Historic and Contemporary Images of Brighton and Hove
Based on the Regency Society James Gray Collection
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RUSSELL SQUARE DEMOLITIONS

Regency Road

Neighbourhood:
Central Brighton
1964
2018

James Gray: Part of this old square being included in the West Street area redevelopment, demolition began early in 1964. The first to go was No.8 (seen in these photographs of 9 February 1964) and before long the adjoining houses, 4 to 10 inclusive, had been removed. jgc_29_216

2018: The cream-painted Churchill Square building on the left of the picture stands on the former site of Nos 1-10 Russell Square. A close up of No 4 Russell Square is shown in jgc_29_218.  (Photographer: Suzanne Hinton)

1964

James Gray: A view into the gardens. jgc_29_217

2018: The 1964 image was taken shortly after the demolition of No 8 Russell Square and shows the view through the gap it left. Beyond the back garden of No 8 can be seen the backs of Nos 48-55 Clarence Square, as shown on the map. In 2018 all the buildings of Nos 1-12 Russell Square and Nos 48-55 Clarence Square have been demolished and the land they stood on has been absorbed into the development of the Churchill Square shopping centre. (Photographer: Suzanne Hinton)

1964
2018

James Gray: Another view of the square. jgc_29_218

2018: The bakers and confectioners shop on the far right of the 1964 image is No 4 Russell Square, on the north-east corner of the square and Clarence Street. The building and its neighbours, Nos 5-10, were demolished in 1965. No 11 now occupies the north-east corner of Russell Square, bordering on Cannon Place. It can be seen in the centre of the 2018 picture. The exact spot where No 4 stood is under the goods lorry exit from Grenville Street on the extreme lower right-hand side of the 2018 image.

The houses just seen on the lower left of the 1965 image were The Cannon Inn at 1 Russell Square, Nos 2-3 Russell Square and on the corner, No 26 Cannon Place. They have now completely disappeared beneath a bin store and a small car park at the foot of Chartwell Court, a block of flats rising from Churchill Square. In the far distance of the 1965 image is the façade of Moore’s Garage. The garage has been demolished and on its site are gates to Russell House, a gated housing development, now dominating the skyline in the distance. The arched window beyond the gates is part of Russell House.  (Photographer: Suzanne Hinton)

More
1930
2019

James Gray: Two photographs [jgc_08_002 and, on the Middle Street page, jgc_08_003] of 1930, showing two humble courts in old, central Brighton, now lost to us forever. This photograph is BUNKERS HILL – which turned out of the west side of West Street, backing on to Upper Russell Street. Demolished in 1933.  jgc_08_002

2019: Bunkers Hill was a cul-de-sac of small houses dating from the 1820s just above St Paul’s Church. The entrance was between 30 and 31 West Street and the narrow street was so called because of a resident, an old soldier who fought in the 1775 Battle of Bunkers Hill during the American War of Independence. Although the road was demolished in the 1930s, the area remained fairly undeveloped until the arrival of Churchill Square. It has now vanished under Regency Road which was created during the building of the square in 1966. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)

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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