being. The first was the Phoenix Fire Office established in 1680, and then The Sun Fire Office in 1710 and others followed.
Each company had their own fire brigade and the plaques, made of lead, iron or tin, identified the insured house. If you were insured, any fire brigades would put out a fire and then claim from your insurance company. I can imagine that there would be many problems with this system. If a fire started in an uninsured house connected to an insured one who would put it out? And what if several Fire Brigades turned up at once? I don’t think it’s a service that can work as a private business so it’s just as well that we have one fire brigade today.
Continue past Duke’s Lane and follow the road round to your left past the Quaker Friends’ Meeting place into Prince Albert Street.
Price Albert Street.
This road was built in 1842 to enable carriages access from Ship Street to the new town hall which we will see in a moment. It cut across the original grid of narrow streets and twittens and several houses were demolished to build it.
On the left, set back slightly from the street at the intersection with Nile Street, Meeting House Lane and Black Lion Street is an impressive Georgian house. In 1842 this was the house of Issac Bass. He was a wealthy grocer who lived here with his daughter and servants.
Continuing straight on, the road curves east past the town hall.
The Town Hall
Completed in 1832, the town hall was built on the site of the town market which was also the earlier site of the even older Priory of Bartholemews. When builders were clearing the site they unearthed an ancient burial ground but were told to continue to dig as they were only Catholics.
The town hall contains police cells which were in use until the 1960s and are now the Old Police Cells Museum. The building is in Greek Revival Style and was designed by the architect of the Old Bedford Hotel that mysteriously burnt down. (This is discussed in the first podcast about Brighton.)
Inside, there are original mosaic floor tiles, ornate staircases and acid etched glass doors. The building is used for weddings, council meetings and award ceremonies.
Quadrophenia Alley
Continue past the town hall and follow the building around to your right. You will now be facing the back of the Jury’s Inn Hotel . On your left is an old cottage with dark timbers. Turn left down a very narrow alley that leads through the buildings and out into East Street. It’s not a very exciting place but is an iconic location for fans of the film Quadrophenia, and has been renamed after the film. The film is a rock Opera by 1960s British band, The Who. It shows the fighting that took place between rival gangs of mods and rockers in Brighton in the 1960s.
The scene filmed in this alley shows a steamy snog between the main character, Jimmy and his love interest, Steph.
Coming out of Quadrophenia Alley into East Street turn left. If you still need a fix of 60s youth culture, there is a shop that sells all things related to mods on your left. Next door to this shop is
C and H Weston Ltd
C and H Weston Ltd. This is a shop that I have never been into until I started researching Brighton’s history. The shop was established in 1819, when George the Fourth was the Prince Regent. It is an independent retailer of firearms and is one of the oldest shops in the town. Although the interior of the shop has few historical relics there is an old sign inside and some pistols dating from 1760.
Turn down the narrow lane at the bottom of East Street between The East Street Tap and the rather seedy sounding Platinum and Lace Gentlemen’s Club. This building was originally The Savoy Cinema and was built in 1930 in an Art Deco style with Japanese themed interior. At the end of the alley is Pool Valley, which is now a coach terminus.
Pool Valley
In a document from 1296 this area is referred to as ‘the Poole’. Before the road was built from London it was the place where the Wellesbourne river discharged into the sea. A ‘bourne’ is an intermittent river which means that it only appeared when the water table in the chalk below reached the surface.
In the 1790s the Prince Regent and his neighbour, the Duke of Marlborough laid wooden sewers to drain a stagnant pool that collected in front of what was then called, The Marine Pavilion. At this time Pool Valley was also bricked over.
Walk straight across the top of Pool Valley and through into the Steine. On the corner are The Royal Albion Hotel and Youth Hostel Association building. Albion is an ancient name for Britain. The name is included in football clubs such as ‘Brighton and Hove Albion’ and it is said that areas of Britain with white cliffs use this name.
The Royal Albion Hotel
The Royal Albion Hotel was built on the site of Dr Richard Russell’s house. This is the man who started the trend for sea bathing in Brighton; he is therefore responsible for Brighton’s development from a poor fishing village to a fashionable resort.
The Royal Albion Hotel was designed by Amon Henry Wilds and opened in 1826. Famous guests include Oscar Wilde and the heiress, Angela Burdett Coutts. Described as ‘the richest heiress in England’ she was friends with Charles Dickens and spent part of each year at the hotel with her lifelong companion Hannah Brown. When Hannah died, she scandalised polite society by marrying a man 38 years her junior.
