Welcome to Brighton

Brighton lies some 40 miles due south of London on England’s temperate southern coast. It is the English seaside resort par excellence; famed for its long beachfront with its thriving cafes, restaurants and bars, both bohemian and designer shops and a nightlife unsurpassed on England’s southern coast. Brighton is also home to splendid galleries and museums, some fine architecture and a proud and interesting local history.

There is an old theory that Brighton came into being as a settlement favoured by Celtic priests, or Druids. In terms of what can be more easily substantiated the area has been inhabited for around 5000 years: on Whitehawk Hill, next to the racecourse, the remains of a Neolithic encampment has been dated to around 2700 BC. The remains of a Bronze Age settlement too have been identified just to the north of Coldean. And who’s to say if Druids made a home here or not?

The settlement of Brighton itself owes its origins, or at least its name, to the Saxons rather than the Celts. The 5th century saw the Saxon invasion and conquest of Sussex. Amongst them was a chieftain called Beorthelm. He owned a farm which in their language was called a tun. The name Brighton is derived from Beorthelm’s tun. The village so named started life as a number of huts, occupied by both farmers and fishermen alike, built in the shadow of the cliffs on the foreshore.

In 1313 the village had grown into a town whose significance was recognised by the granting of Charter allowing for a form of local government and certain trading rights. It was a market town which traded in fish, pigs and corn amongst other commodities. The major problem facing the inhabitants of Brighton seems to have been erosion: in the mid 14th century it was recorded that 40% of the town had been lost to the sea. Nonetheless the town, what was left of it, prospered. A fort was built at the tail end of the 15th century.

The 16th century brought disaster to Brighton. England and France had been brought to war over English designs on French territory, and Brighton found itself on the front line. In 1514 a French force led by Admiral Prgnant burned Brighton to the ground, the only building remaining being St Nicholas’s Church. The seabourne attack is depicted in a portrait in the British Museum in London.

The French returned in 1545 but it seems the populace were better prepared. A counteroffensive was quickly organised and the French were driven back onto their boats. But Brighton’s progress was not to be halted: by the end of the century there were over 80 fishing vessels, the largest fleet on England’s south east coast, and the town’s position and status was enhanced by the building of a bigger fort, 50 feet in diameter, at the south of today’s Middle Street.

In 1650 King Charles II landed in Scotland and gained support for an invasion of England to retain the crown lost to his father, who had been executed the previous year by the Parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell. Despite initial success, Charles’s army was defeated at Worchester in 1951. However, Charles escaped. In disguise, he made his way to Brighton, where he was smuggled on board a small sailing ship, with two masts, bound for France. In 1660 the parliamentarians decided to restore him to the throne.

Meanwhile, prolonged wars with the French and Dutch began to take their toll on Brighton’s economy. Pestered by foreign vessels the fishermen were at times prevented from going fishing. At the beginning of the 18th century economic decline, marked by a population decline, was exacerbated by natural events. Erosion continued, now more seriously: toppling cliffs. In 1703 ferocious gales demolished large parts of the town, even knocking over two windmills.

Brighton’s fortunes were to change because of one man: Dr Richard Russell. The Doctor wrote a book claiming that bathing in sea water was beneficial to one’s health. Soon a great many wealthy people started to make their way to Brighton, which benefited from its proximity to the overcrowded London, seeking remedy to a myriad of ills. The hotels, bars, restaurants and theatres which sprung up to accommodate the influx of well-to-do hypochondriacs stimulated the economy greatly. When, in1783, the Prince of Wales and his entourage took spent time there, the popularity of Brighton as a seaside resort was assured.

This was the spur that would eventually lead to the bustling and prosperous Brighton that we know today. A number of building projects were instigated, completely redeveloping the town, culminating in the construction of the Brighton Pavilion in 1787, although it has been remodelled a number of times since. In 1823 a pier was built and in 1824 it became the embarking point for a regular steamship service to France. The final guarantor of Brighton’s prosperity was the arrival of the rail link to London in 1841. Since then the town has gone from strength to strength. In 2000 the town’s status was confirmed when it was named a city.