Historic and Contemporary Images of Brighton and Hove
Based on the Regency Society James Gray Collection
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PRINCES CRESCENT AREA

Princes Crescent

Neighbourhood:
Westbourne
1925
2018
2018

James Gray: This central area, only a short distance west of Hove Street, was undeveloped open land until a comparatively recent period. Princes Square was the first to be developed and by 1923 the three houses shown on the east side had been built.

Later a start was made with Princes Crescent, the first house being one built on the east side in 1925. Willett Ltd. built most of the houses in the Crescent. In this photograph of 1925, men are clearing the ground for the building of the first house on the west side. Princes Avenue, seen on the right, was built a year or two later. jgc_15_106

2018: The original No 1 Princes Crescent was the large grey building seen in these 2018 pictures of the south-west corner of Princes Crescent and Kingsway. Now named Barford Court and numbered 157 Kingsway, it is currently a nursing home run by the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution. It was designed by cinema architect Robert Cromie as a private house for Ian Stuart Miller, an eccentric millionaire who made his money investing in iron and steel. The Grade II listed building’s interior is largely Art Deco, contrasting with the sombre Neo-Georgian exterior. The wall is built of greyish-purple bricks imported from Italy which were individually wrapped when delivered. The second image shows the whole site from the air. See also jgc_15_038. (Photographer: Jane Cheema)

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1973
2018

James Gray: Not far away from these lawns were the three houses seen in this photograph of 11 February 1973. They were built in 1929/30, but had very short lives being demolished in March 1973, and replaced by a block of flats. jgc_15_011

2018: There is now a large block of flats called Fairlawns on the site, replacing the houses built in 1929 and demolished in 1973.  (Photographer: Jan Sinkfield)

1938
2018

James Gray: Building of the large house, 157 Kingsway, Hove, in progress – 1938. Reputedly built for an American millionaire, it covered the entire island site in Princes Crescent that had been empty for many years. Now the Hove Hospital Nurses Home. jgc_15_038

2018: No 157 Kingsway is now a care home called Barford Court operated by the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

It was built between 1934 and 1937 for iron industry tycoon Ian Stuart Miller who had earlier invested in the building of the Lido Cinema which stood in Denmark Villas. The Lido was designed by Robert Cromie who was then hired by Miller to build his unusual house at what was originally 1, Princes Crescent. Miller only lived there for nine years. The house became the Brighton and Hove School of Nursing until 1989. The present owners took over and refurbished it in the mid 1990s. It is a Grade II listed building. See also jgc_15_106.  (Photographer: Susan Nicholls)
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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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