Brighton
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox settlement Brighton (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a seaside resort in the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, Template:Convert south of London.<ref>OS Explorer map 122: Brighton and Hove. Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing date: 2009. Template:ISBN</ref> Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the Domesday Book (1086). The town's importance grew in the Middle Ages as the Old Town developed, but it languished in the early modern period, affected by foreign attacks, storms, a suffering economy and a declining population. Brighton began to attract more visitors following improved road transport to London and becoming a boarding point for boats travelling to France. The town also developed in popularity as a health resort for sea bathing as a purported cure for illnesses.
In the Georgian era, Brighton developed as a highly fashionable seaside resort, encouraged by the patronage of the Prince Regent, later King George IV, who spent much time in the town and constructed the Royal Pavilion in the Regency era. Brighton continued to grow as a major centre of tourism following the arrival of the railways in 1841, becoming a popular destination for day-trippers from London. Many of the major attractions were built in the Victorian era, including the Grand Hotel, the Hilton Brighton Metropole, the Palace Pier and the West Pier. The town continued to grow into the 20th century, expanding to incorporate more areas into the town's boundaries before joining Hove to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove in 1997, which was granted city status in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Today, Brighton and Hove district has a resident population of about Template:English district population and the wider Brighton and Hove conurbation has a population of 474,485 (2011 census).Template:NoteTag
Brighton's location has made it a popular destination for tourists, renowned for its diverse communities, shopping areas, large and vibrant cultural, music and arts scene, and its large LGBT population, leading to its recognition as the "unofficial gay capital of the UK" and as of the 2021 census, 10.7% of the population of Brighton and Hove over the age of 18 identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the highest percentage in the entire UK.<ref name="metro.co.uk"/> Brighton has been called the UK's "hippest city"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and "the happiest place to live in the UK".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Toc limit
Toponymy
[edit]The earliest attestation of Brighton's name is Bristelmestune, recorded in the Domesday Book. Although more than 40 variations have been documented, Brighthelmstone (or Brighthelmston) was the standard rendering between the 14th and 18th centuries.<ref name="VCH56961">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NEB44">Template:Harvnb</ref>
"Brighton" was originally an informal shortened form, first seen in 1660; it gradually supplanted the longer name and was in general use from the late 18th century, although Brighthelmstone remained the town's official name until 1810.<ref name="NEB44"/> The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin. Most scholars believe that it derives from Beorthelm + tūn—the homestead of Beorthelm, a common Old English name associated with villages elsewhere in England.<ref name="NEB44"/> The tūn element is common in Sussex, especially on the coast, although it occurs infrequently in combination with a personal name.<ref name="HistAtlas32–33">Template:Harvnb</ref> An alternative etymology taken from the Old English words for "stony valley" is sometimes given but has less acceptance.<ref name="NEB44"/> Brighthelm gives its name to, among other things, a church,<ref name="NEB39">Template:Harvnb</ref> a pub in Brighton,<ref name="JDW-Brighthelm">Template:Cite web</ref> some halls of residence at the University of Sussex.<ref name="UniSx-Brighthelm">Template:Cite web</ref> Writing in 1950, historian Antony Dale noted that unnamed antiquaries had suggested an Old English word "brist" or "briz", meaning "divided", could have contributed the first part of the historic name Brighthelmstone. The town was originally split in half by the Wellesbourne, a winterbourne which was culverted and buried in the 18th century.<ref name="DaleH&A10+34">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Brighton has several nicknames. Poet Horace Smith called it "The Queen of Watering Places", which is still widely used,<ref name="Antram3">Template:Harvnb</ref> and "Old Ocean's Bauble".<ref name="EncB16">Template:Harvnb</ref> Novelist William Makepeace Thackeray referred to "Doctor Brighton", calling the town "one of the best of Physicians". "London-by-the-Sea" is well-known, reflecting Brighton's popularity with Londoners as a day-trip resort, a commuter dormitory and a desirable destination for those wanting to move out of the metropolis. "The Queen of Slaughtering Places", a pun on Smith's description, became popular when the Brighton trunk murders came to the public's attention in the 1930s.<ref name="EncB16"/> The mid-19th-century nickname "School Town" referred to the remarkable number of boarding, charity and church schools in the town at the time.<ref name="Sampson56">Template:Harvnb</ref>
History
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also The first settlement in the Brighton area was Whitehawk Camp, a Neolithic encampment on Whitehawk Hill which has been dated to between 3500 BC and 2700 BC.<ref name="EncB17">Template:Harvnb</ref> It is one of six causewayed enclosures in Sussex. Archaeologists have only partially explored it, but have found numerous burial mounds, tools and bones, suggesting it was a place of some importance.<ref name="BHCC-WhitehawkCamp">Template:Cite web</ref> There was also a Bronze Age settlement at Coldean. Brythonic Celts arrived in Britain in the 7th century BC,<ref name="EncB17" /> and an important Brythonic settlement existed at Hollingbury Castle on Hollingbury Hill. This Celtic Iron Age encampment dates from the 3rd or 2nd century BC and is circumscribed by substantial earthwork outer walls with a diameter of Template:Circa Template:Cvt. Cissbury Ring, roughly Template:Cvt from Hollingbury, is suggested to have been the tribal "capital".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Later, there was a Roman villa at Preston Village, a Roman road from London ran nearby, and much physical evidence of Roman occupation has been discovered locally.<ref name="EncB17"/> From the 1st century AD, the Romans built a number of villas in Brighton and Romano-British Brythonic Celts formed farming settlements in the area.<ref>Current Archaeology, 13 March 2014, Template:Cite web. Retrieved 27 April 2014.</ref> After the Romans left in the early 4th century AD, the Brighton area returned to the control of the native Celts. Anglo-Saxons then invaded in the late 5th century AD, and the region became part of the Kingdom of Sussex, founded in 477 AD by king Ælle.<ref name="ASC">Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Parker MS) (E-text) Template:Webarchive</ref>
Anthony Seldon identified five phases of development in pre-20th century Brighton.<ref name="Seldon-Ch2">Template:Harvnb</ref> The village of Bristelmestune was founded by these Anglo-Saxon invaders, probably in the early Saxon period. They were attracted by the easy access for boats, sheltered areas of raised land for building and better conditions compared to the damp, cold and misty Weald to the north.<ref name="Musgrave21">Template:Harvnb</ref> By the time of the Domesday survey in 1086 it was a fishing and agricultural settlement, a rent of 4,000 herring was established, and its population was about 400.<ref name="VCH56961"/><ref name="EncB17"/> By the 14th century there was a parish church, a market and rudimentary law enforcement (the first town constable was elected in 1285).<ref name="Seldon32">Template:Harvnb</ref> Sacked and burnt by French invaders in the early 16th century—the earliest depiction of Brighton, a painting of Template:Circa 1520, shows Admiral Pregent de Bidoux's attack of June 1514—the town recovered strongly based on a thriving mackerel-fishing industry.<ref name="Seldon33"/> The grid of streets in the Old Town (the present Lanes area) were well developed and the town grew quickly: the population rose from Template:Circa 1,500 in 1600 to Template:Circa 4,000 in the 1640s.<ref name="EncB17"/> By that time Brighton was Sussex's most populous and important town.<ref name="Seldon33">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Over the next few decades, though, events severely affected its local and national standing, such that by 1730 "it was a forlorn town decidedly down on its luck".<ref name="Seldon33"/> More foreign attacks, storms (especially the devastating Great Storm of 1703), a declining fishing industry, and the emergence of nearby Shoreham as a significant port caused its economy to suffer.<ref name="Seldon33" /> By 1708 other parishes in Sussex were charged rates to alleviate poverty in Brighton, and Daniel Defoe wrote that the expected £8,000 cost of providing sea defences was "more than the whole town was worth". The population declined to 2,000 in the early 18th century.<ref name="EncB17" />
From the 1730s, Brighton entered its second phase of development—one which brought a rapid improvement in its fortunes. The contemporary fad for drinking and bathing in seawater as a purported cure for illnesses was enthusiastically encouraged by Richard Russell from nearby Lewes. He sent many patients to "take the cure" in the sea at Brighton, published a popular treatiseTemplate:NoteTag on the subject, and moved to the town soon afterwards (the Royal Albion, one of Brighton's early hotels, occupies the site of his house).<ref name="Seldon34">Template:Harvnb</ref> Others were already visiting the town for recreational purposes before Russell became famous, and his actions coincided with other developments which made Brighton more attractive to visitors. From the 1760s it was a boarding point for boats travelling to France; road transport to London was improved<ref name="Seldon34–35">Template:Harvnb</ref> when the main road via Crawley was turnpiked in 1770;<ref name="Gwynne98">Template:Harvnb</ref> and spas and indoor baths were opened by other entrepreneurial physicians such as Sake Dean Mahomed and Anthony Relhan (who also wrote the town's first guidebook).<ref name="Seldon34–35" />
From 1780, the development of the Georgian terraces had started, and the fishing village developed as the fashionable resort of Brighton. The growth of the town was further encouraged by the patronage of the Prince Regent (later King George IV) after his first visit in 1783.<ref name="EncB71">Template:Harvnb</ref> He spent much of his leisure time in the town and constructed the Royal Pavilion during the early part of his Regency. In this period the modern form of the name Brighton came into common use.<ref name="PlaceNames">Template:Harvnb</ref> A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Preston Barracks in 1793.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was rebuilt in 1830.
