Updates

December 20th
This week we present you with a special ‘Christmas Past and Present’ section.  We hope that you enjoy it and maybe even add some special Christmas memories of your own by posting a comment on one of the pages. We would like to take this opportunity of sending everyone our very best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. See you all in January!
CHRISTMAS SECTION
The children’s hospital on Christmas morning
Christmas Photo Gallery I
Christmas Photo Gallery II
‘The Snowman’
Christmas in the 1940s
Christmas Day cricket
Christmas Eve in Brighton Market, 1842

December 16th
This week we have a bumper crop of new pages for your interest and enjoyment.  You can read about:
Black Rock Swimming Pool – Childhood memories, 1945-66
Carlisle Laundry in the 1950s , Old Shoreham Rd
Living on Lewes Rd: A love hate relationship 
The Nursery House on Old Shoreham Rd in the 1940s and 50s
What life was like in East Brighton – We’re all existing on practically nothing

And of course we continue our very popular instalments of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder. Continuing to work through the B’s – this week you can read about:
Breweries 
Brighton and Hove Albion:  A potted history 
Brighton Centre 
Brighton: Locations and functions 
Brighton: The name 
Historical Overview: Early History


December 9th
This week we have a bumper crop of new pages for your interest and enjoyment.  You can read about: Zap – 25 years of cultural innovation; Brighton boat trips in the 1930-50s; A flamboyant cinema manager in the 1970s; The secret of empty deckchairs in Pavilion Gardens; The Paris Lounge in the SS Brighton; How the East Sussex Records Office archives their material.
And of course we continue our very popular instalments of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder. Continuing to work through the B’s – this week you can read about:
Bear Road and East Preston
Bedford Hotel
Bevendean
Black Rock
Boundaries

December 3rd
This week we have a very mixed bag of new pages for you.
In our Architecture category you can read about a building style rather amusingly referred to as ‘Tudorbethan‘.  Local professional photographer Sean Clark has contributed a terrific photographic gallery of the   ‘Stormy Seas of Brighton and Hove’ .  Continuing with our extracts from Tim Carder’s ‘Encyclopaedia of  Brighton’ – you can read about the ancient hamlet of Balsdean; a history of banking in Brighton; a potted history of bathing ; bathing machines; dippers and bathers, and bathing establishments.
And finally – we are compiling a ‘Christmas Past’ section on the website for your festive memories.  Would you like to share your Christmas reminiscences with us?  Please tell us what you remember most about Christmas in Brighton.  Happy times – maybe even sad times – tell us your stories.
If you can help – mail jennifer@mybrightonandhove.org.uk

November 24th
In this week’s contributions we have a mix of nostalgia and news!
Joffre Seguin played for the Brighton Tigers in the 1930s and just recently his son brought his number 9 shirt back to Brighton to be added into the Sports Stadium Archive. Read about his visit   Life in Bennett Road in the 1950s is captured in this wonderful childhood reminiscence . Do you know anything about the ‘Obed Arms’ pub which was in Hanover?  And can you recognise anyone in their pub outing photograph? MyBH is interested in chronicling the changing face of our city.  ‘ A changing cityscape’ examines some of the developments in the North Laine area and discusses their impact on the locality. Cinecity  the Brighton Film Festival began on Thursday 16th November and is set to continue for the next two and a half weeks, until Sunday 3rd December.   Read here about some of the films and events.

November 19th
It is our pleasure to announce that this week we have begun what will be a regular series of extracts from ‘The Encyclopaedia of Brighton’ by Tim Carder. For many years this publication has been essential reading for anyone interested in the history of our city. Unfortunately it is now out of print, and so we are very pleased to have been given permission by the author to publish it by instalments here at My Brighton and Hove.   Our intention is to work through the encyclopaedia alphabetically, publishing the original text and adding updates and where possible, photographs and illustrations. We are very grateful to Tim Carder for allowing us to amalgamate this important resource into the My Brighton and Hove site.
Albion Hill
This area was developed in the first thirty years of the nineteenth century with dense poor quality housing.  Much of the district degenerated into appalling slums.   This section chronicles the history of the area and has photographs of some of the worst slum properties. It also contains extracts of interviews with residents of the area taken from the QueenSpark books ‘Back Street Brighton’ and ‘Backyard Brighton’.
Ancient Customs
In the late sixteenth century the inhabitants of Brighton were principally divided into ‘fishermen’ and ‘landsmen’.   There were disputes as to what each should pay towards the maintenance and defence of the town.   This section explains how the disputes were resolved and recorded in 1580.
Aquarium and Dolphinarium, Madeira Drive
Brighton Aquarium was the brainchild of Eugenius Birch and was completed in 1872.  This section chronicles the history of the aquarium and contains pictures of its opening.
Architecture
A brief description of the principal styles of architecture in the city together with photographs of some of the best examples.
November 7th
This week we have a very mixed bag of new contributions for your interest:-
Firstly, a resident’s view of the joys of living in ‘Poets’ Corner’, Aldrington. Now we all know how up-to-date Brighton Railway Station is now – but do you remember the old arrivals and departures board? In our ‘Local Folk’ section we have a poignant plea for information on a Brighton soldier. What it was like growing up in the London Road area in the 1940s?   This wonderful childhood reminiscence paints a picture of the time. And finally we have a gallery of ‘Window Dressing’ where you can see some good old fashioned Brighton eccentricity on show.

