Places in Brighton that are a mystery to you

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Oh well, in for a penny........

First picture is a view taken from a train going over the Lewes Rd. Viaduct ( looking Northwards towards Brighton Polytechnic Cockcroft Building and Mithras House - Preston Barracks on far left in distance ).

Some fantastic photos love the one taken from the train and also the map showing the Station that is now the Freshfeild business park, covered some land what do you reckon the main building is now where the Bingo car park is.

 

[Rodney Thomas]

And in colour as well. A better view of Cox's Pill factory next to the viaduct. Brighton Enterprise Point and cleared land of Melbourne St. in third photo - ripe for redevelopment. Old Viaduct Court looks already finished, as does William Clark Park.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brighton_Railway_development.gif

This might help a bit, I found it on Wiki a few months ago having known nothing of the railway. The Devils Dyke link was completely new to me too..

 

[desprateseagull]

Pretty sure that's the Cliftonville Curve, which linkes the west coastway and brighton mainline just after Hove station

yep- comes out just before preston park station.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

Some fantastic photos love the one taken from the train and also the map showing the Station that is now the Freshfeild business park, covered some land what do you reckon the main building is now where the Bingo car park is.

My memory says the building was roughly half-way between Sutherland and Freshfield Roads, but I didn't have a surveyors measuring stick back then as a schoolkid ( it was all cordoned off behind temporary mesh fencing and heavily overgrown anyway ). The maps suggests the West end of the station building tallies up with the East wall of Gala Bingo, and it's probably correct ( although old maps can be just as unreliable as my memory is ). That puts the Station building footprint entirely on the car park ( although the little retail kiosk / offices to the west side of it are probably inside the Bingo hall itself.

Freshfield Way lines up with the South Wall and Centre Aisle of Brighton College Chapel and I'm pretty certain that hasn't moved in the last 28 years - knowing what the inside of the College is like makes referencing old and new aeriel views a doddle. Coalbrok Road lines up with the Burstow Gallery at the south end of the school hall and the north side of the Woolton building. Plus of course I spent 7 years of my life either walking past, or overlooking the area in question.

Someone should go down there in the middle of the night and mark it all out with some spray paint.

This map is a little easier to read.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Someone should go down there in the middle of the night and mark it all out with some spray paint.

After doing the Goldstone

 

[bobbycodpiece]

The Hole in the Wall.

What's it called now then? I remember going in there in the late 90s, when some Metropole guested came in. They couldn't get out quick enough when a six foot skinhead in a frock & heals, with a bolt through his nose came in for a pint. Brighton's finest

 

[Gary Leeds]

My memory says the building was roughly half-way between Sutherland and Freshfield Roads, but I didn't have a surveyors measuring stick back then as a schoolkid ( it was all cordoned off behind temporary mesh fencing and heavily overgrown anyway ). The maps suggests the West end of the station building tallies up with the East wall of Gala Bingo, and it's probably correct ( although old maps can be just as unreliable as my memory is ). That puts the Station building footprint entirely on the car park ( although the little retail kiosk / offices to the west side of it are probably inside the Bingo hall itself.

Freshfield Way lines up with the South Wall and Centre Aisle of Brighton College Chapel and I'm pretty certain that hasn't moved in the last 28 years - knowing what the inside of the College is like makes referencing old and new aeriel views a doddle. Coalbrok Road lines up with the Burstow Gallery at the south end of the school hall and the north side of the Woolton building. Plus of course I spent 7 years of my life either walking past, or overlooking the area in question.

Someone should go down there in the middle of the night and mark it all out with some spray paint.

This map is a little easier to read.

Here was something I knocked up a couple of years ago when I was researching the station, similar to your pic but shows the modern day area around it.

Also included the Hartington Road, Lewes Road and Hollingdean Road area showing where the tracks used to go into what is now the council depot

 

[CHAPPERS]

The Hole in the Wall is now called the Queensbury Arms.

 

[Wally Gould]

10 pages and no one has mentioned Woodingdean Well. The deepest hand dug well in the world, which is deeper than the height of the empire state building.

http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__6948.aspx

Really interesting site, thanks for the link.

 

[Wally Gould]

Oh god, are you saying you really do believe what the original poster said? I thought you were taking the piss.

I realise it may just look like a hole in the ground, but it has lighting, both of a standard and an emergency nature, ventilation systems, fire protection systems, storage for emergency equipment, escape routes, refuges, a control area, drainage systems and so on, and that's not even thinking about the basic structural complexities of the road surface and tunnel structure. All of which requires maintaining.

Did you know they film Telly Tubbies at the tunnel site?

 

[Lush]

10 pages and no one has mentioned Woodingdean Well. The deepest hand dug well in the world, which is deeper than the height of the empire state building.

http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__6948.aspx

Great website:

"Back in 1858, plans were in hand to build ... an industrial school for juveniles some 2 miles away at Warren Farm. The aim of the school would be to teach the misplaced youth of the town "the habits of industry" and relieve them from "the bane of pauperism.""

These days it's known as Albion In The Community.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

I used to pass that everyday from school too. We used to get free scrap wood from the Saw mills in Coalbrook Road and make go carts, sheds and all sorts. My mates uncle was Albie from Alberts just up from the Stag.

The Gala is more on the buildings that were on the other side of the road rather than the station land.

I walked past The Stag two weeks ago and it is now boarded up.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

Who would think that Lewes Rd. Viaduct was so well photographed ?

