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

St Aubyns

Neighbourhood:
Central Hove
1939
2018

James Gray: A little later [than development at 157 Kingsway, just west of this site, see jgc_15_038, Kingsway (6)] and the King Alfred is being built – 1939.  jgc_15_039

2018: The view of the rear of the building is now obscured by a public toilet block on the east side. The King Alfred was originally called Hove Marina swimming baths for a few months in 1939, but with the outbreak of World War II it was taken over by the Admiralty and commissioned as a naval training centre called HMS King Alfred. It reopened as a public pool named King Alfred in 1946. There have been many unsuccessful plans for redevelopment of the site, the latest of which is a mix of modern sports facilities and new homes, due to begin consultation by early 2019. (Photographer: Susan Nicholls)

c1912
2018

James Gray: Looking down St. Aubyns, towards Kingsway, about 1912. The four terraced houses, on the right, are those numbered 62 to 68. jgc_13_048

2018: The trees have grown, the street lamps have been replaced, and there are now cars parked on both sides of the road. The buildings however remain unchanged, with the four terraced houses on the right, mentioned in the original notes, easily identifiable. (Photographer: David Sears)

1860s
2018

James Gray: St Aubyns, or St Aubyn’s Place as it was first named, was laid out in 1860 and the building commenced at the southern end in the same year. The first houses, built by Mr Jabez Reynolds, extended to No. 18 on the west side, and to No.19 on the east. Higher up on the east side was the Archery, which was opened by the Hove Toxophilate Society in 1863. The targets were 60 to 80 yards apart. On the west side of the road were the nursery gardens of Balchin and Nell, containing greenhouses and large stone tanks. In this photograph can be seen, at the extreme left, Old Hove Parish Church, and to the right, the rear of George Street School, opened in 1858 to serve the newly built district of Cliftonville.

The large building behind the trees was the Brighton Brewery, built in 1852 and removed about 1900. On open ground behind the trees were saw pits on the site of the present Seafield Road, and the buildings on the extreme right are the backs of the houses on the west side of Osborne Villas. This photograph is a reproduction of the original which was taken at some time between 1863 and 1870. jgc_12_186

2018: As with the previous image, jgc_12_185 on the Church Road (3) page, this early view of the Lower Cliftonville development can no longer be replicated. St Aubyns was and still is one of the finer roads in this area, running north-south and now with large terraced houses and villas on both sides. Today the grey roof of St Andrew’s Church is just visible between the mature trees at the northern end. All the surrounding land is now fully developed.  (Photographer: David Sears)

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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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