James Gray: 1 and 2 Grand Parade, at the corner of Richmond Street, photographed on the same day [as jgc_27_072 on the Richmond Parade page]. About 150 years old, they were demolished in 1961 as part of the redevelopment scheme and the cleared area is now part of the widened dual carriageway Richmond Street [since renamed Richmond Parade]. jgc_27_073
2018: The building in the current photograph occupies Nos 1-3 Grand Parade. It remains substantially unaltered since it was built in the early 1960s although the commercial premises on the ground floor have had a number of reincarnations, including as a supplier of art materials in the 1970s. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: Following the 1927-8 demolitions of houses in Grand Parade and Pavilion Parade this rather ugly rounded building was erected in 1930/1. It was put to a variety of uses, offices, furniture store etc but never looked to be of a permanent nature. Photographed on July 2 1967, when almost empty and likely to be demolished, it is still here as I write in 1991, even more derelict. Sometime surely this prime site will be redeveloped! Additional Information: Redeveloped in 2005 as flats. jgc_24_006
2019: Contemporary apartment block Royal View at 80 Grand Parade is so named because most of the flats have views over the Royal Pavilion and Gardens. It has replaced the dilapidated building seen in the original photograph. (Photographer: Ruthie Martin)
James Gray: This photograph [from 1927] shows the first stage in the removal of several houses in this part of Grand Parade. No 79 is in course of demolition and during the next two years, the six houses Nos 78-83 were removed. The purpose was to round off the corner leading to a widened Edward Street. jgc_30_156
James Gray: Two photographs, [jgc_30_032 and 033] dating from between 1901-1904, showing trams at rest at the then terminus, facing the Pavilion and Grand Parade. Cars 1 to 30 were those originally supplied in 1901, while 31 to 40 were delivered in 1903. jgc_30_032
2020: Some of the houses in Grand Parade have lost their balcony railings and canopies. The University of Brighton’s Grand Parade building, which houses the School of Art and Media, is on the left of the row. This was completed in 1966 for the former Brighton College of Art, replacing the houses at Nos 59 to 64 Grand Parade. The door above the head of the woman on the left of the original image is the entrance to 65 Grand Parade. By September 1939 there were no more trams in Brighton. The 2020 image shows the modern equivalent. (Photographer: Jane Southern)
James Gray: This photograph was taken shortly before 53 and 54 Grand Parade were removed for the purpose of widening Carlton Hill and providing a wide approach to the intended new market in Circus Street. The Norfolk Arms, now rebuilt and the corner building, has been a public house since 1854. Additional Information: Lovibond’s wine merchants. jgc_30_044
2020: Although Nos 53 and 54 were removed, the address of the BrewDog pub is 52-54 Grand Parade, as was that of the Norfolk Arms. The 2020 image shows the southern end of the redevelopment of Circus Street. The building surrounded by scaffolding will house offices and shops. On the southern side of Kingswood Street the end of the University of Brighton’s Grand Parade building is visible (see also jgc_30_32). (Photographer: Jane Southern)
James Gray: If any proof of the poverty in the densely populated Carlton Hill area was needed, it is surely supplied by this photograph, taken soon after the end of the 1914-1918 war. The motor coach or char-a-banc, is standing in the loop off Grand Parade, facing up North Road. At the left can be seen the old College of Art, at the entrance to Carlton Hill. Many of the men are wearing on their lapels the round Discharged Soldier’s badge, so most must have served during the War, and returned not to “homes fit for heroes to live in” but to the familiar slums which abounded in this area. No Welfare State to provide boots or shoes for needy children in those days! jgc_30_155
James Gray: Photograph of a char-a-banc party about to leave on an outing, and said to have been from a street turning out of Grand Parade, though I cannot substantiate this. It was taken between 1923 and 1928. jgc_30_127
James Gray: The large house, No. 47, dominates this photograph, taken in 1873, which is so out of keeping with the adjoining houses on either side that one wonders why it was built in this style. At this period Grand Parade was still a fashionable neighbourhood (Lord Molesworth lived at No 43) and was chiefly residential, though many of the houses were being used as lodging houses. Two doors below the large house was Gwatkins the chemist and next door a house agent’s office. jgc_30_128
James Gray: These two photographs [and following] show cable laying in progress, in the summer of 1901, at the time of the introduction of the trams. It is interesting to note that nearly 30 years after the earlier photo, the horse and cab stand is in the same place. The railings around the gardens remained until 1921/1923. jgc_30_129