Most of these views are of the viaduct over Melbourne St. - Brighton Enterprise Point in background of first photo ( facing south-eastwards ). Cox's Pill factory on the site of current Sainsbury's in the background of second photo ( facing north-westwards ). Note that photo 1 and 4 are of different spans as Melbourne St. does a 90 degree turn half-way down. I'm assuming that the staircase in the background of the fifth photo goes up to Lewes Rd. Station behind the site of the current Sainsbury's.

Frank Wright and Son Ltd also feature in the photo showing the Southdown bus - anyone remember what or who they were ? Is the shop next to them a Forfars ( yes Mrs Cuttress I will not eat your buns again ).

When did the final demolition take place? I moved to Brighton in 1981 and I am convinced I saw what was left of the viaduct in the Lewes Road area.

 

[rocker959]

Vicente's, Gus's and the clubs true thoughts.

 

[Gwylan]

Who would think that Lewes Rd. Viaduct was so well photographed ?

Most of these views are of the viaduct over Melbourne St. - Brighton Enterprise Point in background of first photo ( facing south-eastwards ). Cox's Pill factory on the site of current Sainsbury's in the background of second photo ( facing north-westwards ). Note that photo 1 and 4 are of different spans as Melbourne St. does a 90 degree turn half-way down. I'm assuming that the staircase in the background of the fifth photo goes up to Lewes Rd. Station behind the site of the current Sainsbury's.

Frank Wright and Son Ltd also feature in the photo showing the Southdown bus - anyone remember what or who they were ? Is the shop next to them a Forfars ( yes Mrs Cuttress I will not eat your buns again ).

I lived on Gladstone Place for the first nine years of my life so remember the viaduct very well - I still find myself referring to that area as The Arches, that's what the bus stop was known as. Kwik-Fit used to be a garage called, I think, Tilleys. That colour picture from the viaduct is very evocative - it shows the factory chimney of Allen West's (now Mithras House) - that was demolished in the late 60s/early 70s. In the foreground you can just see the old sawmills at the bottom of Bear Road, I used to love the smell of the wood.

Frank Wright was a builders' merchant, used to pass it on my walk to Fairlight School.

Great pix - bring back a lot of memories

 

[afters]

When did the final demolition take place? I moved to Brighton in 1981 and I am convinced I saw what was left of the viaduct in the Lewes Road area.

strange that you should think that, cos i moved to brighton in 1981 and i am convinced also. in fact i was rather surprised to see the date quoted as 1976....

 

[The Large One]

Here was something I knocked up a couple of years ago when I was researching the station, similar to your pic but shows the modern day area around it.

Also included the Hartington Road, Lewes Road and Hollingdean Road area showing where the tracks used to go into what is now the council depot

Not quite.

If you're heading out of Brighton, the council depot is on the left hand side of the railway line. The 'split' occurs sending the line to the right. It headed down what is now Centenary Industrial Estate and over what is now Sainsbury's.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

When did the final demolition take place? I moved to Brighton in 1981 and I am convinced I saw what was left of the viaduct in the Lewes Road area.

The Regency Society say the viaduct ( over Lewes Rd. and Melbourne St. ) was demolished in 1976. But the stub next to Cox's Pill factory lingered much longer after that - some of my earlier posts show colour pictures taken from the top of the stub. Again the Regency Society ( do they know everything ) say the stub was finally demolished, commencing in 1983.

" Looking north, from just below Pevensey Road, on 12 April 1954. This gives a good clear view of the Kemp Town Railway Viaduct. At the time of this photograph just one coal train crossed the viaduct daily. The final train ran on 26 June 1971, and the Viaduct was demolished during 1976. It thus had a life of 107 years. "

I can definitely remember the stub of the viaduct travelling between Brighton College and the Poly in the early 1980's but I also have very hazy memories of the complete viaduct over Lewes Road from the 1970's ( I'd have only been 9 or 10 when it was demolished ) - unfortunately I only started at Brighton College Junior School in September 1977 and have no recollection of the terminus before then. The branch line closed officially on 26th June 1971 ( that is the date of the colour photos showing the BR Rail Blue 'Tadpole' unit at Kemp Town Station ).

The view from the train going over the viaduct shows the front forecourt of Caffyns Service Station fronting on to Lewes Road, but going under the viaduct, and it looks to me as if the current car repair workshops in Melbourne St. are the remnants of Caffyns workshop at the rear of this service station.

Frank Wright & Son premises is now occupied by 'Southern Counties Computers' on streetview.

The caption for the photos ( which I've duplicated for convenience here ) of Melbourne St. reads

" Dominated by the viaduct of the Kemp Town Railway, these three photographs were taken on 21 October 1973. Melbourne Street was crossed by two bridges, the street being older than the railway. With the decision to clear the viaduct, the more easterly brick arch was speedily removed. The steel girder, topped by wood, which incidentally was the final stage of the Viaduct, when built in 1869, was still standing. In this view, the small houses with gardens, were the original California Cottages, while those opposite date from the coming of the railway.

Image Reference: JG_28_038.tif
Date: 1973
Image Details: Original monochrome print
Size of Original: 155x100
Place: Brighton
Additional Information: No comment "

Like most clearing operations I guess the embankment spoil from the site of St. Martins School ( and probably quite a few bricks from the viaduct too ) was simply tipped into the cutting to form William Clark Park.

 

[essbee]

Portslade Village??!!!!

Never heard of it in all 18 years living in Brighton. My folks
had never heard of it either (moved here in 1968) - until a couple of friends moved
there from London.

 

[Albumen]

Portslade Village??!!!!

Never heard of it in all 18 years living in Brighton. My folks
had never heard of it either (moved here in 1968) - until a couple of friends moved
there from London.

It's in Portslade.

Sorry, couldn't resist. I've heard of it a lot but I've nver been there.