What an amazing photo. I think it might be at the back of Marks and Spencer.

Hi Carol, I've noticed and been interested by this passage way some time back, but then just forgot about it. Seeing your page I thought I would have a look at some old maps, one from about 1930 shows a small 'mews' behind Regent Hill, perhaps this was an entrance to some backyard. I then thought I would have a look at the modern map on this site - it didn't help at all. However, strangely nearby Churchill Square didn't look right??? It shows Grenville Street at the front on Western Road. I checked back to my old map and Grenville Place is where the modern map shows Grenville Street?? I then checked Google Maps and this has the same error! Checking back on the old map, there is no Grenville Street in the area, only Grenville Place -can someone explain that?

Julie, no it's not behind Marks and Spencers, it's on the left hand side of Regent Hill as you walk up. Behind the corner shop facing Western Road.

Hi Carol, originally this alley led to buildings behind Western Road and ultimately emerged into Marlborough Street. When that area was being developed in the 1820s, the buildings of Regent Place (now renamed as part of Western Road) were set a long way back from the road and this may be a vestige of one of the early properties that were there. In the 1850s it was probably part of Smithers Brewery that occupied the site and by the 1860s, the corner site was part of Brigden's Coach-building yard. With the dawn of the motor age, Brigden's became a motor garage, the business lasting around a century, before becoming a furniture warehouse for a while. Thanks for capturing another example of Brighton's hidden past. Regards Andy

Thanks for that information Andy. Very interesting stuff. You can't see the right hand side in the photo but it is also a flint wall, just a wall, no windows so it must have been an alleyway originally or a building set behind another.

Hi Carol, check out James Gray's photos by entering Regent Hill. There are some photos there with the flint walls, maybe part of the same thing.