West Hill

Albert Road developed 1869/75

Reproduced with permission from the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder, 1990

Please note that this text is an extract from a reference work written in 1990.  As a result, some of the content may not reflect recent research, changes and events.

West Hill is the name given to the eastern part of Church Hill rising westwards from Brighton Station, Queen's Road and the central valley. It was developed in the 1840s and '50s with 'working-class' and 'middle-class' terraced housing near the station, and in the 1870s with large villa residences in the grounds of the former workhouse {83}. Designated a conservation area in 1977, the streets of main interest are detailed below, but see also "Dyke Road" and "Queen's Road"; also "Railways - Brighton Station", which was added to the conservation area in 1988

a) ALBERT ROAD, ALEXANDRA VILLAS, ALFRED ROAD and LEOPOLD ROAD: Developed in about 1869-75 with large, semi-detached villas in the grounds of the former workhouse. In the 1890s 13 Alexandra Villas was the home of local film pioneer Esme Collings, Brighton's first film-maker. He had a studio at 120 Western Road and made the first ever 'blue' movie. {68b,83}

Any numerical cross-references in the text above refer to resources in the Sources and Bibliography section of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder.