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In the Domesday Book, Brighton was called Bristelmestune and a rent of 4,000 herring was established. In June 1514 Brighthelmstone was burnt to the ground by French raiders during a war between England and France. Only part of the St. Nicholas Church and the street pattern of what is now The Lanes survived the attack. The first known drawing of Brighthelmstone was made in 1545 and depicts what is believed to be the raid of 1514.[4] During the 1740s and 1750s, Dr Richard Russell of Lewes began prescribing the medicinal use of the seawater at Brighton to his patients. By 1780, development of the Georgian terraces had started and the fishing village quickly became the fashionable resort of Brighton. The growth of the town was further encouraged following the patronage of the Prince Regent (later King George IV) after his first visit in 1783.[5] He spent much of his leisure time in the town and constructed the exotic and expensive Royal Pavilion during the early part of his Regency.
The arrival of the railway in 1841 brought Brighton within the reach of day-trippers from London and rapid population growth from around 7,000 in 1801 to over 120,000 by 1901.[6] The Victorian era saw the building of many of the famous landmarks in Brighton including the Grand Hotel (1864), the West Pier (1866) and the Palace Pier (1899).
After a number of boundary changes made between 1873 and 1952, the land area of Brighton had increased significantly from 1,640 acres (7 km²) in 1854 to 14,347 acres (58 km²) in 1952.[7] 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.
More recently, gentrification of much of Brighton has seen a return of the highly fashionable image which had characterised the growth of the Regency period. Recent housing developments in the North Laine, for instance, have been kept in keeping with the local make up of the area.
In 1997 Brighton and Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which in turn was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium celebrations in 2000.
[edit] Landmarks
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The Royal Pavilion is a former Royal palace built as the home for the Prince Regent during the early 1800s and is notable for its Indian architecture and Oriental interior design. The building and surrounding grounds were purchased by the town in 1849 for £53,000.[8]
Brighton Pier (originally and in full "The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier", and for long known as the Palace Pier) was opened in 1899. It features a large funfair, restaurants and arcade halls. The funfair has been criticised for its high prices, with rides costing up to £8. [9][10][11]
The West Pier was built in 1866 and has been closed since 1975 and theoretically awaiting renovation, which faces continual set backs, in part because the owners of the Palace Pier, the Noble Organisation, have opposed all plans put forward.[12] The West Pier is one of only two Grade I listed piers in the United Kingdom, but suffered two catastrophic fires in 2003. Plans for erecting a new landmark in its place – the i360, a 183 m (600 ft) observation tower designed by London Eye architects Marks Barfield – were announced in June 2006. Plans were approved by the City council on 11 October 2006.[13]
Created in 1883, Volk's Electric Railway runs along the inland edge of the beach from the Brighton Pier to Black Rock. It is the world's oldest operating electric railway.[14]
The 11th century St. Nicholas Church remains a place of worship and is the oldest building in Brighton, commonly known as "the mother church" of Brighton.[15] Other notable churches include St. Bartholomew's, and the Church of St. Peter, prominently sited in the heart of Brighton on an island between the main roads to London and Lewes.
[edit] Beaches
A major attraction is the seafront, which has a variety of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and amusement arcades, principally along the strip between the two piers. Being less than an hour from London by train has made the city a popular destination with residents of the capital as they have all the culture they would expect from a city with the added benefit of the fresh sea air. Brighton beach has a designated official nudist area (south of the easterly part of Kemptown). Brighton's beach has recently been awarded a blue flag.