The population increased rapidly throughout the 19th century from 7,339 in 1801 to 46,661 in 1841,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and by 1901 the population had reached more than 120,000.<ref name="EncB127">Template:Harvnb</ref> The arrival of the London and Brighton Railway in 1841 brought Brighton within the reach of day-trippers from London. Many of the major attractions were built during the Victorian era, such as the Grand Hotel (1864), the West Pier (1866), and the Palace Pier (1899). Prior to either of these structures, the famous Royal Suspension Chain Pier was built, to the designs of Captain Samuel Brown. It lasted from 1823 to 1896 and is featured in paintings by both Turner and Constable.<ref name="EncB34">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Due to the boundary changes, the land area of Brighton expanded from 1,640 acres (7 km2) in 1854 to 14,347 acres (58 km2) in 1952.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> New housing estates were established in the acquired areas, including Moulsecoomb, Bevendean, Coldean and Whitehawk. The major expansion of 1928 also incorporated the villages of Patcham, Ovingdean and Rottingdean, and much council housing was built in parts of Woodingdean after the Second World War. By the 1970s, the town had acquired a reputation as a retirement destination, with an elderly population.<ref name="BBRH51">Template:Harvnb</ref> However, this was reversed in the 1990s, as Brighton regained the fashionable status it held in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In 1997, the town of Brighton and its neighbouring town Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium celebrations in 2000.<ref name="NEB73">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Demography
[edit]Template:As of, the Brighton and Hove district, of which Brighton is the largest area, has an estimated resident population of Template:English district population residents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is [[List of English districts by population|ranked the Template:English district rank]] most populous district in England. Compared to the national average, Brighton has fewer children and old residents but a large proportion of adults aged 20–44.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Brighton has long had an LGBT-friendly history. In a 2014 estimate, 11–15 per cent of the city's population aged 16 or over is thought to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city also had the highest percentage of same-sex households in the UK in 2004<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the largest number of civil partnership registrations outside London in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Religion
[edit]Brighton is identified as one of the least religious places in the UK, based upon analysis of the 2011 census which revealed that 42 per cent of the population profess no religion, far higher than the national average of 25 per cent.<ref name="religion">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Update inline Brighton has been described as the UK's most "Godless" city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The largest religion is Christianity, with 43 per cent reporting an affiliation. The second-largest religion is Islam, with 2.2 per cent, which is lower than the national average.<ref name="religion"/>
As part of the Jedi census phenomenon in 2001, 2.6 per cent claimed their religion was 'Jedi Knight', the largest percentage in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Homelessness
[edit]Template:See also In December 2021, new data released by Shelter, revealed that "one in 78 people in Brighton and Hove are homeless".<ref>One in 78 people homeless in B&H:Shelter report Template:Webarchive</ref> The report also records the city as having the third highest rate of homelessness in England, with London claiming the top spot followed by Luton.<ref>Shelter, homelessness in England report: Homelessness in England Template:Webarchive</ref> In a previous charity report issued in November 2016, three areas in Brighton & Hove, East Brighton, Queen's Park, and Moulsecoomb & Bevendean ranked in the top ten per cent nationally for deprivation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Although deprivation in Brighton is distributed across the city, it is more concentrated in some areas. The highest concentration is in the Whitehawk, Moulsecoomb, and Hollingbury areas but is also found around the St. James's Street and Eastern Road areas.<ref>"Residents slam 'sickening' spread of drugs in Kemp Town" The Argus, 28 June 2019. Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A 2015 government statistic showed that the area around Brighton's Palace Pier roundabout and to the east towards St James's Street in Kemptown is the seventh-worst living environment in England.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 19 January 2017, Brighton council announced they were looking at certain initiatives to try to alleviate some of the increasing homelessness seen on Brighton's streets and were hoping to open the first in-house temporary housing for homeless people in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Homelessness figures released by Crisis in December 2018 reported a record high in the UK, with figures in Sussex, including Brighton and Hove, reported as being "high".<ref>Peter Lindsey (22 December 2018) Crisis as Homelessness Reaches Record High The Argus</ref><ref>Brighton Argus, 30 January 2019, article by Karen Goodwin: Concerns over growing homeless camps in city centre: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17395759.concerns-over-growing-homeless-camps-in-city-centre/ Template:Webarchive</ref>
At a meeting of the full B&H Council on 25 March 2021, Brighton and Hove became the first UK City to adopt the Homeless Bill of Rights.<ref>B&H Homeless Bill of Rights:Homeless Bill of Rights Template:Webarchive</ref> The bill was passed by 31 votes to 11, with 7 abstentions.<ref>B&H Homeless Bill of Rights (article):https://criticallegalthinking.com/2021/04/06/brighton-and-hoves-homeless-bill-of-rights/ Template:Webarchive</ref>
Geography
[edit]
Brighton lies between the South Downs and the English Channel to the north and south, respectively. The Sussex coast forms a wide, shallow bay between the headlands of Selsey Bill and Beachy Head; Brighton developed near the centre of this bay around a seasonal river, the Wellesbourne (or Whalesbone), which flowed from the South Downs above Patcham.<ref name="VCH56961"/><ref name="EncB15">Template:Harvnb</ref> This emptied into the English Channel at the beach near the East Cliff, forming "the natural drainage point for Brighton".<ref name="NEB246">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Behind the estuary was a stagnant pond called the Pool or Poole, so named since the medieval era.Template:NoteTag This was built over with houses and shops from 1793, when the Wellesbourne was culverted to prevent flooding,<ref name="NEB246"/><ref name="BTBP95">Template:Harvnb</ref> and only the name of the road (Pool Valley, originally Pool Lane)<ref name="BTBP8">Template:Harvnb</ref> marks its site. One original house survives from the time of the pool's enclosure.<ref name="VCH56961"/> Behind Pool Valley is Old Steine (historically The Steyne), originally a flat and marshy area where fishermen dried their nets. The Wellesbourne occasionally reappears during times of prolonged heavy rain; author Mark Antony Lower referred to an early 19th-century drawing of the Royal Pavilion showing "quite a pool of water across the Steyne".<ref name="Lower248">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Despite 16th-century writer Andrew Boorde's claim that "Bryght-Hempston [is] among the noble ports and havens of the realm",<ref name="Lower247">Template:Harvnb</ref> Brighton never developed as a significant port: rather, it was considered as part of Shoreham. Nevertheless, the descriptions "Port of Brighthelmston" or "Port of Brighton" were sometimes used between the 14th and 19th centuries, as for example in 1766 when its notional limits were defined for customs purposes.<ref name="EncB128">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The East Cliff runs for several miles from Pool Valley towards Rottingdean and Saltdean, reaching Template:Cvt above sea level. The soil beneath it, a mixture of alluvium and clay with some flint and chalk rubble, has experienced erosion for many years.<ref name="EncB56">Template:Harvnb</ref> The cliff itself, like the rest of Brighton's soil, is chalk.<ref name="VCH56961"/> Below this are thin layers of Upper and Lower Greensand separated by a thicker band of Gault clay.<ref name="HistAtlas3">Template:Harvnb</ref> The land slopes upwards gradually from south to north towards the top of the Downs.
