James Gray: Looking North from Sussex Street to Ebenezer Baptist Chapel in Richmond Street, 1935. Demolished later the same year. jgc_27_028
2018: On a modern map of Brighton, the former site of Claremont Row runs (north to south) from Nelson Place on Morley Street to where Ashton Rise crosses Richmond Parade. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: The same area 16 years later. Seven small pre-fabricated houses instead of 38 old tightly packed houses. jgc_27_029
2018: See caption for jgc_27_028 above. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: Looking south from Richmond Street to Sussex Street. The building on the right is Richmond Street School. Hemmed in between Claremont Place at the back and Claremont Street in front, it was still not by any means the worst of Brighton slums of the 1930s. jgc_27_030
2018: See caption for jgc_27_028 above. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: From Richmond Street to Sussex Street, showing the gaunt backs of the old houses in Claremont Street. Compare this with the photograph of the same corner in 1935 on the previous photograph. jgc_27_031
2018: See caption for jgc_27_028 above. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: Looking north along the back yards of these old houses in 1935. Showing also the high dividing wall with the backs of houses in Claremont Street. Year 1935. Claremont Row was removed in the same year, but Claremont Street remained until 1959. jgc_27_032
2018: See caption for jgc_27_028 above. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: Ebenezer Baptist Chapel in 1960. It had five years more life left, being demolished in 1965. jgc_27_034
2018: Gray’s photograph [labelled ‘Carlton Row’] actually shows Claremont Place. The Ebenezer Chapel was on Richmond Street (now Richmond Parade) and Carlton Row had been demolished by 1935.
James Gray: Looking up the street, from the corner of Sussex Place, in 1958. The buildings boarded up and awaiting demolition were Nos 98-104, just below Ivory Place, while the tower of Richmond Street School can be seen beyond. jgc_27_067
2018: Every building in the original photograph was demolished and replaced during the 1960s. Richmond Street itself was divided into two sections by the Grove Hill development and the bottom section renamed Richmond Parade. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: A view of what little was left of this street [Richmond Buildings], taken from Richmond Street. The period would most likely have been late in 1959 because some of the new flats can be seen under construction. jgc_27_068
2018: With the exception of Albion Street, all the thoroughfares that branched off Richmond Street and Albion Hill no longer exist, having been swept away in the great slum clearances of the 1960s.
James Gray: Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Richmond Street, had stood on this site for 130 years when this photograph was taken on 21 November 1956. In 1963 it is still standing but a new chapel is being built on the other side of Richmond Street. When this is completed the old chapel will be demolished. jgc_27_072
2018: This photograph shows the chapel’s original location. A new building now exists on the opposite side of the road, on the ground floor of a small block of flats. [See also jgc_27_034] (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: Two more [jgc_27_074 and 075] of the dingy streets in this area. Photographed in April 1956, they were swept away in the general clearance of December 1958. An oddly named street, which consisted of a number of small cottages, shops, workshops and St Peter’s School. It was the next street above Albion Street. The view here is from south to north. Chimney of Tamplins Brewery in the background. jgc_27_074
James Gray: Looking up Richmond Street at the same period. On the left side of the road can be seen the Ebenezer Baptist Chapel and the Duke of Cambridge Inn and the barrier across the road at Dinapore Street. jgc_27_077
2018: Every building in the James Gray image was demolished and replaced during the 1960s.
James Gray: View of the clearance area, taken from Richmond Street, in February 1959. On the left is the entrance to Albion Street, while the large isolated building was originally St Peter’s National School, in later years occupied as a Working Men’s Club. jgc_27_084
James Gray: 1 of 4 photographs [also jgc_27_087 (on Morley Street page), 088 (Grove Hill) and 089 (Albion Hill)] taken in 1960 as this vast area was being cleared so that several blocks of high rise flats could replace the many worn out mean streets in this area. Looking across Richmond Street to the houses of Ivory Place, then awaiting demolition. jgc_27_086
2018: Looking across Richmond Street (renamed Richmond Parade) today.
James Gray: 2/2 photographs [090 and 091] of 1958, when demolition preceding the redevelopment was in progress. Above, looking down Richmond Street towards the Ebenezer Chapel. jgc_27_091
2018: This part of the area was renamed Richmond Parade after the slum clearances of the 1960s. The original Ebenezer Chapel stood roughly where the housing stands next to the parade of shops today. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: The Richmond Hotel in 1929. Situated at the corner of Richmond Place and Richmond Street, it was opened in 1807 as the Richmond Arms, by Mr Fairs who transferred to it the licence from the Spotted Dog, which then existed at 35 Middle Street. The old hotel was demolished and rebuilt in 1931, opportunity being taken to round off the corner and set back the frontage to Richmond Street. jgc_27_102
2018: There has been a hotel or inn located on this corner of Richmond Place and Richmond Parade (previously Richmond Street) since at least 1839 and it has been substantially rebuilt several times since. The current building, designed by local architect John Leopold Denman, dates from 1931 and is a locally listed heritage asset. Brightonians of a certain age will remember some of the rock and punk concerts held in the upstairs room in the 1960s to 1980s. In the 1990s the venue became ‘The Pressure Point’ and then briefly became a backpacker’s hostel. It reopened as a bar and music venue and became The Richmond again in 2017. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)