Since the 1978 demolition of the open-air swimming lido at Black Rock, the most easterly part of Brighton's seafront, the area has been developed considerably 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, and further development is planned for the area including a high-rise hotel which has aroused public and media debate, mirroring the situation with proposals for the site of the King Alfred leisure centre nearby in Hove.[citation needed] In addition, part of the Eastern side of the beach has been redeveloped into a beach sports complex, which has versatile courts for anything from volleyball to ultimate Frisbee, which opened to the public in March 2007.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Night-life and popular music
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Brighton is associated with notable popular music artists including The Levellers, The Kooks, Fatboy Slim and The Electric Soft Parade There are over 400 pubs and many nightclubs. There are also many live music venues including the Brighton Centre and the Brighton Dome. There are gigs happening every night of the week so it is the ideal place to spot the next big thing. Also, Queen's song Brighton Rock is centred around Brighton.
One of the most prominent musical events in Brighton have been “The Big Beach Boutique II”, July 13, 2002, where an amazing 250,000 audience turned up along the beachfront and watched Fatboy Slim's performance.
[edit] Public events
Brighton hosts a number of conferences including those held annually by major political parties, often based around the Brighton Centre, Grand Hotel and Metropole hotel. A wide range of sport and leisure clubs, in particular cycling and motoring clubs, annually hold London to Brighton events, culminating in a display on the Madeira Drive section of the seafront, which is closed to traffic for this purpose on many Sundays throughout the summer months.
[edit] Festivals
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Each May the city hosts Brighton Festival, England's largest arts festival. This includes organised processions such as the Children's Parade, outdoor spectaculars often involving pyrotechnics, and theatre, music and visual arts in venues throughout the city, some of which are brought into this use exclusively for the festival. The earliest feature of the festival, "Open Houses", are homes of artists and craftspeople, opened up to the public as galleries and usually selling the work of the inhabitant and their friends.
The Brighton Festival Fringe runs alongside the main Brighton Festival, and has grown to become the second largest Fringe festival in the world.[16]. 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", the amount of outdoor spectacles and events to see more than doubles during May.[17]
Other festivals in Brighton include The Great Escape in May, featuring three nights of bands playing in venues across the city; the Soundwaves Festival in June, which aims to showcase contemporary classical music composed in the 21st century, and involves both amateur and professional performers; Brighton Live which each September stages a week of free gigs in pubs to showcase new local bands; and Brighton Pride (see Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, below).
On 1 September 2007, competitors of the world's most hirsute faces from the United Kingdom, United States, Germany and other countries convened for the annual World Beard and Moustache Championships in Brighton. Hosted by The Handlebar Club, categories include Dali moustache, goatee and full beard freestyle.[18] Additionally, Brighton is permanent home to notable moustache advocate Michael "Atters" Attree.
[edit] Museums and galleries
Brighton has a number of museums including the City-run Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, the Booth Museum of Natural History, the Brighton Fishing Museum and the Brighton Toy and Model Museum. There are many privately run galleries, including some in the arches on the seafront. A widespread practice is to display and sell art in cafés, pubs and bars.
[edit] Art facilities
Phoenix Arts Association is a charity providing over 100 artist studio spaces and a programme of exhibitions and educational activities. Before the formation of the charity, the Phoenix Gallery, its 1960s office building close to the former Phoenix brewery, was squatted, and operated by a co-operative association of artists which had formed in 1993 with the aim of providing low cost studio space in Brighton.
- Further information: Landmarks and notable buildings of Brighton and Hove
[edit] Theatre and cinema
Major theatres in Brighton include the recently expanded Komedia (also used as a music venue) and the Theatre Royal which celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2007. There are also several smaller theatres such as the Marlborough Theatre and Nightingale Theatre, both above pubs, which attract a variety of mostly local productions.
Brighton also has a long history of involvement with the film industry, and the Duke of York's Picture House has been in operation since 22 September 1910.
- Further information: Brighton in film
[edit] Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community
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Brighton has a substantial LGBT community, served by a high number of shops, bars and night-clubs in addition to a range of support organisations. It is often referred to as "the gay capital of Britain"[19], in a similar vein to San Francisco in the USA and Cologne in Germany. Brighton hosts a Gay Pride carnival every August, which attracts thousands of participants and spectators. It consists of a carnival style parade through the city and a party and funfair in Preston Park. There is also a "Winter Pride" in February each year.
