Places in Brighton that are a mystery to you

[u'vebeenamexed]

I worked at the King Alfred part time while I was doing my A'levels, 1985-7. It's an AMAZING building, only a tiny amount of it is used. There's at least 5 floors BELOW the changing room level. When I was working there the lights still worked in some corridors and rooms but not others. We used to go "exploring" with torches sometimes during breaks (and sometimes when we were supposed to be working if we's pulled "sports hall" duty where there wasn't a lot to do!). We found a full industrial kitchen two levels below. We also found a lone corridor that goes under the outside car park and links the main building to the old ten pin bowling/megazone building. Once we think we found the lowest level, in that it has dirt floors rather than concrete, but we'd lost count of how many flights of steps we'd gone down. It is like a maze down there. We never knew what half of it was used for, much of it looked like it had never been used for anything.

If the door you are talking about is the one I'm thinking of, it leads to what's left of the old underground car park, not much of it is left, it was demolished to build the current pool. The old major and minor pools (for those who are old enough to remember them) still exist, they're under the sports halls, the big sports hall (where they held roller discos in the late 80s) is built on top of the major pool and the little one over the minor pool.

Apparently Ryan Harley is kept down there as well.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Did refurbishment on the Pavilion in late 80s....there were tunnels leading to the 'Laine' areas for the Prince Regent to forage at night in dubious places now of course blocked off and not open to the public...the Prince goty very fat and had a hoist put in the main stairwell so he could get to bed,in his bedroom there was a cubicle for his toilet which was sand filled and emptied by 'piss' boy.

 

[glasfryn]

This... and the Astoria.

saw Adam Faith at the hippodrome(and Frankie Vaughn) and went regularly to Saturday morning pictures at the Astoria

 

[glasfryn]

Did refurbishment on the Pavilion in late 80s....there were tunnels leading to the 'Laine' areas for the Prince Regent to forage at night in dubious places now of course blocked off and not open to the public...the Prince goty very fat and had a hoist put in the main stairwell so he could get to bed,in his bedroom there was a cubicle for his toilet which was sand filled and emptied by 'piss' boy.

he used to visit Mrs Fitzherbert at what was the old YMCA building via a tunnel

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

the houses in hanover are generally pretty big if they're on a road going from north to south.........with the hill they mostly have a shit load of floors

mine for example is on FIVE floors

 

[CHAPPERS]

Talking of New Road - some people assume that it's a pedestrian walkway with limited access for business and taxis. It isn't - it's a bog-standard road that any road vehicle can drive on.

There's a 20mph speed limit, though in the past year - so a transport officer at the council told us - the highest speed recorded along there is 17mph. By a cyclist.

This might be the most boring thing I've ever said (quite a statement, I'm sure you'll agree) but I really like what the council have done to that whole area, it's a much nicer place to be. If only they would boot some of the more vociferous street drinkers out who can make it rather intimidating of an evening.

 

[Nibble]

Question...Did Kemptown rail station used to be on the gala bingo site and is that why gala bingo has a large model train poking out of the West side of it?

 

[daveinprague]

Why is High Street such a piddling little side street?

My old mum lives there and ive always thought the same...

 

[Shy Talk]

Question...Did Kemptown rail station used to be on the gala bingo site and is that why gala bingo has a large model train poking out of the West side of it?

Yes and yes.

 

[Nibble]

Question...Did Kemptown rail station used to be on the gala bingo site and is that why gala bingo has a large model train poking out of the West side of it?

Yes and yes.

Thanks and Thanks!

 

[manintheblackpajamas]

he used to visit Mrs Fitzherbert at what was the old YMCA building via a tunnel

Commonly believed, although not true according to the Pavilion historians. There is a tunnel that runs from the pavilion to the Dome, where the Prince kept his horses. He used it to avoid being seen as he was so overweight and increasingly unpopular.

There are some incredible rooms in there, not least the one in the northern most tower that you can see windows in, although sadly not accessible to joe public. The spiral staircase up to it is pretty precarious and there is graffiti dating back 100 years. As well as some from each of the World wars and some BHA stuff too!

 

[glasfryn]

Commonly believed, although not true according to the Pavilion historians. There is a tunnel that runs from the pavilion to the Dome, where the Prince kept his horses. He used it to avoid being seen as he was so overweight and increasingly unpopular.

There are some incredible rooms in there, not least the one in the northern most tower that you can see windows in, although sadly not accessible to joe public. The spiral staircase up to it is pretty precarious and there is graffiti dating back 100 years. As well as some from each of the World wars and some BHA stuff too!

always thought that history teacher at my school was a bit of a waster

was some of the graffiti in Hindi as it was used for injured Indian soildiers during/after the first world war

 

[Danny-Boy]

I've always found Hanover a bit of mystery - great pubs, but everyone cramped together in dark terracing with limited natural light entering living room windows on those steep hills and yet many people would cut off their left buttock to live there.