2022: The railings around the gardens, the trams and the horse and cab are long gone. The 1901 image shows Nos 41 to 47 Grand Parade while the 2022 photo, with no trees obscuring the view, shows part of No 40 and more of 47 (see also jgc_30_128). Nos 40, 41, 46 and 47 are amongst the many Grade II listed buildings in Grand Parade. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: These two photographs [and previous] show cable laying in progress, in the summer of 1901, at the time of the introduction of the trams. It is interesting to note that nearly 30 years after the earlier photo, the horse and cab stand is in the same place. The railings around the gardens remained until 1921/1923. jgc_30_130
2022: The railings on both sides of the gardens disappeared in the 1920s and today fewer trees and bushes obscure the view of the Grand Parade buildings. The 2022 photograph shows Nos 35 to 41, the houses north of those seen in jgc_30_129. With its distinctive yellow and castellated façade, the narrow No 39 stands out in this photograph but is hidden in the 1901 image. For many years, until it closed in 2017, this was the Swift Sports shop but is now a residential building. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: Grand Parade northwards from North Road, showing also the Gardens then enclosed by ugly iron railings, which were removed in 1922. The date of the photograph is not known, but it would be about 1905. One can hardly see the narrow opening of Sussex Street, but in the 1930s, 28 and 29 Grand Parade were removed so that Sussex Street could be widened. jgc_30_131
2022: The gap in the Grand Parade houses at the bottom of Morley Street (formerly Sussex Street – see jgc_30_142) is now far more apparent. It can be seen between the cream building with blue graffiti on the south wall in the 2022 photo (26/27 Grand Parade, another Grade II listed building) and on the opposite corner, No 30. The Valley Gardens are also more visible today, with no railings, new plant borders, a cycle path and wider pavement. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: It is hard to realise that this is the south end of Grand Parade and that the turning to the left is not North Road, but Church Street. The large trees in the foreground were behind the railings of the Royal Pavilion grounds. The house on the extreme right was No. 81, which was removed with several others, about 30 years ago, to round off the corner into Edward Street. Period of photograph – about 1910. jgc_30_133
James Gray: The Norfolk Arms, 52 Grand Parade – 1923. Although the building dates from about 1810, it first became a Public House in 1854. jgc_30_134
2022: The BrewDog Brighton (52-54 Grand Parade) is the latest public house to operate on the site of the Norfolk Arms. As explained in jgc_30_044, the original Nos 53 and 54 were demolished to enable road widening, leaving the Norfolk Arms as the corner property. It was enlarged and rebuilt but retained its original name for over a century, becoming Gatsby’s for a short period and, in the 1990s, Hector’s House after the children’s television show of the same name which was shown on BBC in the 1960s. From 2010 to 2014, it was called the Blind Tiger Club and was a popular music venue, closing after the issue of a noise abatement notice. Since 2015 it has been part of the BrewDog pub chain. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: Taken about 1907, this is perhaps the best photograph of this Victorian College, showing the rather forbidding frontage and the dingy appearance of the north façade in Sussex Street. Incidentally, in the adjoining tall house, in the 1870s lived Mr Jacob Boys, a friend of Dr. Charles Beard, one of the principle witnesses in the trial of Christiana Edmunds. This was the murder trial in the “Poisoned Chocolates” case held in the Old Bailey in January 1872. jgc_30_135
James Gray: This photograph shows the different styles of architecture of the four successive houses, starting with the large building on the left which at one time housed the Grammar School. Although all built at the same time they present complete contrasts to each other. Note the overhead wires of the trolley Buses, then still being used. jgc_30_136
2022: The four buildings are still recognisable although their uses have changed.
James Gray: This large clear photograph, of which this is a recent copy, probably dates from the 1880s. Clues are, the newness of the building, the dress of the boy bystander but, most of all, the name on the side flint façade of adjoining No. 54. This was J. Brass, Wine and Spirit Merchant who was also the licensee of the Norfolk Arms Inn, two doors away. Old directories show he was here in 1877, but had gone by the 1890s. jgc_30_137
2022: Every building seen in the James Gray image has now gone.
James Gray: A last look at the old College of Art, in April 1963. This was opened in 1877, the foundation stone having been laid by Sir Henry Cole, KCB on 9 June 1876. The builder was G.B. Lockyer. The building was removed in 1964 and the second stage of the new College is now being built here. jgc_30_140
2022: Foliage now obscures most of the BrewDog Brighton pub on the left and the 1960s University of Brighton building on the right. The first two phases of the Valley Gardens improvement project were completed in 2020 and now provide more pathways across the gardens, new cycle paths, two-way traffic on the east (Grand Parade) side of the gardens, more trees and many more border plants. On the far right (south) of each image can be seen a commemorative plinth, one of five which originally bore an allegorical figure (Morning, Welcome, Fidelity, Truth and Night) donated to the town by Sir Edward Sassoon in 1887. Today just two plinths remain in the gardens.
