Brighton
Encyclopedia : B : BR : BRI : Brighton
- For other places with the same name, see Brighton (disambiguation).
- redirect
Brighton is a popular tourist resort with numerous hotels, restuarants and entertainment facilities which additionally serve a substantial business conference industry. The modern city of Brighton & Hove is also an important educational centre with two universities and many English language schools.
History
- Main article: History of Brighton
During the 1740s and 1750s Dr Richard Russell of Lewes began prescribing the medicinal use of the sea-water at Brighton to his patients. By 1780, development of the Regency terraces had started and the fishing village quickly became the fashionable resort of Brighton. The growth of the town was further encouraged following the patronage of the Prince Regent (later King George IV) after his first visit in 1783.Carder (1990), s.71 He spent much of his leisure time in the town and constructed the exotic and expensive Royal Pavilion during the early part of his Regency.
The arrival of the railway in 1841 brought Brighton within the reach of day-trippers from London and rapid population growth from around 7,000 in 1801 to over 120,000 by 1901.Carder (1990), s.127 The Victorian Era saw the building of many of the famous landmarks in Brighton including the Grand Hotel (1864), the West Pier (1866) and the Palace Pier (1899).
After a number of boundary changes made between 1873 and 1952, the land area of Brighton was increased significantly from 1,640 acres in 1854 to 14,347 acres in 1952.Carder (1990), s.13 New housing estates were established in the acquired areas including Moulsecoomb, Bevendean, Coldean and Whitehawk. Closer to the centre of town, a major slum-clearance development was initiated in the Hanover area. The replacement council housing, including Tarnerland near Richmond Street, stretches from the bottom of Albion Hill to the tower blocks at Mount Pleasant, and radically changed the local street layout.
More recently, gentrification of much of Brighton has seen a return of the highly fashionable image which had characterised the growth of the Regency period.
In 1997 Brighton and Hove were joined together to form the unitary authority of Brighton & Hove, which in turn was granted city status by the Queen as part of the millennial celebrations in 2000.
Landmarks
- :Main article: Landmarks and notable buildings of Brighton and Hove
Brighton Pier (or the Palace Pier) was opened in 1899 and is the largest pier in Brighton. It features a large funfair, restaurants and arcade halls. The West Pier was built in 1866 and has been closed since 1975 awaiting renovation. The West Pier is one of only two Grade I listed piers in the UK.
Volk's Electric Railway, created in 1883, runs along the inland edge of the beach from the Palace Pier to Black Rock. It is claimed to be the world's oldest operating electric railway.
Culture
Beaches
One of Brighton's most important tourist attractions is the expanse of shingle beach, complete with the bars and entertainments which line the inshore side. Together with the attractions further inland, these contribute to Brighton being popularly referred to as "London-by-sea"; it certainly offers one of the most accessible tourist beaches from London.Brighton and Hove has two designated official nudist areas; unusual in that very few naturist beaches in the United Kingdom are located near to urban areas.
Since the 1978 demolition of the open-air swimming lido at Black Rock, the most easterly part of Brighton's seafront, the area has been developed considerably and now features one of Europe's largest marinas. However, the site of the pool itself remains empty except for a skate park and graffiti wall, and further development is planned for the area including a high-rise hotel which has aroused considerable local controversy, mirroring the situation with proposals for the site of the King Alfred leisure centre in neighbouring Hove.
Night-life & popular music
- Main article: Night-life & popular music of Brighton and Hove
Public events
Brighton hosts a number of conferences including those held annually by major political parties, often based around the Brighton Centre, Grand Hotel and Metropole Hotel.A wide range of sport and leisure clubs, in particular cycling and motoring clubs, annually hold London to Brighton events, culminating in a display on the Madeira Drive section of the seafront, which is closed to traffic for this purpose on many Sundays throughout the summer months.
Brighton Festival
- Main article: Brighton Festival
An unusual feature of the festival is the Open Houses concept, whereby artists and craftspeople literally open up their houses for the public to come and view or buy their work.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community
Brighton has a substantial LGBTS community, served by an unusually high number of "scene" shops, bars and night-clubs in addition to a range of support organisations. It is often referred to as "the gay capital of Britain".Commerce
The Lanes is a retail, leisure and residential area with the seafront at its southern edge. Partly characterised by a collection of narrow alleyways following the street pattern of the original fishing-based settlement, the resident businesses in The Lanes are predominantly jewellers, antique shops, restaurants and pubs.Churchill Square is an indoor shopping centre with a floor space of 470,000 sq ft (43,663 sq m) and includes 85 shops, 5 restaurants and 1,600 car parking spaces. It was originally built in the 1960s as an open-air pedestrianised shopping centre, but was rebuilt in 1998.
