James Gray: Two photographs of 1963 [jgc_09_043 and 044]. Soon afterwards the three houses adjoining the Druids Head were removed to give access to Brighton Square. Behind these houses was a jungle of wasteland, derelict for many years. The view is looking west to Meeting House Lane, the Elim Church and Ship Street. jgc_09_044
2019: The centre of Brighton Square today. The enclosure on the right, seating for a cafe, obscures the view of the intended centrepiece, a dolphin statue created by sculptor James Osborne which was unveiled in March 1992. The other 1963 photograph, jgc_09_043, is on the Brighton Place page. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: This photograph of 13 December 1959 is very similar to another one [jgc_09_031] in this same volume, taken some years later. It shows the congested nature of the area between Hanningtons, Brighton Place and Meeting House Lane. I cannot identify any individual building, except the tower of the Holy Trinity Church, so the view must be slightly north westwards. Brighton Square must cover most of this. jgc_09_014
James Gray: A photograph copied from a local newspaper in October 1933, which accounts for its opaque appearance. It shows three old cottages, hidden behind the backs of shops in Meeting House Lane. They were approached by a narrow passage between 20 and 21 Meeting House Lane, which passed under an arch supporting the first floor of 20. The cottages were numbered 21a, 21b and 21c. Few of Brighton’s inhabitants even knew of their existence. It is idle now to speculate how old they were, but I should think they were at least 150 years old when demolished in 1933. Newspaper cutting – “Some of Brighton’s oldest houses are in danger of demolition. They are in a rarely visited backwater of the Lanes, called Poplar Row, at the back of Hanningtons. Eviction notices have been served on the tenants because the cottages are in such an undesirable condition. Messrs. Hanningtons, who own the property, say that in the deeds the houses are described as being in Ironmonger Lane in the Hempshires.” Since this entire area has been completely cleared and redeveloped as Brighton Square, without visual aid it would be impossible to describe just in words exactly where these cottages were located. jgc_09_020
James Gray: [See caption for jgc_09_031 above.] jgc_09_027, jgc_028, jgc_09_029, jgc_09_030