19th century view
In this early view of Market Street, the building on the left is the Market House, which opened in 1830 and was demolished in 1900. The house with the round bay windows survives to this day, complete with chimneys, though the shape of the windows has been altered.
20th century view
This view was taken before the development of St Bartholomew’s Square. Market Street extended all the way to the seafront. The building on the left is the old Municipal Market. The back of the building can be seen in the photos of Black Lion Street, also featured on this tour.
21st century view
This shot shows the view from today’s Town Hall, looking across Bartholomew’s Square into Market Street. Check out the chimneys at the top of the cream-coloured building in the centre in the older views.
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Duffy [George Watkins] was asking about Bill’s Dive which was at the seafront end of Market Street under Harrison’s Bar. I remember it well – my best friend and I used to go there on a Friday night, you could have drink and a dance in there. I have a good reason for remembering Bill’s Dive, it is were I met my husband. He asked me if I wanted to and I said ‘no thanks, you look old enough to be my Dad’ but 50 years later we are still married and together. Upstairs in Harrison’s they use to have a live band. I also remember the cider bars – my friend and I used to drink Merrydown with blackcurrant in it because we didn’t like the taste of the Merrydown! Good old days.
I remember Harrisons Bar in the 70s when it was called the Alhambra, it must have taken the name from the old theatre demolished in the 60s for the Kingswest building. I used to see live bands there on Friday and Saturday nights, the bands’ drum kit was usually set up in the bay window which overlooked the seafront. Under the Alhambra in the basement was a small club called The Inn Place which played soul orientated music. In the 80s The Inn Place had regular New Romantic evenings called ‘Raidz’ run by some local guys, Brighton as ever keeping up or even starting new fashions. It’s hard to imagine that area now with the new offices and a hotel; many times I have walked passed The King’s Club and the Floral Market (then a car park) on my way home from a great night out.
StaJoJo and a bunch of friends’ bands used to play at the Alhambra, ’74-’75, when it was run by Ahmed. The Sunday lunch jazz sessions there were often pretty good.
I met my wife Gina in the building with the eight chimney pots, and the rounded edge in 1980. It was a wine bar called Valmonellas, it was on the first floor – opposite where the blue van is in the picture – second window above the main bar area. She was playing on a Space Invaders machine. We’re still together now 36 years later, with two grown up children. It was love at first sight.
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