Historic and Contemporary Images of Brighton and Hove
Based on the Regency Society James Gray Collection
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WESTERN STREET.

Golden Lane

Neighbourhood:
Brunswick
1936
1936
2018

James Gray: [Everton Place].A prosaic little cul-de-sac of six red brick houses which led from the west side of Western Street, just below Golden Lane. Despite its abutment to the rear of the Anchor Brewery premises in Waterloo Street, it formed a quiet oasis between the busy Western and Kings Roads. Built about the middle of last century, the houses were demolished in 1937, and the cleared site acquired by the brewery for their vehicles. jgc_29_001 and jgc_29-002

2018: Everton Place stood just south of Golden Lane and has now been completely absorbed into the present Golden Lane development. The footprint of Everton Place is where the south side of today’s Golden Lane buildings are, and the Everton Lane houses faced south. So, the James Gray pictures show a view which is now the inaccessible rear of the new development. Photographer: Shan Lancaster

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1981
2018

James Gray: This seems likely to become another of Brighton’s problem areas. On 5 April 1981, I had these photographs taken, thinking that comprehensive redevelopment of this rather shabby area was likely to take place before long. I was mistaken. Known as the Golden Lane project, plans were agreed by the Planning Officers of Brighton and Hove (at the rear, buildings go through to Waterloo Street, Hove) but recession intervened.

Since then little had been done here except that the large central area of business premises has been demolished and the Western Street frontage is boarded up. This was formerly the Anchor Brewery, Golden Lane, given up some years ago. The main central area now demolished. jgc_29_003

2018: As James Gray says, the Golden Lane project site was partly in Brighton and partly in Hove which may be part of the reason why the long-awaited development did not take place until after the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove was established in 1997.  In 2018 it is a gated community which covers the original Golden Lane, a small alley that once led from Western Street to the Hove boundary. (Photographer: Clare Rogers)

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1981
2018

James Gray: See caption for jgc_29_003 above. Looking down to Embassy Court, showing 5/11 Western Street still there. jgc_29_004

2018: The Golden Lane site, which was boarded up after the demolition of the Anchor Brewery, is now a cobbled, gated private housing development.

The houses adjoining it on Western Street are still much the same as in the original photo. Embassy Court which fronts onto Kings Road on the seafront, can be seen in the background of both photos. (Photographer: Shan Lancaster)
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Historic and Contemporary Images of Brighton and Hove
This website has been prepared by the Regency Society of Brighton and Hove. All historic maps are provided with kind permission of the National Library of Scotland (https://www.nls.uk/) regencysociety.org

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