Kemp Town East

As I wanted to go to a gig in Brighton (see last entry) I decided to make a day of it. And luckily it was a beautiful (if slightly raw) day. So I decided to go on a walk through Kemp Town on the east side of Brighton, then meet up for dinner and drinks with a Brighton resident friend in the evening ( I gave her complete freedom of time and venue provided I could get to the Hope and Ruin by about 8pm).

As I say beautiful blue skies over Brighton's two piers

Then the walk up to Kemp Town along Marine Parade. It is a little bit of a climb but then all the late regency, tall, houses have great sea views as a result.

One of my favourite playwrights actually...

Royal Crescent

Below is the Bristol Bar, where I dropped in for lunch. It has great views out to sea, and the front windows are a great suntrap. Food was ok but expensive for what it was. It gave the impression of having once been a great gastropub but now gone into selling standard pub food with grand names and price tag to match. The four staff seemed overwhelmed by serving the six customers that they had. Not six tables. Six people in total.

Arundel Terrace

Arundel House, first of the terrace to be completed in 1826

Unusual robust iron pillars on Arundel Terrace

Dame Anna Neagle largely forgotten now but quite a movie star in her day. I remember her from my childhood mostly from doing interviews in her old age. As you will see from this entry, the area was home to lots of famous people because it is, obviously, just gorgeous. But now most of these vast houses are converted into flats.

Antony Dale was a founder member of the Regency Society so we have him in part to thank for saving regency heritage from the wrecking ball of flimsy post-war architecture

Well there had to be a plaque in Kemp Town for Thomas Read Kemp, who was the developer responsible for building much of it and after whom it was named

Above a prime minister, below a mere church minister, but rather more famous as the author of Alice in Wonderland. Victorian clerics had a vast amount of time on their hands as well as lots of money for the sinecure of their jobs, leaving them free to pursue other interests like literature or science (eg Darwin).

Amidst all the Regency splendour a tram shelter

St Mark's church

Two bow fronted houses on Chichester Place built by the great regency architect Thomas Cubitt (responsible for lots of other houses in the area too)

Even princes lived in this area, this one being a bit of a black sheep, the Russian anarchist Prince Petr Kropotkin

Former Congregational church now converted to residential use

 due the serious surfeit of churches in the area

St Georges Church, which unusually is still a church but I couldn't go in as they were filming something. The odd angle of the above photo is because the entrance was covered in vans.

The Sassoon Mausoleum.  Not every street has its own mausoleum. (I think it is now a bar). Sassoon's remains were moved elsewhere in the 1920s

Houses on Eastern Terrace

Down those steps on to beach level - the workshop Magnus Volk

Banjo Groyne

Belgrave Place

Mews houses at Kemp Town Place

So that was Kemp Town. I strolled back to the station

The exuberantly painted Prince Albert Pub. I killed time before meeting with Kate by wandering through the tight little streets below the station selling vintage clothes and general nick knacks.

Overall a great day. But a bit tiring as had to catch last train home after my gig and got to bed about 2am.