[edit] Ethnicity
Brighton and Hove has a range of organisations supporting many of the faiths and ethnic minorities in the city, such as MOSAIC, a black- and mixed-parentage family group. The City Council promotes diversity in its charter.
[edit] Economy
Brighton has a high density of businesses involved in media in general, particularly digital or "new media" companies, and since the 1990s has sometimes been referred to as "Silicon Beach". According to the Boho Britain creativity index developed by United States economic regeneration expert Richard Florida, the city of Brighton and Hove ranks sixth amongst the largest 40 of 66 British new cities when measured against the three criteria of his creativity index. Florida states that the index measures the appeal of cities to the new "creative class" and are a key indicator of a city’s economic health.
American Express has a distinctive (former headquarters) building in Edward Street. It employs around 3000 people, making it the largest private employer in the city.[citation needed]
The Lanes is a retail, leisure and residential area near the seafront, partly characterised by a collection of narrow alleyways following the street pattern of the original fishing village. The businesses in The Lanes are predominantly clothing stores, jewellers, antique shops, restaurants and pubs. The North Laine area is a retail, leisure and residential area immediately north of The Lanes. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word "Laine" meaning "fields". North Laine contains a mix of businesses dominated by cafés, independent and avant-garde shops, and theatres. Churchill Square is an indoor shopping centre with a floor space of 470,000 sq ft (43,663 m²) and includes 85 shops, 5 restaurants and 1,600 car parking spaces.[20] It was built in the 1960s as an open-air pedestrianised shopping centre, but was completely rebuilt in 1998 and is no longer open-air. Further mainstream retail areas include Western Road and London Road.
[edit] Education
Brighton & Hove City Council is responsible for 80 schools in Brighton and Hove of which 54 are in Brighton.[21]
The University of Brighton, the former Brighton Polytechnic, has a student population of 20,017 of which 80% are undergraduates.[22] The University is located on several separate sites in Brighton, with additional buildings in Falmer and Eastbourne.[23]
The University of Sussex is a "plate glass university" based on a campus between Stanmer Park and Falmer, four miles from the city centre. It has a student population of 10,563 of which 70% are undergraduates.[24]
A wide range of non-university courses for students aged over 16, mainly in vocational education subjects, is provided at the further education college, City College Brighton and Hove. More academic subjects can be studied for 16-18 year olds at BHASVIC (Brighton, Hove and Sussex VIth form College),located in the Seven Dials area. Varndean College located in North Brighton occupies a commanding position with views over the city. The 1920s building is celebrated for its wonderful facade and internal quads. The college now offers academic A levels and many vocational courses.
There are numerous state schools, some of them faith schools. Notable state schools include Dorothy Stringer, Blatchington Mill School and Sixth Form College, Varndean, Hove Park and Cardinal Newman (a large Roman Catholic secondary school, which also caters for the children of the city's large Coptic Orthodox community).
There are also a number of private schools, including Brighton College, Lancing Prep, Roedean School, a Steiner School and a Montessori School. As with the state schools, some of the independents are faith-based; Torah Academy, however, the last remaining Jewish primary school in the city, closed its doors at the end of the 2007 academic year.
In the summer, thousands of young students from all over Europe gather in the city to attend language courses at some of the many language schools across Brighton and Hove.
[edit] Politics
- For the local authority, see Brighton and Hove
The city of Brighton and Hove is covered by part of the Brighton Kemptown constituency, Brighton Pavilion constituency and Hove constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. All three Members of Parliament elected at the 2005 General Election were from the Labour Party. The city is within the European Parliament constituency of South-East England. The Green Party held a relatively high 22% of the vote in the Brighton Pavilion constituency in the 2005 general election, compared with 1% nationally, in addition to holding one of the ten European Parliament seats for the South East Region.