James Gray: This is a view of the Glenside Boarding House, in 1913. These buildings still stand but will go later when the third and final stage of rebuilding takes place. jgc_30_141
2022: The Glenside Hotel, 65-67 Grand Parade, was purchased for the art college in the 1960s and became an important annexe, not least for its famous Basement venue where many bands, including U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen, played. The annexe was demolished and rebuilt 1996-1998 as part of the University’s fourth wing development. Access to the building (in the centre of the 2022 photograph) is now via the extended 1960s building. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: A particularly fine and clear photograph of 1960, showing from left to right, buildings numbered 18 – 25 in the area between Richmond Street and Sussex Street. Generally speaking they seem in better condition than at present, some 30 years later. At the extreme left, the three buildings were occupied as the Queensmead Hotel. jgc_30_142
James Gray: Prior to stage 3 of the new College of Art several houses in Grand Parade had to be removed. They were the first six houses seen in this photograph, Nos. 59-64. The two pictures were taken on 2 July 1967 and demolition followed two months afterwards. jgc_30_144
2022: Nos 59-64 Grand Parade were purchased in 1935 by Brighton Corporation under a Compulsory Purchase Order and used as annexes by the art college until their demolition in 1967. The modern building we see today extends as far as where these houses once stood. The University of Brighton’s Grand Parade accommodation also includes Nos 65-68; the Glenside Hotel at Nos 65-67 was purchased in the 1960s, demolished and rebuilt 1996-98 while No 68, a Grade II listed building, remains (on the outside at least) in its original state, built of red brick with, unusually, red mathematical tiles. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: The splendid upper facades of 31/32 Grand Parade. These houses still remain. jgc_30_146
2022: 31 and 32 Grand Parade have changed very little since the James Gray photo was taken, apart from the originally tarred cobbles which have now been painted. The ground floor and basement are stuccoed. Nos. 31-35 have all been Grade II listed since 1971. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: About 1937 this house suffered horrible mutilation by having its lower part removed just to give access to the bus garage at the rear, off Edward Street. Grand Parade has seen many changes for the worse during its long life, but surely this must have been the crowning indignity! The building remained in this sorry state for about 50 years before its front was restored with balcony and verandah. 3 September 1983. jgc_30_147
2022: The 1983 and 1991 photos, jgc_30_147 and 148, show 69 Grand Parade with the ‘horrible mutilation’ described by James Gray and after its restoration. Today the building has changed very little since the 1991 image. One hangover from the days when access was possible to the bus garage at the rear is the private alleyway on the south side of the property leading to parking spaces and William Street. Along with its neighbours, 68 and 70 Grand Parade, No 69 is Grade II listed. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: Looking across the gardens to 61 and 62, Grand Parade, the Johannesburg Boarding Establishment. Year unknown but as no tramway wires are seen it could date from the 1890s as the business was certainly there then. Railings removed 1921/3 and houses demolished in 1967. jgc_30_151
2022: Nos 61 and 62 Grand Parade were purchased for the art college in the 1930s and used as annexes until they were demolished in 1967 to allow for the extension southwards of the new building. Today the modern University of Brighton building extends from Kingswood Street to where once stood the decommissioned Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, the original art college building and Nos 61-64 Grand Parade, all demolished in the 1960s. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: From left to right, 41-45 Grand Parade photographed in the late 1950s and looking a bit less dilapidated than they do today. jgc_30_152
2022: 41-45 Grand Parade today look quite smart. They retain their original railings and balconies but only 41 has been Grade II listed. No 45 has lost its bow windows on its upper floors while No 44, in contrast to the cream and white buildings surrounding it, has been painted black (and with a bright red door). (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)
James Gray: An unusual view from the Pavilion Grounds 26 April 1930. This site at the foot of Edward Street had been empty since 1927 when 6 houses in Grand Parade and 1 and 2, Pavilion Parade were demolished. jgc_30_159
2022: Because of the extra trees and bushes, it has been impossible to reproduce the 1930 photograph without moving outside the perimeter of the Pavilion grounds. The site on the corner of Grand Parade and Edward Street is now the Royal View apartment block (80 Grand Parade), built in 2000 and seen more clearly, along with its predecessor building, in jgc_24_006. On the far left of the photo, behind the traffic lights, one can glimpse the 19th century buildings in Grand Parade (Nos 74-77) seen on the left of the 1930 image. On the opposite side of Edward Street, a row of early 19th century buildings, Nos 3-11 Pavilion Parade, have survived and are all Grade II listed. The corner property with its distinctive painted cobble front is now the home of Fitzhugh Gates Solicitors. (Photographer: Lyn Turpin)