Yummy..buttock pie.

 

[skipper734]

my dad used to work in that area some 55 years ago and as kids do we went down into the undreground carpark and my abiding memory of it was the smell chlorine used in the pools.

Hey Glas! My Dad worked in that area too, only 75 odd years ago.
About where the builders are standing, a couple of levels down, the Hove deckchair franchisee stores the deckchairs.

 

[glasfryn]

Hey Glas! My Dad worked in that area too, only 75 odd years ago.
About where the builders are standing, a couple of levels down, the Hove deckchair franchisee stores the deckchairs.

my dad believe it or not was the punch and judy man about 100 yards to the west of the King Alfred and he used to push all of the equipment backwards and forwards from Hollingbury.



PS hospital next Monday will speak when I get out or is that if..............................

 

[brakespear]

I worked at the King Alfred part time while I was doing my A'levels, 1985-7. It's an AMAZING building, only a tiny amount of it is used. There's at least 5 floors BELOW the changing room level. When I was working there the lights still worked in some corridors and rooms but not others. We used to go "exploring" with torches sometimes during breaks (and sometimes when we were supposed to be working if we's pulled "sports hall" duty where there wasn't a lot to do!). We found a full industrial kitchen two levels below. We also found a lone corridor that goes under the outside car park and links the main building to the old ten pin bowling/megazone building. Once we think we found the lowest level, in that it has dirt floors rather than concrete, but we'd lost count of how many flights of steps we'd gone down. It is like a maze down there. We never knew what half of it was used for, much of it looked like it had never been used for anything.

If the door you are talking about is the one I'm thinking of, it leads to what's left of the old underground car park, not much of it is left, it was demolished to build the current pool. The old major and minor pools (for those who are old enough to remember them) still exist, they're under the sports halls, the big sports hall (where they held roller discos in the late 80s) is built on top of the major pool and the little one over the minor pool.

Oh, that sounds pretty interesting.....although possibly with the propensity to go all 'Silent Hill' after you get past a certain level

 

[KneeOn]

I worked at the King Alfred part time while I was doing my A'levels, 1985-7. It's an AMAZING building, only a tiny amount of it is used. There's at least 5 floors BELOW the changing room level. When I was working there the lights still worked in some corridors and rooms but not others. We used to go "exploring" with torches sometimes during breaks (and sometimes when we were supposed to be working if we's pulled "sports hall" duty where there wasn't a lot to do!). We found a full industrial kitchen two levels below. We also found a lone corridor that goes under the outside car park and links the main building to the old ten pin bowling/megazone building. Once we think we found the lowest level, in that it has dirt floors rather than concrete, but we'd lost count of how many flights of steps we'd gone down. It is like a maze down there. We never knew what half of it was used for, much of it looked like it had never been used for anything.

If the door you are talking about is the one I'm thinking of, it leads to what's left of the old underground car park, not much of it is left, it was demolished to build the current pool. The old major and minor pools (for those who are old enough to remember them) still exist, they're under the sports halls, the big sports hall (where they held roller discos in the late 80s) is built on top of the major pool and the little one over the minor pool.

I WANT, no NEED to see this - I bet it's f***ing crazy spooky down there - aparantly it had an ice rink... surely we could open the lower levels up for the Brighton Arena that is always being harked on about - renovate the lower levels and the like and we'd have one of the best facilities in the UK...

 

[Josimojo]

Although there is a small lane called South Street, leading from West Street to Middle Street, the original South Street - along with 113 houses and the people in them - was washed away by storms in 1703 and 1705, prompting collections in aid of Brighton to be held in churches throughout Britain (this was not the first time Brighton had been hit badly by storms; much of the town was destroyed in 1665 and there appears to have been a tsunami along the coast of southern England in 1014 AD, which can't have done the place any good).

A Tsunami? Bloody global warming...

 

[WATFORD zero]

was some of the graffiti in Hindi as it was used for injured Indian soildiers during/after the first world war

Always thought it was strange using the Royal Pavilion as a 1st world war hospital for Indian soldiers, but was told recently it was so that films of the injured soldiers being treated in 'the King's Palace' could be used for recruitment back in India - Eat your heart out Alastair Campbell

 

[manintheblackpajamas]

always thought that history teacher at my school was a bit of a waster

was some of the graffiti in Hindi as it was used for injured Indian soildiers during/after the first world war

i don't recall any in Hindi! I was only there for a day and a half filming a new video of the parts that aren't open to the public. It was quite interesting and it was nice mincing around on the roof in the sunshine.

Before that I was one of those locals that walk past it all the time but had never ventured inside.