  • October 27th 2006
    This week we have four very interesting interviews with members of the Silver Sounds Samba Band.  This popular local combo are a terrific example of the fascinating cultural diversity to be experienced in our city.  There is a trip down memory lane to schooldays in the 1950s at St. John the Baptist RC School. How about checking out the giant family snapshots in a unique photographic exhibition in Tidy Street? And last – but certainly not least – we have some wonderful photographic memories for all Brighton and Hove Albion FC fans. Do you remember the Seagulls at Wembley?  Happy days!

    20th October 2006
    This week we have a very mixed bag of contributions! In our ‘Colourful Characters’ section you can read about Harry Vowles, a well liked entertainer around Brighton in the late 19th century who was known as ‘Blind Harry’.  You can enjoy a very interesting view under the waves at the West Pier . How about a trip down memory lane with Hove Sea Cadets in the 1960s? In our ‘Local Folk’ section, you can read the reminiscences of a member of the well known Brighton family the Blakers.  And finally news of an interesting oral history project on childbirth in Brighton.

    15th October 2006
    This week we have a number of old photographs for your delight. Firstly a delightful image of three brothers as choir boys at St Peter’s Church in the early 1900s. Then a wonderful photograph from 1864 of ‘teetotal fishermen’ (click on the link in the caption to see the larger image)! And last, but by no means least,  photos of the Brighton Tigers ice hockey teams from 1935 to 1950 and from 1950 through to 1955. Enjoy!

    6th October 2006
    A mixed bag this week.  We start with a couple of quirky photos – one of Royal Crescent and one of Churchill Square. Then there are some great images of, and commentary on, the 1950s development of the Goldstone Ground. There’s a short write up on the origins and current day use of St John the Baptist Church.  A listing of all the sub-districts of Brighton from the 1861 census is sure to keep you historians happy.  And finally a thoughtful take on our diverse city.

    26th September 2006
    Lots of images this week! We have two photos from the early 1950s of Coombe Road Primary School – do you recognise anyone there? There’s a rather mysterious medal or award from 1906 and a lovely gallery of shop and business signs from 1977. Then there’s a photographic record of one of the last walking tours of the West Pier in 1975 and, last but not least, a wonderfully different perspective on the recently renovated Embassy Court.

    27th August 2006
    This week we feature a series of images and memories beginning with a gallery of pictures from the infamous 1987 hurricane. We then have a class photo from St. Pauls Infant School taken in the early 1950’s – do you recognise yourself or anyone else there? We follow this with some memories and a picture of the staff from the Academy Cinema and some images from the 1890’s of the Ship Street Post Office. Finally, we have a photograph of the Dyke station, which shows the station from an unusual perspective!

    7th August 2006
    Did you know that the first telephone ‘trunk’ line in the country ran from Brighton to London? Read about this and much more in the history of our telephone service , and take a look at an extract from our first telephone directory dated 1885. We also have portraits of Andrew Crawford , the Postmaster of Brigthelmston from 1784 to 1800, and his wife. And a personal view of Preston Park from a young man trying to imagine what it was like to live there in 1900, completes our update.

    26th July 2006
    This week we have a touching tale about the Marchant family and a child’s account of living at the top of a hill . We also have two images of Brunswick Place and round off with some information about Brighton’s newest museum, The Old Police Cells Museum .

    13th July 2006
    This week the emphasis is on memories. There’s a vivid account of growing up in Amberley Drive in the 1950s and 60s – complete with a diagram for building your own go-cart! Then there’s a lovely photograph of a 14 year old tram conductor from 1917 and some wonderful photos and memories of St Paul’s Primary School . And, to finish it off, we have a little poem entitled ‘Moulsecoomb Memories’ .

    28th June 2006
    For this update we welcome a new editor for the Moulsecoomb area and we feature some pictures which reveal the ever changing face of Brighton and Hove: We have a winters scene of Kings Road in 1967; A picture of St. James’s street when it was still two way; a fascinating panorama of the London Road area in 2004 and a picture of the Earth & Stars pub formerly known as the Windsor Tavern.

    14th June 2006
    A mixed bag this week with a biography of Gib Hutchinson who played for the Brighton Tigers from 1946 to 1953, some photos of the West Pier from the early 1970s, and a wonderful memory of Brighton and Hove from an Italian visitor.

