Photos and articles about Brighton and Hove in the time of coronavirus. See our collection and add your own!

Summer 1953

Little East Street, summer 1953
Photo by Peter Bailey

Comments about this page

  • This scene was facing the East Side of the Town Hall and in 1959, the building on the right of the lane was a Chinese Restaurant. The rear of Shorland Fooks Jewellers was just to the left of this picture and Bishops The Jewellers were at the other end of the Lane.

    By Jerry Homeward (22/10/2007)
  • Were you thinking of the Nanking Restaurant? It was directly across the street from where I lived for a few years (Market Street) ?

    By Janet Barry (25/11/2007)
  • The Chinese Restaurant to the right of the lane (or “Twitten” in some parts of Brighton ) was called Choy’s and was very up market, at least in terms of price. The Nanking was much cheaper and more basic and it faced the exit from Nile Street on the eastern side of Market Street. I grew up in Nile Street and remember it well. Three generations ran it including an ancient old grandad from an impossibly remote part of China and the sons were all numbered as few westerners could pronounce or remember their names, so there was “Number One Son” , “Number Two Son” and so on. It was cheap enough to eat there regularly (can anyone say this about Market Street now?) although my father always ordered steak and chips, which surprisingly was on the menu.

    By Adrian Baron (26/11/2007)
  • Thank you, Adrian, for whisking me back over 50 years in an instant – I remember the “ancient old grandad” very well – can see his face in my mind. And I also clearly recall the gentleman who, I believe, was the manager, as well as a few of the waiters – Chong, Ting Chee, Landick and so forth. Unfortunately, I didn’t know of Choy’s. I lived just about on the corner of Nile Street, on Market Street.

    By Janet Barry (27/12/2007)
  • In 1955 this lovely old black and white building was used by a shoemaker on the ground floor. I worked as an office junior for Clayton Black & Daviel a firm of Architects in Black Lion Street and often had to take shoes there for one of my employers. Also I used to cut through the little twitten alongside it to get to East Street to deliver letters by hand. I wouldn’t cut through there now. I would be too frightened.

    By Irene Thurston (31/03/2008)
  • I worked for firm of solicitors in Prince Albert Street as a junior litigation clerk. We represented the Chinese family that owned Choys on their licencing applications. The family name was Chong I remember two of the names they were Chong Kai Chek and Chong See Yong

    By Keith Salvage (10/05/2008)
  • As a child I used to wander around most of Brighton in the 40s. Brighton was as much an industrial town as a holiday one.  There used to be a huge bacon processing place in East Street, there was also a power station at the top of North Road. Along Lewes road there was Allen and West, Dent’s supply,Tamplin’s Brewery ,Co-op dairy with its own stables. All milk was delivered by horse and cart , the coal was also delivered by horse and cart. I can remember all aspects of life in Brighton. I have to finish now, will write more later.

    By Peter (08/11/2009)
  • I am trying to find out if the guesthouse that my parents stayed in for their honeymoon in 1954 is still there’ All they remember is that the road was right opposite the West Pier, which they could see from the front door. They don’t remember the street name either, but I wonder if it would be East Street? Can anyone help? I would love to take them back for their 60th wedding anniversary in July.

    By Caz (21/05/2013)
  • Directly opposite the West Pier is Regency Square, which still has a number of hotels and guest houses. East Street is around three quarters of a mile east of this and doesn’t face on to either of Brighton’s two piers.

    By Alan Phillips (22/05/2013)
  • I was studying at Brighton Polytechnic back in 1967. We used to dine at Choys and the Head Waiter was Ah Pang. I wonder how Choys is doing, assuming it’s still operating. 

    By Mun Chin (29/12/2016)
  • Mun Chin, Choy’s restaurant disappeared from Brighton a number of years ago now. I believe it was the second Chinese restaurant to open in Brighton, after the Nanking in Market Street – sadly also no longer with us.

    By Alan Phillips (01/01/2017)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.