Further mainstream retail areas include Western Road and London Road.
The North Laine area is a retail, leisure and residential area situated immediately north of The Lanes. Its names is often confused with The Lanes but is in fact derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "Laine" meaning a type of agricultural plot. The North Laine is regarded as more bohemian then The Lanes, with a mix of businesses dominated by cafés, avant-garde shops, and theatres.
In addition to retail businesses, Brighton is a base for many companies attracted by the seaside location, which may prove useful in attracting employees. For example, American Express has its European headquarters in a large, distinctive building just east of the city centre, close to the seafront. Brighton has been particularly popular with "new media" companies, and has on occasion been referred to as "Silicon Beach".
Education
Brighton is home to the University of Brighton, the former Brighton Polytechnic. Four miles from the city centre lies the campus of the 1961 University of Sussex, next to the village of Falmer and some departments of the University of Brighton. The University of Sussex has at times used the branding "The University of Sussex at Brighton", and is connected to the city by regular buses and trains; Falmer railway station is just a few hundred yards from the campus.There are various private schools, including Brighton College, a Steiner School and a Montessori School. There are also numerous state schools, some of them faith schools. Notable state schools include Varndean and Cardinal Newman.
In the summer, thousands of young students from all over Europe gather in the city to attend language courses at some of the many language schools across Brighton and Hove.
There is also a specialist music college, The Brighton Institute Of Modern Music.
Politics
Brighton is covered by the Brighton Kemptown and Brighton Pavilion UK Parliament constituencies, and is within the European Parliament constituency of South-East England.It is considered a progressive town due to the large numbers of political campaigns, for example the Justice? movement and SchNEWS newspaper. The progressive nature is also demonstrated in mainstream politics with the Green Party taking 22 percent of the vote in the Brighton Pavilion constituency in the 2005 general election, compared with 1 percent nationally. They also hold the European Parliament seat.
Sport
Brighton is the home of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. and the Brighton Bears. There is also an annual Beach Soccer competition held in a temporary stadium erected on a patch of specially imported sand on the beach. The inaugural contest in June 2002 featured football stars such as Eric Cantona and Matt Le Tissier.Transport
- See also:Transport in Brighton
Railway services operate from Brighton Station. Destinations include London Victoria, Portsmouth and Bedford. Twice-daily services also operate to Birmingham and Manchester, and via Bristol to Wales. The fastest service from London Victoria takes 51 minutes.http://travel.independent.co.uk/uk/article8880.ece
Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company operates a local bus service with a fleet of approximately 300 buses. There is also a limited night-bus service.
Since mid-2006 auto rickshaws have been operating in Brighton.
Miscellanea
Brighton's nearby neighbour, Hove, is seen by some as a more desirable location than Brighton and it is often referred to by locals as "Hove actually". This is because when a questioner asks a Hove resident whether they live in Brighton, they are frequently met with the response "Hove actually!".The Parker Brothers game, Monopoly has been produced in a special Brighton edition. Additionally there is a pub game in the Hanover district based around Monopoly: the pubs in the area become the locations and players must do a pub tour around the area.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
The Greys pub, on Southover Street, receives a mention from Egon Ronay for the quality of its food.
According to the Boho Britain creativity index developed by U.S. economic regeneration expert Richard Florida, Brighton & Hove ranks sixth amongst the largest 40 of 66 British cities when measured against the three criteria of his index. Florida states that the index measures the appeal of cities to the new "creative class" and are a key indicator of a city’s economic health.
- *Sexual diversity: 1st
- *Patent applications: 8th
- *Ethnic diversity: 16th
- *Creativity index: 6th
See also
- Brighton in fiction
- Brighton in film
- Brighton Sewers
- Eurovision Song Contest 1974
- List of notable Brighton & Hove inhabitants
- The Argus (newspaper)
- Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital
External links
- [My Brighton and Hove] Local history contributions by individuals
- [List of notable residents commemorated on buses]
- [Volks electric railway]
Photographs
- [Brighton & Hove in Pictures] Collection of images from the city's library and museum collections.
- [Brighton photos group at flickr] (submitted by various individuals)
- [Brighton Daily Photo (blog)]
- [Photographs and panoramas of Brighton at Urban75]
- [Panoramic photos of Brighton]
References
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