Fleet of French raiders attacked the village of Brighthelmstone, burning almost every building to the ground.

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The population grew rapidly due to Dr Russell’s “sea water cure” (the belief that a dip in the cold sea has very therapeutic qualities). Several nobles took the cure and became enamoured enough of the area to build houses.

British city of Brighton and Hove. Conceived by speculative developer Joshua Hanson as Brighton underwent its rapid transformation from fishing village to fashionable resort, the three-sided “set piece” of around 70 houses and associated structures was designed and built over a ten-year period by Brighton’s most important Regency-era architects: the partnership of Charles Busby, Amon Wilds and his son Amon Henry Wilds. The site was originally Belle Vue Field—used at various times as a military camp (mentioned in Pride and Prejudice), a showground and the location of a windmill.

The square was a prestigious, high-class development, attracting the social elite. The square gradually lost its prestige status after the First World War as hotels started to move in. The square’s central garden, originally private, has been council-owned since 1884 and is publicly accessible.

The opening of the London to Brighton railway made the journey cheap and easy. It also brought a massive influx of tourists from a very different social background from traditional high society. The new tourists were middle- or lower-class trippers from the South of London.

The Grand was the first truly exclusive hotel in Brighton, designed by architect John Whichord. It was built in 1862-64, ostensibly for the upper classes that visited Brighton when it became a fashionable resort. Its imposing fascia is an amalgam of grandiose Italian renaissance and classic Victorian architecture.

The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England, that contains the Concert Hall, the Corn Exchange and the Studio Theatre. Formerly the Prince Regent’s stables, The Dome was converted to a concert and assembly hall, fit to hold 2,500 people on 24 June 1867.

Did you know?



Pink Floyd debuted Dark Side Of The Moon at Brighton Dome, 1972.



On the 6th April 1974, ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Waterloo’ at Brighton Dome which launched their career.

Opened in 1883, inventor Magnus Volk’s Electric Railway is the ‘world’s oldest operating electric railway’

The Chain Pier, already closed and decrepit by this point, was destroyed by a storm on 4 December 1896.

The remains of some of the pier’s oak piles, sunk ten feet into bedrock, can still be seen at the most extreme low tides. Masonry blocks can also be seen. The entrance kiosks and signal cannon of the pier are still intact, and are now used as small shops on the Palace Pier. The plaque commemorating this has been removed from the kiosks, but remains on the cannon.

At 1,722ft long, Brighton Marine Palace and Pier opened in 1899 is generally known as the Palace Pier for short, but has been informally renamed Brighton Pier since 2000 by its owners, the Noble Organisation, as it is now Brighton’s only non-derelict pier, a term not recognised by the Piers Society or by the majority of Brightonians. In July 2016 the owners announced it would be renamed Brighton Palace Pier.

During World War II the pier was closed and some decking removed as a security precaution.
Summer shows with stars such as Dick Emery, Tommy Trinder and Doris and Elsie Waters were held in the theatre until the 1970s.

During a storm in 1973, a 70-ton barge moored at the pier’s landing stage broke loose and began to damage the pier head, particularly the theatre. Despite fears that the pier would be destroyed, the storm eased and the barge was removed. The damaged theatre was never used again.

In 1986 the theatre was removed, on the understanding that it would be replaced. This has not happened, and the present seaward end building looks fairly modern in comparison with the rest of the structure, supporting a domed amusement arcade and several fairground rides, including several thrill rides, children’s rides and roller coasters.

Brighton and Hove Albion were playing at the nearby County Cricket Ground, and as their pitch was unavailable, they approached Hove FC to use the Goldstone and went on to defeat Southampton Wanderers 7-1 in a friendly on the 22nd of February 1902.

The Hove FC committee realised that gate money alone was insufficient to pay the rent, so in the summer they approached Albion with a view to sharing the ground. The Albion accepted, and moved from the County Ground in time for the 1902-03 season.

Formed in 1929 and still very actively sailing model yachts on the lagoon today. There is also sailing and windsurfing on the lagoon.

In 1971 huge reinforced concrete caissons each weighing 600 tonnes were fabricated on site and put into place by a giant 600 tonne crane constructed on site. In 1973 the final caissons of the West Breakwater were laid. By 1977 the infrastructure of the Marina was completed and the yacht berths were in the process of installation.

With Land areas below sea level at high tide a sea wall was built for protection. A lock provided access to the inner harbour- this is one of the largest non-commercial locks in Europe. In 1978 the Marina was opened to boats. HM The Queen opened the Marina after a tour with HRH The Dule of Edinburgh.

Did you know?

Brighton Marina is the largest man made marina in Europe covering 127 acres.

Construction costs far exceeded the original budget. Backers were reluctant to give further funding so the development stopped.

In 1985 the Marina taken over by Brent Walker and led by flamboyant boxer turned businessman George Walker. He immediately brought in a superstore operator and developed a village square with shops and restaurants, followed by flats and houses built on promontories overlooking the inner harbour.

A 1600 space multi storey car park and cinema complex was completed in 1988.

The ground was sold by the board, who were trying to clear the club’s mounting debts in an attempt to avoid bankruptcy, although no alternative football ground had been lined up, and without consulting the fans. The then chairman, Bill Archer, aimed to profit from the sale of the lucrative development land on which the Goldstone stood. A ground share with Portsmouth never materialised and the club eventually arranged a ground-share with Gillingham at their Priestfield Stadium over 70 miles from Brighton.

The last game at The Goldstone was held on 26 April 1997, in which Brighton beat Doncaster Rovers 1-0. The result lifted Brighton off the bottom of Division Three and meant that a draw or win in their visit to Hereford United the following weekend would prevent relegation to the Conference and preserve their Football League status. Brighton went on to draw the game 1-1 and secure survival – thus avoiding becoming the first former members of the top flight or the first major cup finalists to be relegated to the Conference.

In December 2002, the pier partially collapsed during a storm, when a walkway connecting the concert hall and pavilion fell into the sea. The following month, the concert hall in the middle of the pier fell over, leaving the entire structure close to total collapse.



On 28 March 2003 the pavilion at the pierhead caught fire. Fire crews were unable to save the building from destruction because the collapsed walkway prevented them from reaching it. The cause of the fire remains unknown, since fire investigators were unable to access the site for safety reasons, although it is thought to have been arson.



A more severe fire burned through 11 and 12 May 2003, consuming most of what was left of the concert hall. On 23 June 2004, high winds caused the middle of the pier to collapse completely. The following month, English Heritage declared the pier to be beyond repair.

The Brighton Wheel, also known during its planning and construction phase as ‘The Brighton O’ and ‘The Wheel of Excellence, was a transportable Ferris wheel installation, which operated from October 2011 until May 2016 on the seafront in Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove.

Situated below the East Cliff near Brighton Pier and built with private funding, its promoters anticipated that several hundred thousand visitors per year would experience the 12-minute ride. The wheel’s location in a conservation area with many residential buildings proved controversial.

After five years on the seafront, the Brighton Wheel is dismantled, to be replaced by the i360.

In July 2014, the official ‘groundbreaking’ took place and construction of the i360 officially started. The finished erection was completed in Summer 2016, with grand opening in September 2016.