Main transport links developed along the floor of the Wellesbourne valley, from which the land climbs steeply—particularly on the east side. The earliest settlement was by the beach at the bottom of the valley,<ref name="EncB15"/> which was partly protected from erosion by an underwater sandbar. Changes in sea level affected the foreshore several times: Template:Cvt disappeared in the first half of the 14th century,<ref name="EncB43">Template:Harvnb</ref> and the Great Storm of 1703 caused widespread destruction. The first sea defences were erected in 1723,<ref name="EncB43"/> and a century later a long sea wall was built.<ref name="EncB56"/>
Climate
[edit]Template:See also Brighton has a temperate climate: its Köppen climate classification is Cfb. It is characterised by cool summers and cool winters with frequent cloudy and rainy periods.<ref name="EncB40">Template:Harvnb</ref> Average rainfall levels increase as the land rises: the 1958–1990 mean was Template:Cvt on the seafront and about Template:Cvt at the top of the South Downs above Brighton.<ref name="EncB40"/> Storms caused serious damage in 1703, 1806, 1824, 1836, 1848, 1850, 1896, 1910 and 1987. Heavy snow is rare, but particularly severe falls were recorded in 1881 and 1967.<ref name="EncB40"/> Template:Weather box
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt |
Boundaries and areas
[edit]| Date from | Parish area<ref name="NEB34–35">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
|---|---|
| Template:Circa 11th century | Template:Cvt |
| 31 October 1873 | Template:Cvt |
| 1 October 1923 | Template:Cvt |
| 1 April 1928 | Template:Cvt |
| 1 April 1952 | Template:Cvt |
| 31 March 1972 | Template:Cvt |
| 1 April 1993 | Template:Cvt |
| 1 April 1997Template:NoteTag | Template:Cvt |
At the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, Brighton was in the Rape of Lewes and the Hundred of Welesmere. The new Hundred of Whalesbone, which covered the parishes of Brighton, West Blatchington, Preston and Hove, was formed in 1296. Parishes moved in and out several times, and by 1801 only Brighton and West Blatchington were included in the Hundred.<ref name="VCH56959">Template:Cite web</ref>
In its original form, Brighton parish covered about Template:Cvt between the English Channel, Hove, Preston, Ovingdean and Rottingdean. The borough (but not the civil parish) was first extended from 31 October 1873, when Template:Cvt was annexed from Preston civil parish. In 1894 the part outside the borough became Preston Rural civil parish and Preston civil parish continued in the borough. On 1 April 1889 Brighton became a county borough.
On 1 October 1923, Template:Cvt were added to Brighton borough and to Preston civil parish from Patcham parish: Brighton Corporation was developing the Moulsecoomb estate there at the time. On 1 April 1928, Brighton civil parish was extended to include Preston civil parish. On the same date the borough grew by nearly five times by adding Ovingdean and Rottingdean parishes in their entirety and parts of Falmer, Patcham and West Blatchington; it also exchanged small parts with Hove municipal borough. All the areas added to the borough became part of Brighton civil parish.<ref name="NEB34">Template:Harvnb</ref> From 1 April 1952, more of Falmer and part of the adjacent Stanmer parish were added; 20 years later, land and marine territory associated with the new Brighton Marina development also became part of Brighton. Except for a small addition of rural land in 1993 (from Pyecombe parish), Brighton Borough's boundaries remained the same until it was joined to Hove Borough in 1997 to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove.<ref name="NEB35">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The old boundary between Brighton and Hove is most clearly seen on the seafront, where the King Edward Peace Statue (1912) straddles the border, and in a twitten called Boundary Passage which runs northwards from Western Road to Montpelier Place.<ref name="AboutBtn57">Template:Harvnb</ref> There is a Grade II-listed parish boundary marker stone in this passageway.<ref name="NHLE-1380005">Template:National Heritage List for England</ref> Between Western Road and the seafront, the boundary runs up Little Western Street (pavement on eastern side, in Brighton), but it is not visible.<ref name="AboutBtn57"/> Northwards from Western Road, it runs to the west of Norfolk Road, Norfolk Terrace, Windlesham Road and Windlesham Gardens in the Montpelier area, then along the south side of Davigdor Road to Seven Dials. From there it runs along the west side of Dyke Road as far as Withdean Road in Withdean, at which point it crosses Dyke Road so that the section north of that is part of Hove parish. The boundary continues to follow Dyke Road towards Devil's Dyke on the South Downs.<ref name="B&HMap-1960">Template:Cite map</ref>
Governance and politics
[edit]Template:See also Brighton is covered by two constituencies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom: Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven and Brighton Pavilion. In the 2024 general election, Brighton Kemptown elected Chris Ward, Labour;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Brighton Pavilion elected Siân Berry, Green Party.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
There are 21 wards in the city of Brighton and Hove, of which 12 are in Brighton. Regency, St Peter's & North Laine, Preston Park, Withdean, Patcham, Hollingdean & Stanmer and Hanover & Elm Grove are part of the Brighton Pavilion constituency; Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Queen's Park, East Brighton, Woodingdean and Rottingdean Coastal are covered by the Brighton Kemptown constituency.<ref name="BHCC-Wards">Template:Cite web</ref>
The newly created Borough of Brighton consisted of six wards in 1854: St Nicholas, St Peter, Pier, Park, Pavilion and West. When the territory was extended to include part of Preston parish in 1873, the new area became a seventh ward named Preston. The seven were split into 14 in 1894: Hanover, Kemp Town (renamed King's Cliff in 1908), Lewes Road, Montpelier, Pavilion, Pier, Preston, Preston Park, Queen's Park, Regency, St John, St Nicholas, St Peter, and West. Preston ward was extended in 1923 to incorporate the area taken into the borough from Patcham parish in 1923 for the construction of the Moulsecoomb estate, and in 1928 the ward was divided into four: Hollingbury, Moulsecoomb, Preston and Preston Park. Elm Grove and Patcham wards were created at the same time, bringing the total to 19. There were further changes in 1952, 1955 and 1983, at which time there were 16 wards.<ref name="EncB47">Template:Harvnb</ref> This situation continued until 1 April 1997, when Hove and its wards became part of the new unitary authority of Brighton and Hove.<ref name="NEB156">Template:Harvnb</ref>
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Brighton Town Hall occupies a large site in the Lanes. Medieval Brighthelmston had a town hall, although it was called the Townhouse and functioned more like a market hall. A later building (1727) known as the Town Hall was principally used as a workhouse. Work on the first purpose-built town hall began in 1830; Thomas Read Kemp laid the first stone, and Thomas Cooper designed it on behalf of the Brighton Town Commissioners (of which he was a member). Brighton Corporation spent £40,000 to extend it in 1897–99 to the Classical design of Brighton Borough Surveyor Francis May. Despite this, the building was too small for municipal requirements by the mid-20th century, and extra council buildings were built in locations throughout Brighton Borough Council's existence: the most recent, Bartholomew House and Priory House next to the town hall, were finished in 1987.<ref name="NEB341–342">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Antram72">Template:Harvnb</ref> The town hall ceased to be responsible solely for Brighton's affairs when Brighton and Hove were united in 1997, but it is still used by Brighton & Hove City Council—particularly for weddings and civil partnerships.<ref name="BHCC-TownHall">Template:Cite web</ref>
The presence of a British subsidiary of the United States arms company EDO Corporation on the Home Farm Industrial Estate in Moulsecoomb has been the cause of protests since 2004. The premises were significantly damaged in January 2009 when protesters broke in.<ref name="NEB205">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Economy
[edit]In 1985, the Borough Council described three "myths" about Brighton's economy. Common beliefs were that most of the working population commuted to London every day; that tourism provided most of Brighton's jobs and income; or that the borough's residents were "composed entirely of wealthy theatricals and retired business people" rather than workers.<ref name="BBRH51"/> Brighton has been an important centre for commerce and employment since the 18th century. It is home to several major companies, some of which employ thousands of people locally; as a retail centre it is of regional importance; creative, digital and new media businesses are increasingly significant; and, although Brighton was never a major industrial centre, its railway works contributed to Britain's rail industry in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the manufacture of steam locomotives.
