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A mystery solved

I was not the first on the Three Centuries Tour to make the mistake of confusing the old 19th Century view of the bottom on North Road with the current view of St. Peter’s Place.  However I was “strongly” of the opinion that mybrightonandhove had got it wrong!  I went down to St. Peter’s Place to check, and then had to admit I was wrong.  I wrote an apology on the comments of that page on 11th February 2007, however still the mistake is repeated by others. It’s time to set the record straight!

Significant differences
The following significant differences prove they are not the same place. The building on the corner of St. Peter’s Place is taller than the one in North Road.  The bay windows are also taller, and much wider; as is the building itself. The roofs are considerably different and the one in St. Peter’s Place is much lower. The bay windows on the right hand side of both buildings are different, and in a different position relative to the corner of the building.  Similar significant differences also occur between the row buildings to the left hand side.

Uncannily alike
My photo merge of St. Peter’s Place and North Road show that the views are uncannily alike, however whilst there are similarities, distinct differences prove that My Brighton and Hove is correct! But at a quick glance, or from memory, it’s easy to see why we made a mistake!

Top St. Peter's Place 2007 (by Peter Groves) bottom North Road 19th Century (Image reproduced with permission from Brighton History Centre)
Photo merge by Peter Groves

Comments about this page

  • Another vital piece of evidence is the set of tram lines approaching from Marlborough Place (in the extreme bottom left hand corner of the old photo) and then crossing North Road before continuing along Gloucester Place. Had this been a photo of St Peter’s Place, this set of tram lines would have been emerging from the grounds of St Peter’s Church!

    By Alan Hobden (27/01/2009)

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