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Trafalgar Lane

Associated with the timber trade

Trafalgar Lane runs between Trafalgar Street and Gloucester Road in the North Laine. It has always been associated with the timber trade; in fact today it is still the location for a branch of a large timber merchant.

Sawmills and furniture makers

In the mid 1800s, timber arrived in Brighton by train, and was sold on to local carpenters and tradesmen. In the 19th century the North Laine contained a number of sawmills and furniture makers.

Now a trendy area

Today many of the former trades premises have been converted into small flats and maisonettes and are seen as very desirable residences in the trendy North Laine area.

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Trafalgar Lane

Trafalgar Lane

Comments about this page

  • Oh my…….this lane brings back happy memories of childhood, pre-war and during the former part of the war years. Unlike the awful surface that appears now, it was a beautiful smooth tarmac surface and we spent hours roller skating the length of it. I remember it also because in August 1940 a number of German bombers raided Brighton with incendary bombs and John Eede and Butt’s timber yard in the middle of the Terrace went up in flames. I was living right behind it and it was quite a blaze. It was quite a night.

    By John Wall VK2 (20/10/2011)
  • Is this place really a twitten? Surely a twitten is so narrow it can only be a pedestrian route. Trafalgar Lane has been a site of wood interest from about 1820 when a sawmill was established here on what was then a greenfield site. I remember this place in the early 1980s when, in addition to the sawmills, there was in the little building opposite on the east side, a violin makers and next to the sawmills a furniture upholsterers.

    By Geoffrey Mead (07/11/2011)
  • I’m not sure a twitten has to be that narrow….. I grew up in Hartington Road and Bernard Place (between and roughly parallel to Hartington Road and Elm Grove) was always referred to as ‘the twitten’ despite being a full width road.

    By Geoff (08/11/2011)
  • I lived in St Georges Place from 1945 which backs on to Trafalgar Lane. I remember that in one of the lockups, a greengrocer kept his horse and cart. My father used to send me round at regular intervals to obtain a bucket of manure for the garden. The grocer took his cart around the Patcham estates.

    By tony caig (22/11/2011)
  • Whilst walking along Trafalgar Lane as a teenager I was surprised to see a horse with its head looking out of a stable door halfway along the lane . I knew the horse as I had seen it many times pulling the Greengrocer’s wagon in Carden Ave, Patcham. From memory the wagon looked rather like a stage coach with little glass doors along its sides displaying the fruit and vegetables inside. The Grocer wore a long coat and a broad rimmed hat, the whole set-up looked rather like it have been transported from the Wild West and a Wells Fargo sign would not have looked out of place.Happy days !

    By Alan Spicer (08/08/2012)
  • My dear dad Bob Cheetham had his work shop along Trafalgar Lane in the 60 and 70s. He took his business from his dad, George Cheetham. He used to make wooden light fittings to take to Europe, and we all lived a short stone throw away at number 72 Trafalgar Street. Such wonderful days which I miss very much.

    By Rachel Zozaya (22/08/2017)
  • I used to play in that place with friends from Over Street and surrounding streets. We used to call it “Bogey Ally” (as in bogey man!!) as at night it was very spooky.

    By PAUL VICTOR GODDARD (25/03/2023)

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