Duke Street

Duke Street

One entrance to the Lanes

By Geoffrey Mead

Duke Street is one entrance to the Lanes, the popular name for the Old Town of Brighton. The famous cricket family, the Wisdens, had a sports shop here for many years. It is now a street of high fashion shops and fancy bars.

Victorian horse-buses were diverted up this street because North Street was too steep. This created traffic congestion so the northern part of the street was demolished in a 1870s road-widening scheme.

That's why there are two distinct sides to this street. On one side, there are older bow-fronted buildings, all of different heights. On the other, you can see a uniform terrace of much bigger white Victorian stucco buildings.