The political campaigning group Justice? and its SchNEWS newspaper are based in Brighton, at The Cowley Club libertarian social centre; also in the town is the Brighton and Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The presence of a British subsidiary of the United States arms company EDO Corporation in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, has been the cause of ongoing protests outside their premises since 2004.[25]
Brighton is the home of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. There is also an annual beach soccer competition held in a temporary stadium erected on a patch of specially imported sand on the beach. The inaugural contest in June 2002 featured football stars such as Eric Cantona and Matthew Le Tissier.
Brighton also 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 duration of races.
Brighton is also home to Brighton Football Club (RFU)[26] which is one of the oldest Rugby Clubs in England.
Brighton plays host to Brighton Ultimate, an ultimate Frisbee team.[27] The team was set up in 1985 and is one of the country's longest running clubs.[citation needed] It has produced players who have gone on to play at international level.[citation needed]
The Brighton Tsunami American Football Club was started in 2000 for students of the University of Brighton. It plays at that University's Falmer site, between November and March.[28]
Motorcycle speedway racing was staged at the Brighton and Hove Greyhound Stadium for a short period in 1928.
The city of Brighton and Hove has public pétanque terrains on the seafront.[29]
There are also find yachting clubs based at the marina, such as SailnetUK.
[edit] Transport
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Public transport in Brighton has a history dating back to 1840. Today it has a major railway station, an extensive bus service, a large number of taxis, coach services, a Rapid Transport System[30][31] is under construction and in the past it has had trolley buses, ferries, trams and hydrofoil services.
Frequent train services operate from Brighton Station. Destinations include London Victoria, London Bridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth, Ashford, Kent, Reading, Berkshire and Bedford. Twice-daily services also operate to Birmingham and Manchester, and via Bristol to Wales. The fastest service from London Victoria takes 51 minutes.[32]
Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company operates a comprehensive local bus service with a fleet of about 300 buses. There is also a limited night-bus service. Brighton seafront is also the home of the Volks Electric Railway, the worlds oldest electric railway.
[edit] See also
[edit] References and notes
- , Neighbourhood Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Carder, Timothy (1990). The Encyclopedia of Brighton. S.127 East Sussex County Libraries. ISBN 0-86147-315-9
- , KS01 Usual resident population: Census 2001, Key Statistics for urban areas. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- , Carder (1990), s.17
- , Carder (1990), s.71
- , Carder (1990), s.127
- , Carder (1990), s.13
- , Dale, Antony (1976). Brighton Town and Brighton People. Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 0-85033-219-2.
- , The Argus newspaper
- , The Argus newspaper
- , The Argus newspaper
- , Pier Threatens To Unplug Rival (from The Argus)
- , BBC NEWS - England - Southern Counties - Tall tower rises from pier ashes. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Home page of VERA - Volks Electric Railway Group. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , St. Nicholas Church - Out & About - Regency Square Area Society. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- , Brighton Fringe Festival 2006 - Cities - VisitBritain. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Brighton Fringe Festival 2007. 5th May - 28th May 2007.. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , BBC NEWS, Bearded wonders go head to head
- , BBC NEWS - England - Southern Counties - Couples tie knot in 'gay capital'. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Churchill Square Shopping Centre: Churchill Square Food. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Brighton & Hove City Council - school contact information. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Facts and figures - University of Brighton. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Maps and directions - University of Brighton. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , Communications Division Facts and Figures 2003-04. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- , smashEDO. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- , Brighton Rugby Club - Sussex, south of England. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- , Brighton Ultimate frisbee team website.
- , Brighton Tsunami American Football Club.
- , Brighton and Hove Pétanque Club.
- , Transport Project Will Cut Journey Times (from The Argus). Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
- , Brighton and Hove City Council - Major Scheme Business Case - Rapid Transport System. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
- , Bedside the seaside - Independent Online Edition > UK. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
[edit] External links
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