James Gray: This delightfully clear photograph of Terminus Road dates from 1900. Apart from the long line of horse cabs the road has changed but little since then. At this period the houses were about 55 years old and they certainly had a much less grimy appearance than they have now, in 1958. jgc_31_052
2019: The doorways on the left of the 2019 image are those of Nos 12 and 13 Terminus Road. The front door of No 14 is round the corner in Railway Street. Perhaps the James Gray image was taken from the upper deck of a horse bus, given the perspective, but it has not proved possible to replicate this exact view from the upper deck of a moving 21st century bus. In 1900 unlicensed cabs had to queue up this hill, as only two at a time were allowed in the station forecourt where they would pick up their fares. In 2019 all parking is prohibited, on both sides of the road. See also jgc_31_053 and 054. (Photographer: Jane Southern)
James Gray: Photographs [jgc_31_053, 054 and 055] of the 1950s showing the trolley bus wires. It is difficult to identify or number individual houses, but those seen [here] were below Terminus Place. Further up the hill, those far right [see jgc_31_056], larger than the others, are the ones which were demolished. jgc_31_053
2019: The adjacent front doors are those of Nos 12 and 13 Terminus Road. The house on the right is No 14, which has its entrance round the corner in Railway Street. These houses are easily recognisable as those in the 1950s image, although there have been some changes. Nos 11 and 13 have been rendered and painted, which has affected the decorative frieze of the latter. Their sash windows have been replaced by UPVC windows of a different style. No 12 was awarded Grade II listing in 1999. The trolley lines went long ago, as trolley buses came to an end in 1961, but a modern lamp post is still in the original position. The 2019 image was taken during a lull in the traffic, but the notice on the lamp post shows that vehicles still queue at this point on their way down to the station and beyond. (Photographer: Jane Southern)
James Gray: A closer view [than jgc_31_053]. jgc_31_054
2019: This is a close-up of jgc_31_053. There is no longer a boot scraper outside 13 Terminus Road, perhaps because a rainwater downpipe has been attached to the front wall. (Photographer: Jane Southern)
James Gray: A different view [from jgc_31_053 and jgc_31_054] showing larger houses. jgc_31_055
2019: The house on the right is No 23 and the door on the left is that of No 18. Very little seems to have changed here other than the removal of the trolley bus wires and the application of white paint to more front walls. However, whereas in the 1950s Nos 22 and 23 were single dwellings, they are now divided into flats. Nos 20 to 23 were awarded Grade II listing in 1999. The 2019 image was not taken from exactly the same spot as the earlier image because there are barriers on the narrow strip of pavement on the opposite side of what is now a busy road. What is clear is that the advertisement on the Terminus Place side of No 23, just visible in the 1950 image, has been painted over. (Photographer: Jane Southern)
James Gray: Not so many photographs have been taken of this road despite its importance as an entrance to the heart of Brighton. Sadly the reason for these pictures taken on 30 May 1987 was that the houses were about to be demolished. Soon after the coming of the railway in 1840, building of small houses and shops commenced and most had been finished by 1855. After a life of 140 years these houses between Terminus Place and Clifton Passage were thought to be worn out. What a pity that the interiors could not have been modernised with the exteriors preserved as has been done in many other parts of Brighton. jgc_31_057
James Gray: View showing corner of Terminus Place. jgc_31_058
2019: The 2019 image shows Nos 27 to 33 Terminus Road, which replaced numbers 24 to 33 after their demolition in 1998 (see jgc_31_057). As in the 1987 image, there is a taller, white building at the far end of the terrace. This is 34 Terminus Road, which was not demolished. In 1998 this was divided into an office on the ground floor and in the basement, which had been empty for eight years, with living accommodation above. The upper storeys are now divided into two flats. (Photographer: Jane Southern)
James Gray: Looking towards the station from Surrey Street, and showing the recently widened breakthrough from Queen’s Road. The exact year is not known but it seems likely to have been in the mid-1930s, probably 1936 or 1937. jgc_31_075
2019: The Brighton Station building, the roof of the train shed behind it and porte-cochère in front of it look the same in 2019 as they did in 1936-37.