Since the amalgamation of Brighton and Hove, economic and retail data has been produced at a citywide level only. Examples of statistics include: Brighton and Hove's tourism industry contributes £380m to the economy and employs 20,000 people directly or indirectly; the city has 9,600 registered companies; and a 2001 report identified it as one of five "supercities for the future".<ref name="NEB113">Template:Harvnb</ref> In the past couple of years tourists to Brighton and Hove have fallen in numbers. Over 2016, day visitors to Brighton and Hove dropped by an average of 2,400 per day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2017, new figures for the year showed Brighton's tourism had fallen by a further 1 per cent on the previous year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Commerce and industry
[edit]_(April_2013).JPG){kind=link}
Brighton's largest private sector employer is American Express, whose European headquarters are at John Street.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2012, about 3,000 people work there.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Planning permission to demolish the old Amex offices and build a replacement was granted in 2009, and work started in March 2010. Other major employers include Lloyds Bank, Legal & General, Asda (which has hypermarkets at Hollingbury and Brighton Marina), Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company and call-centre operator Inkfish.<ref name="NEB113" /> In 2012, it was reported that about 1,500 of Gatwick Airport's 21,000 workers lived in the city of Brighton and Hove.<ref name="Argus-11122012">Template:Cite news</ref>
Brighton is a popular destination for conferences, exhibitions and trade fairs, and has had a purpose-built conference centre—the Brighton Centre—since 1977. Direct income from the Brighton Centre's 160 events per year is £8 million,Template:NoteTag and a further £50 million is generated indirectly by visitors spending money during their stay. Events range from political party conferences to concerts.<ref name="NEB56">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The Hollingbury Industrial Estate is one of the largest such facilities in Brighton; in its early days about 6,000 people were employed, principally in industrial jobs, but in the late 20th and early 21st centuries its focus has switched to commercial and retail development,<ref name="BB-990853">Template:Cite web</ref> limiting Brighton's potential for industrial growth. Brighton Corporation laid out the estate on Template:Cvt of land around Crowhurst Road in 1950. By 1956, large-scale employment was provided at a bakery, a typewriter factory and a machine tools manufacturer among others. Most of the large factories closed during the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, employment fell to 1,000, and structural changes started in the mid-1980s with a move towards small-scale industrial units (the Enterprise Estate was finished in October 1985) and then retail warehouses. Asda's superstore opened in November 1987, MFI followed two years later, and other retail units were built in the 1990s.<ref name="NEB149–150">Template:Harvnb</ref> Two large headquarters buildings were vacated in quick succession when British Bookshops left in March 2011<ref name="BB-451248">Template:Cite web</ref> and The Argus newspaper moved out of its headquarters in 2012—although the Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company signed a contract to move its 1,250 employees into the latter building.<ref name="BB-398183">Template:Cite web</ref>
Brighton has a high density of businesses involved in the media sector, particularly digital or "new media", and since the 1990s has been referred to as "Silicon Beach".<ref name="TechCrunch-SB">Template:Cite web</ref> By 2007, over 250 new media business had been founded in Brighton. Brandwatch is a social media monitoring company based in offices near Brighton station. Computer game design company Black Rock Studio was founded in 1998 and was taken over by Disney Interactive Studios,<ref name="NEB113"/><ref name="TechCrunch-SB"/> who closed it down in 2011.<ref name="Eurogamer">Template:Cite web</ref> The Gamer Network, whose portfolio of websites relating to computer gaming (including Eurogamer) and creative industries was founded in 1999, is based in Brighton.<ref name="GamerNetwork">Template:Cite web</ref>
By the early 21st century, the market for office accommodation in the city was characterised by fluctuating demand and a lack of supply of high-quality buildings. As an example, the Trafalgar Place development (Template:Circa 1990), "now considered a prime office location", stood partly empty for a decade.<ref name="TBS-9.2.2">Template:Cite report</ref> Exion 27 (built in 2001), a high-tech, energy-efficient office development at Hollingbury, remained empty for several years and is still not in commercial use: it houses some administrative departments of the University of Brighton. It was Brighton's first ultramodern commercial property and was intended for mixed commercial and industrial use, but its completion coincided with a slump in demand for high-tech premises.<ref name="BB-772119">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Argus-6703608">Template:Cite news</ref>
Retail and shopping
[edit]Brighton is well known for its high number of independent shops, which add to the character of the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Walking from Brighton station towards the seafront, first, is the North Laine area, stretching from Trafalgar Street, Kensington Gardens, Sydney Street, Gardner Street and Bond Street and is mostly pedestrianised. It is a retail, leisure and the residential area immediately north of the Lanes. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Laine" meaning "fields",Template:Citation needed although the misnomer "North Lanes" is often used to describe the area. The North Laine contains a mix of businesses dominated by cafés, bars, theatres, and over 400 shops independent and avant-garde shops including an erotic shop and indoor flea markets.
The Lanes which is characterised by a labyrinth of narrow alleyways form a retail, leisure and residential area near the seafront, following the street pattern of the original fishing village. The Lanes contain predominantly clothing stores, jewellers, antique shops, restaurants and pubs.
Churchill Square is a shopping centre with a floor space of Template:Cvt and over 80 shops, several restaurants and 1,600 car-parking spaces.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was built in the 1960s as an open-air, multi-level pedestrianised shopping centre, but was rebuilt and enlarged in 1998 and is no longer open-air. Further retail areas include Western Road and London Road, the latter of which is undergoing extensive regeneration in the form of new housing and commercial properties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There are two weekly flea market / bootfairs in Brighton on Sunday mornings, one at Brighton Marina on the top open-air level of the carpark, and another at Brighton Racecourse.
Landmarks
[edit]
The Royal Pavilion, a Grade I listed building,<ref>Template:NHLE</ref> is a former royal palace built as a home for the Prince Regent during the early 19th century, under the direction of the architect John Nash. It is notable for its Indo-Saracenic architecture and Oriental interior. Other Indo-Saracenic buildings in Brighton include the Sassoon Mausoleum, now, with the bodies reburied elsewhere, in use as a chic supper club.
The first of Brighton's three piers was the Chain Pier, which was destroyed in a storm in 1896. All that remains of the pier are small lumps of wood and stone, which are only visible at low tide. It was primarily intended as a landing stage for packet boats to Dieppe, France, but it also featured a small number of attractions including a camera obscura.
