Brighton
and Hove – More to See, More to Do
The
trouble with Brighton and Hove is that we have everything you need
for a delightful lifestyle or holiday, far too much to cover in one
article. We have stunning architecture, including fine Regency houses
and Victorian villas, many now converted into flats or apartments.
We
have fascinating old pubs and bars, theatres and cinemas, festivals,
street musicians, a seafront electric railway and a Marina that’s
like a small self-contained town, also with eating places, modern
shops and factory outlets.
There’s
also a great choice of good, seafront hotels and frequent bus
services that serve the city and other places of interest, like
Chichester, Eastbourne, Lewes and Tunbridge Wells.
The
Palace Pier and the West Pier
The
lively 1722 foot long Brighton Pier, formerly known as The Palace
Pier, was opened on 20 May 1899 and its shops, stalls, bars,
amusements, music and scary fairground rides throb with vitality. Our
old West Pier was built in 1866, but gradually deteriorated over
time, despite our best efforts. There were fires in March and May
2003, and in June 2004, gale force winds destroyed the middle of the
pier. It is now a skeleton of its former self and people are debating
what to do about it. But, strangely, although some say it is an
eyesore, other Brightonians are fond of it exactly as it is!
The
Starlings Create a Famous and Stunning Display
A
famous sight in Brighton features an ordinary, shiny little black
bird. Starlings flock over our piers at sunset. As many as 40,000
birds wheel, swoop, dip and rise in glorious formation as the sun
goes down in a blaze of red and orange below the horizon. Visitors
make a point of witnessing this amazing spectacle. The starlings
flock to avoid danger from predators, such as peregrine falcons, but
they are also social birds. People believe that they exchange
information about good feeding places.
 |
| The now-derelict West Pier, Copyright Gareth Cameron |
It's
a tense moment, waiting for the birds to drop, suddenly and
simultaneously, to roost on the piers. Sadly, conservationists fear
numbers are beginning to plummet, due to the disappearance of their
natural habitat, caused by modern farming practices. Their numbers
are increased in late autumn by migratory birds from across the
Channel.
The
Royal Pavilion and the Royal 'Dirty Weekend'
This
distinctive, former residence of the Prince Regent, later George IV,
was opened to the public in 1850. The Prince Regent first visited
Brighton in 1783. He believed the sea air and seawater would be good
for his gout. An additional bonus was that he was free to meet
discreetly with his paramour, Mrs. Fitzherbert, well away from
annoying London gossip. This, it's claimed, gave rise to the saying,
'A dirty weekend in Brighton.' It's said the King wept when he first
laid eyes upon his exotic Palace by the sea.
During
WWII, Hitler had his sights on The Royal Pavilion for his future
headquarters - once he'd achieved his planned invasion. This meant he
left it alone when sending his bombing raids to Britain.
In
1974, Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest at The Brighton Dome,
which was built as part of The Royal Pavilion estate.
Our
Medieval Lanes
The
lanes date from around the fifteenth century and the narrow, winding
little streets and twittens are reminiscent of the wealthy fishing
village Brighton once was. Although raided and burnt down by the
French in 1514, the lanes still follow their original medieval
construction. Here, there are quaint, tiny, specialised shops, old
inns, restaurants and bistros.
Brighton
and Hove, City of Freedom
In
Brighton and Hove, young people work out or do Tai Chi on the
seafront. Middle-aged men skateboard, old ladies wear flowers in
their hair. Two or three elderly ladies regularly bathe as the sun
comes up, winter and summer, regardless of the temperature.
Currently,
Peter Turner, a pensioner and grandfather of 74 years old has reached
the finals of 'The Face of Brighton' talent competition with his
breakdancing routine. He’s a regular at the Tru nightclub in West
Street and dances until midnight. What’s amazing is that he is in
remission from oesophageal cancer, but, according to the Argus
newspaper, he was ‘not ready to hang up his dancing shoes yet.’
Peter Turner says, ‘When I am in the club, the girls come over.
They used me as a coat rack last Saturday, which I suppose is better
than being used as a cat-scratching post.’
Cosmopolitan
Brighton
According
to the Argus
newspaper, the English Language School in Hove said their school had
catered for 53 nationalities. Spokesperson Phil Hopkins said: ‘Our
biggest groups are Italians and Spanish but we are increasingly
getting a lot of students from the Far East, Korea, China and Japan,
who need more than one language for careers in business.'
 |
| The Royal Pavilion, Copyright Janet Cameron |
A
Brief History
Once,
Brighton was known by its Anglo-Saxon name, Brighthelmstone, or
Brighthelm. Brighton was merged in 1997 with its slightly more sedate
neighbour, Hove, to become one borough. In the year 2000, Brighton
and Hove was, deservedly, awarded city status.
Urban
British people started wanting a day out in Brighton when the
railways were being built in the 1870s and the bank holiday was
invented. Brighton's economy flourished as people were drawn by the
health benefits of sea-bathing, using special bathing machines to
preserve their modesty.
Today,
Brighton and Hove is not so modest! Nowadays, the city is more likely
to be described as "London-by-the-Sea." It is as alive,
vibrant and as architecturally elegant as England's capital city,
with the added advantages of wonderful air and, of course, the sea.
Sources:
"Still
swinging" by Anna Roberts, The
Argus,
November 10, 2010.
"Our
94 mother tongues" by Naomi Loomes, The
Argus,
November 12, 2010.
Brighton
History Centre, Local Studies
Hove
Library, Local Studies.
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