    4th June 2006
    This week we have some old school photos from Portslade Secondary School – do you recognise yourself or anyone else in the photos? We also have two galleries of images – the first depicting Brighton Marina before the current development was completed. The second gallery shows images from the Veteran Commercial Vehicle Rally from May of this year.

    4th May 2006
    Three memories of Brighton under air attack during the Second World War are on offer this week: childhood memories of air raids on schools; some lucky escapes and a note on ARP duties. And we also have some photographs of, and commentary on, a rather wonderful ‘curio’ depicting the buildings on the corner of North Street and Upper Russell Street / Western Road as it was in the 1820’s. This is a unique model which gives a wonderful view of Brighton in the early Nineteenth Century – do take a look!

    23rd April 2006
    Brighton entertainment and childhood memories of Portslade are the themes for this week’s update. A formal photograph of the staff at the old Imperial Theatre (to become the Essoldo Cinema) and an image of the Musical Melfis performing at the old Regent Dance Hall, give us the Brighton entertainment memories. Portslade memories are provided by a photograph showing a youthful Bob Carden (now mayor of Brighton and Hove) in Mile Oak, a reminiscence of the Mile Oak Approved school and a detailed account of the who’s who of North Street between 1951 and 1965.

    16th April 2006
    This week we start off by visiting Hove, with a look at The Highdown Road Railway Cutting Gallery, followed by a trip to Connaught Road School. We also have a kick about with R Phillips – a member of the 1921/22 season Brighton and Hove Albion squad. Finally we take a look at the Royal Navy and the Sussex University Royal Navy Unit, followed by a revisit to HMS Lizard.

    9th April 2006
    This week we have four very different memories of Brighton’s past: Pat Benham recounts the colourful life of John Foster Forbes; Tony describes living at Black Rock; Gordon Dinnage recalls the The Rustler running aground and we have an account of the Great Storm of 1987 by John Ballance.

    28th March 2006
    The well-researched section about the Royal Navy in Brighton and Hove is supplemented with the history of the HMS King Alfred set up for training purposes during the Second World War. Then we have a lovely story of our current Mayor walking from Portslade to Church Street when he was just 5 years old! Another contributor remembers Preston College as well as Hornes where he bought his uniform. And take a look at these wonderful photographs of Brighton under heavy snow in the 1960s.

    18th March 2006
    This week we start with a bit of Brighton’s natural environment by taking a glimpse at its old elm trees today – as well as a look at them before the Hurricane of 1987. We pay a visit to the West Pier during it’s derelict years. We then step back in time to Brighton Station and view an old 1893 train timetable. We finish off by taking a trip to Portslade on the old Ford’s Ferry.

    6th March 2006
    In the sixth and final week of our Green Havens feature we take a look at some community projects that involve allotments. Firstly, we see how the Bright Exchange and Poets’ Corner Residents’ Society Joint Plot is helping promote cashless trading and holistic therapy. We then find out about the community food project at the Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project. Finally, we visit the Allotments for All project which provides allotment gardening for people with disabilities.

    24th February 2006
    Memories of the 1950s is definitely the theme for this week: from Brighton’s old trolleybuses and the ambulance service, to a Whitehawk Boys’ Brigade football team and some school-time memories of Portslade. And then there’s a personal view of what its like living next to a cemetery!

    18th February 2006
    This week we start off by taking a visit to Kemptown to see Pelham Mission followed by a visit to Belgrave Square in Portslade. We then get onto some heavyweight stuff with Tommy Farr and finish with some light entertainment from Syd Dean.

    6th February 2006
    Week five of our Green Havens feature takes us to East Brighton where we are shown round Val’s country retreat in the Craven Vale allotment site. We also get an insight into the duties of being an allotment rep with Pam Bean and find out about her plot and its wonderful views at Tenantry Down.

    29th January 2006
    This week we go back to days gone by with images of Goldstone Street, then and now, followed by memories of Harrington Farm House. Finally we have some old and somewhat mysterious pictures of Working Men and Women sent to us by The Brighton and Hove Museums. Can you give us any more information about these pictures?.

    22nd January 2006
    This week we have the fourth installment of our new Green Havens feature. We visit the Weald Avenue allotment site where we find Ninka Willcock discussing problems with rabbits and Tony Marshall describing his “oasis beyond the garden gate”.

    14th January 2006
    This week we have an assortment of interesting people and places to see. Firstly find out about Jemmy Botting the old hangman of Brighton, then take a look at these photos of old Brighton celebrities, do you know anymore about any of them? We then take a visit to St James’s Street in Kemp Town followed by Plymouth Avenue in Bevendean. Finally we have an interesting book review on The ‘Brighton Trolleybuses‘.

    6th January 2006
    For our first update of 2006 we feature the third instalment of our new Green Havens section. This week we focus on the plots and people of the Roedale Valley and Lower Roedale allotment sites. We visit ‘Plot 101’ with Peter Barker, taste carrots with Sue Paskins and finally take a long ‘screen break’ with Andrew Webb.

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