Brighton Marine Palace and Pier (long known as the Palace Pier) opened in 1899, it was meant to be a replacement for the Chain Pier, but became a pleasure pier instead. It features a funfair, restaurants and arcade halls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The West Pier was built in 1866 and is one of only two Grade I listed piers in the United Kingdom; it has been closed since 1975. For some time it was under consideration for restoration, but two fires in 2003, and other setbacks, led to these plans being abandoned.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nevertheless, publicity material presented in question-and-answer form during the building of the Brighton i360 observation tower (see below) maintained that the building of the tower would not prove prejudicial to the eventual restoration of the pier.
The Brighton i360, an observation tower located at the shore end of the West Pier, opened on 4 August 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At Template:Cvt high, with a spacious glass viewing pod rising to Template:Cvt, it is Britain's highest observation tower outside London – taller even than the London Eye.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With a diameter of Template:Cvt, it is also the thinnest tower in the world, with a height-to-width ratio of 41.15 to one.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Brighton Clock Tower, built in 1888 for Queen Victoria's jubilee,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> stands at the intersection of Brighton's busiest thoroughfares.
Volk's Electric Railway runs along the inland edge of the beach from Palace Pier to Black Rock and Brighton Marina. It was created in 1883 and is the world's oldest operating electric railway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Grand Hotel was built in 1864. The Brighton hotel bombing occurred there. Its nighttime blue lighting is particularly prominent along the foreshore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Churches and other places of worship
[edit]
St Nicholas Church may be the oldest building in Brighton (the Domesday Book records the presence of an Anglo-Saxon church, valued at £12)<ref name="Salzman 1940">Template:Cite book</ref> and is commonly known as "The Mother Church".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other notable Anglican churches include the very tall (the highest church interior in Britain) brick-built St Bartholomew's (1874) designed by the architect Edmund Scott;<ref name=BRIGHT1>Template:Cite book</ref> St Peter's (1828); and St Martin's (1875), noted for its ornate interior. Brighton's Quakers run the Friends Meeting House in the Lanes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is an active Unitarian community based in a Grade II listed building in New Road.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Brighton has six listed Roman Catholic churches; St John the Baptist's Church (1835) in Kemptown is the earliest surviving Roman Catholic church in the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Brighton and Hove has five synagogues: New Church Road Synagogue; Holland Road Synagogue; Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue; Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue; and Middle Street Synagogue. The Middle Street Synagogue is a Grade II listed building built in 1874–75; it is being gradually restored by English Heritage. There are also several mosques<ref>Template:Cite web
- Template:Cite web</ref> and Buddhist centres.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Beaches
[edit]Brighton has a Template:Cvt expanse of shingle beach,<ref name="EncB43"/> part of the unbroken Template:Cvt section within the city limits.Template:NoteTag A flat sandy foreshore is exposed at low tide.<ref name="EncB43" /> The seafront is home to many restaurants, sports facilities, amusement arcades, nightclubs and bars.<ref name="BHCC-Seafront">Template:Cite web</ref> At Black Rock, to the east of Brighton, a vegetated shingle wildlife habitat has been created. A 600m long boardwalk runs through the wildlife site.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Palace Pier section of the beach has been awarded blue flag status.<ref name="BlueFlag">Template:Cite web</ref>
The city council owns all the beaches, which are divided into named sections by groynes—the first of which were completed in 1724. Eastwards from the Hove boundary, the names are Boundary, Norfolk, Bedford, Metropole, Grand (referring to the four hotels with those names), Centre, King's, Old Ship, Volk's, Albion, Palace Pier, Aquarium, Athina (where the MS Athina B ran aground), Paston, Banjo, Duke's, Cliff, Crescent and Black Rock. Cliff Beach is a nudist beach.<ref name="visi_Brig">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyond Black Rock, the cliffs (part of the Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs Site of Special Scientific Interest) rise to more than Template:Cvt and there are three small beaches at Ovingdean Gap, Rottingdean Gap and Saltdean Gap. All are connected by the Undercliff Walk,<ref name="EncB43"/> which has been affected by several cliff falls since 2000.<ref name="BHCC-Cliffs">Template:Cite web</ref>
Part of the beach adjoining Madeira Drive, to the east of the city centre, was redeveloped opened to the public in March 2007, with a playground, mini-golf, beach saunas and beach volleyball courts.
On the sea wall of Madeira Drive is Madeira Terrace, a Grade 2* listed, 865-metre-long stretch of seafront arches. The Terrace structure has degraded, deemed unsafe, and been closed to the public since 2014. The Terrace is being restored, with a number of plans submitted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In front of the Terrace has been built a new national outdoor swimming centre, including a 50m swimming pool with an adjoining complex of shops, and bars.
Since the demolition in 1978 of the Black Rock open-air lido at the eastern end of Brighton's seafront, the area has been developed and now features one of Europe's largest marinas. However, the site of the pool itself remains empty except for a skate park and graffiti wall. Since 2003 a series of developments have been proposed including housing, a five-star hotel with a winter garden, and an 11,000-seat sports arena.<ref name="NEB29">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Liz Williams Butterfly Haven
[edit]
The Liz Williams Butterfly haven (Template:Gbmappingsmall) is a purpose-built area that has been created to attract and provide a habitat for butterflies. It is situated between Dorothy Stringer and Varndean College, north of Stringer Way. It was the brainchild of Dan Danahar with funding from the BBC, in conjunction with the National Lottery, through the Breathing Places scheme.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> This site was created between 2006 and 2007, and by September 2008 the late Liz Williams, botanist, had recorded 97 wildflower species and 10 species of grass. This was an order of magnitude increase in the floral diversity of the site within one year. As a tribute to her work, the site has been renamed the Liz Williams Butterfly Haven in 2011.<ref name=":1" /> Since its creation up to 2021 twenty-seven species of butterfly have been recorded here including Adonis blue, chalkhill blue, green hairstreak, dingy and chequered skipper.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Woodvale Cemeteries
[edit]Woodvale (Template:Gbmappingsmall) is actually five linked cemeteries that cover the western side of Race Hill. The cemeteries are east of Lewes Road and either side of Bear Road. Their cultural significance and importance to wildlife to the city were described evocatively by the Sussex field naturalist, David Bangs (p. 303).