Angela Burdett Coutts was a great philanthropist and contributed to many good causes including drinking fountains for dogs.
Cross over the road in front of the Youth Hostel and head north past the fountain in the centre of the Old Steine.
The Victoria Fountain
This area of the steine would once have been for drying fishermen’s nets. The stones at the bottom of the fountain once lay scattered about this area and were perfect for draping fishing nets. Because the fishermen of the town had rights to the use of this area the land was not built on but remained open. But when the town became a fashionable holiday destination and expensive private houses were built on either side, the Steine became an area ‘ for the promenade of royal and distinguished personages’. In the 1830s a road was built that joined North Street and St James Street so that carriages no longer had to drive around the outside of the central gardens.
One observer of 1826 stated that:
‘The assemblage of beauty and fashion that promenade the eastern side of the Steyne at this period of the day, united with the charming view of the sea, on which floats many a buoyant skiff, and the gentle strains of music, sweeping along the undulating breeze , present a degree of fascination difficult to be described. These gardens are now covered with natures robes and are often crowded with the gay throng.’
This reminded me of the end of the Brighton Naked Bike Ride in 2019. At the end of the ride a similar assemblage of humanity chained their bikes to nearby railings, and danced naked, once again presenting a degree of fascination difficult to describe.
After numerous cans of cut price cider they were indeed a very gay throng.
Just West of the fountain, there is a cafe that was originally a tram station. A tram service operated in Brighton from 1901 until 1939 and this particular tram stop had underground toilets which are still in use today.
But let’s return our thoughts to the 1800s where wealthy visitors could stroll through the gardens of the Steine and stop to buy gingerbread from the legendary Phoebe Hessel.
Phoebe Hessel
When Phoebe lived in Brighton she was an old woman but at the age of fifteen she disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the army as a foot soldier. She served in the West Indies and Gibraltar until she was injured and her true sex was revealed. As a civilian she married and had nine children, all of whom died before her. She moved to Brighton and married a fisherman , Thomas Hessel but when he passed away and she was too old to work she was forced to go into the workhouse. However, The Prince Regent heard about her plight and granted her a pension of half a guinea a week. She attended his coronation in 1820 and died aged 108.
Mrs Fitzherbert’s House, Old Steine
Opposite the fountain on your left is the YMCA which now provides accommodation for homeless people in Brighton. This house was originally built for Maria Fitzherbert, mistress of the Prince Regent.
When the Prince Regent fell in love with Mrs Fitzherbert she was a twice widowed catholic. Although she wasn’t interested at first, his tactic of writing 40 page begging letters and threatening suicide brought her round in the end.
As he would never have been given permission to marry a Catholic, the prince married her in secret by bailing out a jailed priest who agreed to do the deed.
The Royal Pavilion
Just north of Mrs Fitzherbert’s house, on the other side of North Street is the Royal Pavilion.
Originally a farmhouse surrounded by fields, the prince had it altered to include columned domes and additional wings on either side of the original building. When he became regent he had the exterior remodelled in Indian style. His tastes were influenced by popular paintings of the time that depicted exotic regions of the empire. The interior of the palace was decorated with Chinese silk and ceramics. Although some visitors thought it tasteless, others admired the light and colours of the Marine Pavilion.
Although George the Fourth loved Brighton and held lavish banquets here, by the time of his coronation he was overweight and increasingly dependent on laudanum, a mixture of morphine and codeine mixed with alcohol. A typical breakfast for the king consisted of steak, pigeons, champagne, brandy, wine and port. Vastly overweight and wearing a wig and make up he was so embarrassed of being seen in public that he built a tunnel from the pavilion to his riding stables and in the last years of his life he was rarely seen in public.
When George the Fourth died the Times stated, “There never was an individual less regretted than this deceased king.”
Despite squandering millions of pounds of tax payers money on houses and clothes; and despite all the drugs and booze and years of womanising and self-indulgence, George the Fourth had a positive impact on Brighton and probably improved the lives of the people living in the town in the 1800s. After his death, Brighton continued to thrive and the Pavilion was eventually bought by the city council and turned into a museum.
This is the end of this walk. The next podcast is about the Pavilion Gardens and is an interview with the head gardener, Robert Hill-Snook.
Thank you for listening.