James Gray: View of the Sussex County Cricket Ground, across the site of Palmeira Avenue to Davidor Road, then only partly built up. The large building on the right is East Hove School, erected in 1893. Across the road is the Palmeira Hotel and the original Hove Electricity Works, with the tall chimney. The photograph probably dates from about 1900. jgc_11_121
2018: The cricket ground is, in 2018, named the 1st Central County Ground. Few of the buildings in the original photograph can be seen. Some like the Electricity Works and its chimney have been demolished, others are obscured by blocks of flats. The Palmeira Hotel is now a pub called The Palmeira. The cricket ground has modern floodlighting. (Photographer: Alison Minns)
James Gray: Grouped in front of the east wall is the Sussex County Cricket team of 1922. Names of the eleven players seen are Standing: T Cook, H E Roberts, E Bowley, M W Tate, G Stannard, G Street. Seated: J Vine, R A Young, A E R Gilligan (Captain), G Cox, A H H Gilligan. jgc_11_125
2018: Sussex View, the modern flats at 51-55 Palmeira Avenue, and Willow Court, No 57 Palmeira Avenue, are visible in the background of the Sussex County Cricket Ground. (Photographer: Alison Minns)
James Gray: Not far from the cricket ground was this vacant lot at the corner of Palmeira Avenue. It had been empty since the 1880s when these roads were laid out for building. Date of photograph, 24 September 1961. Four years later the ground was cleared for the erection of the Brighton and Hove Synagogue, consecrated on Sunday, 10 September 1967. jgc_11_128
2018: The corner plot, once known as Sleepy Hollow, is now the site of the Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue. The designer was Derek Sharp FRIBA and the foundation stone was laid on 17 July 1966 or in the Hebrew calendar, 29 Tammuz 5726.
James Gray: This photograph shows 46 Palmeira Avenue, in May 1959. This fine house was built on the fashionable Goldsmid Estate as recently as 1931. With a large garden in the rear, it was suitable for flat redevelopment and after a short life of only 28 years it was demolished in late 1959. jgc_11_147
2018: A block of flats called Palmeira House has replaced the old detached house at 46 Palmeira Avenue.
James Gray: This photograph was taken in November 1960 of the block of flats since built on the site. jgc_11_148
2018: Externally at least, the Palmeira House flats look very little changed almost 60 years later. (Photographer: Alison Minns)
James Gray: Yet another of those well built houses which had a very short life. Owing to the fact that after the 1914-18 War there were still vacant sites in central Hove (The Drive, Grand Avenue, Holland Road, Palmeira Avenue and others), substantial houses were built with large gardens. This one, 23 Palmeira Avenue, was built as recently as 1926. The areas and gardens of these houses were such as to make them suitable for redeveloping as flats. This house was demolished in January 1969 after a life of 43 years, and in due course another block of flats will arise here. jgc_11_149
James Gray: See caption for jgc_11_149 above. jgc_11_150
2018: Sandringham Lodge seen from further north. The building to the left of the original image has had fire doors and escapes added and there is now a double garage between the two buildings. (Photographer: Alison Minns)
James Gray: A quarter of a mile away, in 1949, allotments were on land between Holland Road and Palmeira Avenue. It has always been one of life’s mysteries why this land had remained undeveloped as it was so centrally situated. Later the new telephone exchange was built here, but land to the north between these roads is still vacant. jgc_11_105
2019: The eastern side of Palmeira Avenue is now largely occupied by purpose-built blocks of flats and the allotments have now all gone. (Photographer: Dave Lane)