"They are a profoundly peaceful place of little woods and glades, sunny banks and shady paths. They have become, in the last 150 years, reservoirs for much of the wildlife of the surrounding countryside. Some of the big beech trees down in Woodvale are as old as the cemeteries. The marbles, limestones, and granites of the memorials are a detective story for geologists. Yaffles call across the trees. The rare greater horseshoe bat has hibernated in the funerary buildings. Badgers pit the mossy turf in their search for earthworms, and violet and celandine cheer the turf in early spring."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Other landmarks
[edit]Brighton is the home of the UK's first Walk of Fame, which celebrates the many rich and famous people associated with the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Culture
[edit]Cafes and restaurants
[edit]Brighton is characterised by small dining establishments and independent coffeehouses. Brighton has about 250 restaurants.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is known for having many vegan and vegetarian restaurants, and a 2022 analysis found the city has the highest density of vegan restaurants in the UK.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Media
[edit]Brighton has a local television channel, Latest TV, which broadcasts local news and entertainment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Local radio stations are BBC Radio Sussex, Heart South, Capital Brighton, Radio Reverb and Gaydio Template:Ndash a radio station for the city's LGTBQ+ community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The local newspaper that serves the city is The Argus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cinema
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Brighton featured in a number of popular movies including Carry on at Your Convenience (1971), Quadrophenia (1979), The End of the Affair (1999), Wimbledon (2004), MirrorMask (2005), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), The Young Victoria (2009), Brighton Rock (2010 and 1947), and The Boat that Rocked (2009).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Duke of York's Picturehouse,<ref name=BRIGHT3>Template:Cite book</ref> dating from 1910,<ref name="Fisher">Template:Cite web</ref> was opened by Violet Melnotte-Wyatt. It is the country's oldest purpose-built cinema and was Brighton's first Electric Bioscope, which still operates as an arthouse cinema. The Duke of York's Picturehouse expanded in 2012, adding two additional screens in a different location. The company now occupies the upstairs of Komedia, situated on Gardner Street, central Brighton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are two multiplex cinemas, the Odeon on North Street and Cineworld in the Marina.<ref name="Fisher"/>
Festivals and rallies
[edit]Past
[edit]
On 6 April 1974, Brighton was host to the 19th Eurovision Song Contest, where ABBA won in the Brighton Dome with their song Waterloo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The DJ and producer Fatboy Slim, who lives in Brighton, has held several concerts on Brighton beach, including in 2002,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2006<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2002 event, Big Beach Boutique II, is the largest outdoor party ever held in the UK, attended by 250,000 people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
An inaugural White Nights (Nuit Blanche) all-night arts festival took place in October 2008 and continued for four years until it was postponed in 2012 due to a lack of European funding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Brighton Zine Fest, celebrating zine and DIY culture within the city, took place in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Present
[edit]Each May the city hosts the Brighton Festival, the second largest arts festival in the UK (after Edinburgh). This includes processions such as the Children's Parade, outdoor spectaculars often involving pyrotechnics, and theatre, music and visual arts in venues throughout the city, some brought into this use exclusively for the festival. The earliest feature of the festival, the Artists' Open Houses, are homes of artists and craftspeople opened to the public as galleries, and usually selling the work of the occupants. Since 2002, these have been organised independently of the official Festival and Fringe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Brighton Fringe runs alongside Brighton Festival, and has grown to be one of the largest fringe festivals in the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Together with the street performers from Brighton Festival's "Streets of Brighton" events, and the Royal Mile-esque outdoor performances that make up "Fringe City", outdoor spectacles and events more than double during May.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:AnchorBrighton has two major film festivals and several other smaller ones:
- CINECITY: The Brighton Film Festival (also known as Brighton Film Festival<ref name=filmcity>Template:Cite web</ref>) was founded in 2003, and is funded by the British Film Institute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It takes place each year in November with a strong focus on world cinema, international previews and archival screenings. It gives awards in three categories: New Voices - Under-25s Emerging Talent (supported by Screen and Film School, Brighton), for a short film made by young local filmmakers; Cinecity Open, for short films made by local filmmakers; and Features, for UK and international feature films of all genres, which are featured in the main programme.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Brighton Rocks International Film Festival (BRIFF), Brighton's main forum for independent cinema, which takes place in June. There are many categories of awards, as well as special awards for young filmmakers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2025 (the 8th edition of the festival) it is being held at the Manchester Street Arts Club and Dukes at Komedia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Brighton International Animation Festival (BIAF), focused on animated films,<ref name=biaf>Template:Cite web</ref> was launched in 2022,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and BAFTA-qualifying since 2024. It takes place in April.<ref name=biaf/>
- Oska Bright Film Festival, which showcases films by people with learning disabilities, autism, or Aspergers, was founded in 2004 by people with disabilities, and takes place in alternate years. In non-festival years, it tours the UK and internationally.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- COOS / Colour Out of Space International Festival of Experimental Sound and Art was established in 2006. Its focus is experimental music and its crossover with other artforms, including film. It is held over a weekend in August in the Sallis Benney Theatre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=filmcity/>
In addition, films are also showcased in the Brighton and Brighton Pride festivals.<ref name=filmcity/>
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Brighton Pride is the first of its kind in the UK,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> attracting 450,000 to the city over the Pride weekend in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Disability Pride Brighton promotes acceptance and visibility for area residents who are disabled.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:AnchorThe Brighton Comedy Festival, also known as the Brighton Dome Comedy Festival, takes place in October each year at the Brighton Dome,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which includes the Pavilion / Studio Theatre and the Corn Exchange.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The festival was incorporated in 2001,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the inaugural festival was held in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other venues for live comedy include Komedia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Brighton Comedy Garden.<ref name="h221">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The annual Brighton Digital Festival explores digital technology and culture. There were versions of such a festival in the late 1990s, but its current iteration came into being in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other festivals include: The Great Escape, featuring three nights of live music in venues across the city; the Soundwaves Festival in June, which shows classical music composed in the 21st Century; Paddle Round the Pier; Brighton Live; Burning the Clocks, a winter solstice celebration;Template:Citation neededTemplate:When
The Kemptown area has its own small annual street festival, the Kemptown Carnival, and the Hanover area similarly has a "Hanover Day".Template:Citation needed
Brighton is the terminus of a number of London to Brighton events, such as the veteran car run and bike ride.Template:Citation needed Transport rallies are also hosted on the seafront.Template:Citation needed Groups of mods and rockers still bring their scooters and motorbikes to the city, but their gatherings are now much more sedate than the violent 1960s confrontations depicted in Quadrophenia.Template:Citation needed
Food- and drink-related festivals include the traditional Blessing of the Fisheries, where barbecued mackerel are eaten on the beach,Template:Citation needed and the more recent Fiery Foods Chilli Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is also a twice-yearly general food festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The main Sussex beer festival is held in nearby Hove, and there is a smaller beer festival in the Hanover area.Template:Citation needed The Vegfest (UK) festival was first held in Brighton in 2009. In 2023 it returned for its 15th year, after the COVID-19 pandemic. It takes place annually in March at the Hove Centre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
LGBT community
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The lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) community in Brighton is one of the largest and most prominent in the UK, and Brighton has been named the "gay capital of the UK".<ref name="metro.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref> There is record of LGBT history in the city dating to the 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many LGBT pubs, clubs, bars and shops are located around Brighton and in particular around St James's Street in Kemptown, including Club Revenge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Several LGBT charities, publishers, social and support groups are also based in the city. Brighton Pride is usually celebrated at the start of August.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Museums and galleries
[edit]Template:Further Brighton museums include Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which forms part of the pavilion Preston Manor, Booth Museum of Natural History, Brighton Toy and Model Museum, and Brighton Fishing Museum, which includes artefacts from the West Pier. The Royal Pavilion is also open to the public, serving as a museum to the British Regency.
Brighton has many galleries,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> including the Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts (Brighton CCA) based at the University of Brighton, Phoenix Art Space, and ONCA.
Night-life and popular music
[edit]Brighton has many night-life hotspots<ref>Life at Sussex university Template:Webarchive</ref> and is associated with popular musicians including Fatboy Slim, Omar, Kirk Brandon, Tim Booth, Nick Cave, Lovejoy, David Van Day from Dollar, James Marriott, Adam Freeland, Orbital, and Robert Smith. Live music venues include Concorde 2,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Brighton Centre and the Brighton Dome, where ABBA received a substantial boost to their career when they won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. Many events and performance companies operate in the city. Brighton also has the most electronic music events in the UK.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Brighton hosts the Great Escape music festival every May. Brighton has produced successful musical acts including Beats International, Norman Cook, Carl Cox, Dave Clarke, Krafty Kuts, Ed Solo, Evil Nine, Electrelane, James Marriott, Frazier Chorus, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, the Levellers, The Maccabees, Electric Soft Parade, British Sea Power, the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, the Xcerts, Architects, the Go! Team, Royal Blood, the Kooks, Freemasons, Blood Red Shoes, Lovejoy, Birdeatsbaby, and Rizzle Kicks. Brighton is also home to several independent record labels. The second half of 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia by the Who takes place at Brighton Beach.
Theatre
[edit]
Theatres include the Brighton Dome and associated Pavilion Theatre, the expanded Komedia (primarily a comedy and music venue but also a theatre), the Old Market, which was renovated and re-opened in 2010, and the Theatre Royal,<ref name=BRIGHT4>Template:Cite book</ref> which celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2007. The Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts is nearby, part of the University of Sussex campus. There are also smaller theatres such as the Marlborough Theatre, the New Venture, and the Brighton Little Theatre. The city has the purpose built Brighton Open Air Theatre, or B•O•A•T, which opened for the Brighton Festival in May 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Parks
[edit]Stanmer Park sits on the northern edge of Brighton and extends into the South Downs. The largest urban park in the city is Preston Park and The Level was recently developed. Other parks include East Brighton Park, Queen's Park and Wild Park.<ref name="Parks">Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
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The University of Brighton has been part of Brighton since 1859, starting as a school of art in the kitchens of the Royal Pavilion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was granted university status in 1992,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and now has a student population of around 18,000 of which 79 per cent are undergraduates.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The university is based on four campuses – City campus in the heart of Brighton; Falmer campus set in the South Downs; Moulsecoomb campus on Lewes Road and Eastbourne campus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The University of Sussex, established in 1961 as the first of the plate-glass universities, is a campus research intensive university between Stanmer Park and Falmer, four miles (6 km) from the city centre. The university is home to the Institute of Development Studies and the Science Policy Research Unit, amongst over 40 other established research centres, and has been ranked first in the world for Development studies by the World University Rankings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Served by trains (to Falmer railway station) and 24-hour buses, it has a student population of around 20,000 students of which about a quarter are postgraduates.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The university has been ranked 41st in the UK by the Complete University Guide in its 2022 rankings<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 246th in the world by the World University Rankings of 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2001 the music college BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music Institute) opened in Brighton under the name The Brighton Institute of Modern Music. The college has approximately 1500 students across Brighton, its degree courses at BIMM are validated by the University of Sussex and diploma courses are taught at the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy. Notable alumni have included James Bay, The Kooks and Tom Odell. Since the college opened it has expanded to become Europe's largest music college with 6500 students studying at eight campuses across Europe including Bristol, London, Manchester, Berlin, Dublin, Hamburg, and Birmingham.
In 2003, the universities of Brighton and Sussex formed a medical school, known as Brighton and Sussex Medical School. The school was one of four new medical schools to be created as part of a government programme to increase the number of NHS doctors. The school is based at the University of Sussex campus and works closely with the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Brighton & Hove City Council is responsible for 80 schools, of which 54 are in Brighton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A range of non-university courses for students over 16, mainly in vocational education subjects, are provided at the further education college, Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (previously City College and before that Brighton Technical College). More academic subjects can be studied by 16- to 19-year-olds at Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College (BHASVIC) in the Seven Dials area. Varndean College in North Brighton occupies a commanding position. The 1920s building is celebrated for its façade and internal quads. The college offers academic A levels, the International Baccalaureate and vocational courses, including BTECs.
As Brighton is home to public universities and colleges, it also home to private colleges such as Hove College located near the County Cricket Ground. The college was established in 1977 and offers higher educational courses such as vocational, certificate, professional, diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications and has a close partnership with the University of Brighton.
There are state schools and some faith schools. Notable secondary state schools include<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Longhill High School, Varndean School, Patcham High School, Dorothy Stringer School, Blatchington Mill School, Hove Park School, Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, and King's School.
Special Education Schools include Downs View and Downs View Link College for people over 16. There are also Pupil Referral Units (PRUs).
There are a number of independent schools, including Brighton College, Roedean School, Steiner School, Brighton Girls (formerly known as Brighton and Hove High School (BHHS)), and a Montessori school. As with the state schools, some independents are faith-based; Torah Academy, the last Jewish primary school, became a Nursery School at the end of 2007. The Brighton Institute of Modern Music, a fully accredited music college, opened in 2001 and has since expanded to five locations throughout Britain.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>Template:Better source needed
Brighton has been ranked a top 10 student city in the UK by QS rankings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sport
[edit]Football
[edit]
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club is the city's professional association football team. After playing at the Goldstone Ground for 95 years, the club spent 2 years ground-sharing 70 miles away at Gillingham F.C. before returning to the town as tenants of the Withdean Stadium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the start of the 2011–12 season the club moved permanently to Falmer Stadium, a Premier League level stadium colloquially known as 'the Amex'. Notable achievements include winning promotion to the Football League First Division in 1979 and staying there for four seasons. They reached the 1983 FA Cup Final drawing 2–2 with Manchester United before losing in the replay 5 days later. The 2017–18 football season saw Brighton's debut in the Premier League after a win against Wigan Athletic guaranteed automatic promotion to the top flight.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Whitehawk Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in a suburb in east Brighton.<ref name="Whiehawk">Template:Cite news</ref> They play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.Template:Citation needed Games are played at The Enclosed Ground,<ref name="Whiehawk" /> which is set into the South Downs close to Brighton Marina.
Rugby
[edit]Brighton Football Club (RFU) is one of the oldest rugby clubs in England, founded in 1868 before the RFU. They currently play in the Premier division of London and South-East RFU League.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Brighton was chosen as one of the 13 Rugby World Cup 2015 host cities,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with two games being played at the 30,750 capacity Falmer Stadium (although it was named the "Brighton Community Stadium" throughout the tournament for sponsorship reasons). One of the two games played was one of the biggest shocks in the history of Rugby Union,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Japan defeating South Africa 34 points to 32, with a try in the dying minutes of the game. The other game was between Samoa and the United States.
Hockey
[edit]Brighton & Hove Hockey Club is a large hockey club that train and play their matches at Blatchington Mill School. The men's 1XI gained promotion in 2013 to the England Hockey League system, Conference East.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cricket
[edit]Sussex County Cricket Club play at County Cricket Ground in Hove. The ground has hosted one men's One Day International;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the match was part of the 1999 Cricket World Cup, and was a Group A match between South Africa and India, which South Africa won by 4 wickets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The County Ground has also hosted 2 Test matches in The Women's Ashes in 1987 and 2005;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in addition, the ground hosted two One Day Internationals in the 2013 Women's Ashes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and, as of 2017, 5 Women's ODIs and 4 Women's T20Is have been hosted at the ground.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other sports
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Motoring events take place on Madeira Drive, a piece of roadway on Brighton's seafront, throughout the year. It was originally constructed to host what is commonly held to be the world's oldest motor race, the Brighton Speed Trials, which has been running since 1905.<ref>Brighton and Hove Motor Club</ref> The event is organised by the Brighton and Hove Motor Club and normally takes place on the second Saturday in September each year.Template:Citation needed
Brighton has a horse racing course, Brighton Racecourse, with the unusual feature that when the full length of the course is to be used, some of the grass turf of the track has to be laid over the tarmac at the top of Wilson Avenue, a public road, which therefore has to be closed for the races. A greyhound racing circuit – the Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium – in Hove is run by Coral, at which motorcycle speedway racing was staged in 1928.Template:Citation needed
Brighton Sailing Club has been operating since the 1870s.Template:Citation needed
The Brighton and Hove Pétanque Club runs an annual triples, doubles and singles competition, informal KOs, winter and summer league, plus Open competitions with other clubs. The club is affiliated to Sussex Pétanque, the local region of the English Pétanque Association, so they can also play at a Regional and National level. The Peace Statue terrain is the official pétanque terrain situated on the seafront near the West Pier.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Brighton has two competitive swimming clubs: Brighton SC,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> formed in 1860, claims to be the oldest swimming club in England; and Brighton Dolphin SC<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was formed in 1891 as Brighton Ladies Swimming. Casual sea swimming is also a popular activity in Brighton, rising in popularity since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amateur track cycling is held at the Preston Park Velodrome,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the oldest velodrome in the UK, built in 1877.
There are three recognised surfing breaks close to Brighton, including East of the Marina, by the West Pier and at Shoreham harbour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transport
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Brighton has several railway stations, many bus routes, coach services and taxis. A Rapid Transport System has been under consideration for some years.<ref>Template:Cite web
- Template:Cite web</ref> Trolleybuses, trams, ferries and hydrofoil services have operated in the past.
Roads
[edit]Brighton is connected to the trunk road network by the A23 (London Road) northwards, and by two east–west routes: the A259 along the coast and the A27 trunk route inland which joins the M27 motorway near Portsmouth. The A23 joins the M23 motorway at Pease Pottage near Gatwick Airport.<ref name="BBRH49">Template:Harvnb</ref> The A27 originally ran through the urban area along Old Shoreham Road and Lewes Road, but it now follows the route of the Brighton Bypass (final section opened in 1992) and the old alignment has become the A270. A bypass was first proposed in 1932, six routes were submitted for approval in 1973, and the Department of the Environment published its recommended route in 1980. Public inquiries took place in 1983 and 1987, construction started in 1989 and the first section—between London Road at Patcham and the road to Devil's Dyke—opened in summer 1991.<ref name="NEB48">Template:Harvnb</ref>
By 1985, there were about 5,000 parking spaces in central Brighton. The largest car parks are at London Road, King Street and the Churchill Square/Regency Road/Russell Road complex.<ref name="BBRH10">Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1969, a 520-space multi-storey car park was built beneath the central gardens of Regency Square.<ref name="BBRH10" /><ref name="NEB273">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Railway
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Frequent trains operate from Brighton railway station. Many Brighton residents commute to work in London<ref name="Argus-10785898">Template:Cite news</ref> and destinations include Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws. Most trains serve Template:Rws and those operated by Thameslink continue to Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws. The fastest service from London Victoria takes 51 minutes.<ref name="Indy-02042005">Template:Cite news</ref> The West Coastway Line serves stations to Portsmouth, and Southampton; the East Coastway Line runs via Lewes to Newhaven, Eastbourne, and Hastings, crossing the landmark London Road viaduct en route and providing "a dramatic high-level view" of Brighton.<ref name="Indy-02042005" /> A wider range of long-distance destinations was served until 2007–08 when rationalisation caused the ending of InterCity services via Template:Rws and Template:Rws to Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.<ref name="Indy-02042005"/>
Buses
[edit]Until deregulation in 1986, bus services in Brighton were provided by Southdown Motor Services and Brighton Borough Transport under a joint arrangement called Brighton Area Transport Services. Southdown were part of the nationalised NBC group and were based at Freshfield Road in the Kemptown area; Brighton Borough Transport were owned by the council and used the former tram depot at Lewes Road as their headquarters. Joint tickets were available and revenue was shared.<ref name="BBRH48+50">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Brighton & Hove Bus Company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group since 1993, now runs most bus services in Brighton. It has a fleet of about 280 buses.<ref name="B&H-About">Template:Cite web</ref> Compass Travel, The Big Lemon, Metrobus, Stagecoach South operate services to central Brighton. The city had 1,184 bus stops in 2012, 456 of which had a shelter.<ref name="Argus-13082012">Template:Cite news</ref> Real-time travel information displays are provided at many stops.<ref name="B&H-About"/>
The only park and ride facility in Brighton is based at the Withdean Stadium. It does not offer a dedicated shuttle bus service: intending passengers must join the Brighton & Hove Bus Company's route 27 service to Saltdean—which travels via Brighton railway station, the Clock Tower and Old Steine—and pay standard fares.<ref name="BHCC-P&R">Template:Cite web</ref> The 20-year City Plan released in January 2013 ruled out an official park-and-ride facility, stating it would be an "inefficient use of public money, particularly in an era of declining car use". Councillors and residents in Woodingdean and Rottingdean have claimed that streets and car parks in those areas have become unofficial park-and-ride sites: drivers park for free and take buses into the city centre.<ref name="Argus-10593091">Template:Cite news</ref>
Air
[edit]Shoreham Airport, which offers chartered and scheduled flights using light aircraft,<ref name="Argus-05032013">Template:Cite news</ref> is Template:Cvt west of Brighton near the town of Shoreham-by-Sea. In 1971, the borough councils of Worthing, Hove and Brighton bought it and operated it jointly as a municipal airport,<ref name="BBRH49"/><ref name="ShorehamApt">Template:Cite web</ref> but since 2006 it has been privately owned.<ref name="BBC-25012007">Template:Cite web</ref> Gatwick Airport, one of Britain's major international airports, is Template:Cvt north on the A23; regular coach and rail services operate from Brighton.<ref name="BBRH49"/>
Notable people
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- Lily Agg, footballer
- ArrDee, rapper
- Michael Ashburner, geneticist
- Bald and Bankrupt, travel vlogger
- Zoe Ball, entertainer
- Brian Behan, writer and trade unionist
- Nick Berry, actor and singer
- Cate Blanchett, actress
- Laurence Rickard, actor and screenwriter
- Raymond Briggs, illustrator
- Dora Bryan, actress
- George Burchett, tattoo artist
- Nick Cave, musician
- Gwendoline Christie, actress
- Steve Coogan, actor and comedian
- Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim, DJ
- Richard P. Cook, artist
- Robin Cousins, ice skater
- Luke Cresswell, percussionist
- Alfie Deyes, YouTuber
- Charles Dickens, author
- Maude Dickinson, inventor
- Lewis Dunk, footballer
- E. S. Elliott, writer
- Chris Eubank, boxer
- Anubis Finch, drag queen
- David Gilmour, musician
- Dave Greenfield, musician
- Cyriak Harris, animator, artist, composer, and author
- Elliott Hasler, director
- Ben Hawes, triple Olympian
- David Henty, former master forger
- Jane Horrocks, actress
- Jacksepticeye, YouTuber
- Peter James, author
- Mike Kerr, musician
- Rudyard Kipling, author
- Marzia Kjellberg, internet personality
- Joan Lazzarani, sculptor, musician and intermedia performance artist
- Joshua Le Gallienne, artist, predominantly in sculpture<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Charles Leggett, music cornetist
- Emma Lomax, composer and pianist
- Garnt Maneetapho, YouTuber, known online as "Gigguk"
- James Marriott, musician and YouTuber<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Heather Mills, model
- Isaiah Aram Minasian, violinist, cellist and orchestrator
- John Nathan-Turner, producer
- David Pearce, transhumanist philosopher
- PewDiePie, YouTuber
- The Prince Regent / George IV, royal
- Philip Proudfoot, anthropologist and politician
- Ren, musician
- Clara Ross, composer
- Victor Spinetti, actor
- Ben Thatcher, musician
- Frank Thewlis, Methodist minister
- TommyInnit, YouTuber and streamer
- Tubbo, YouTuber and streamer
- Doreen Valiente, Wiccan writer
- Johnny Wakelin, musician
- David Walliams, comedian, actor and writer
- Joe Wilkinson, comedian
- Zoella, YouTuber
See also
[edit]- List of people from Brighton and Hove
- Category:Musicians from Brighton and Hove
- Brighton Borough Council elections for the political history of the former borough council which governed the town from 1974 to 1997.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Citations
[edit]Sources
[edit]- Works cited
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- General references
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- The Daniel Wakeford song "It's a wonderful city" is filmed in the center of Brighton City, and often mentions Brighton with the phrase 'I'm in the Brighton'.
External links
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- Brighton & Hove City Council
- VisitBrighton official tourist information for Brighton
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